Vandals at UT Strike Again

If you happened to walk by the Littlefield Fountain on UT campus late last week you may have noticed something different about the water. Dyed bright purple, the fountain changed colors after vandals on Thursday tagged its concrete wall with the message "This is the blood of survivors that UT ignores" in red paint. The incident is the second case of vandalism on campus related to the university's continued employment of pharmacy professor Richard Morrisett, who pleaded guilty to choking his girlfriend in 2016. Advocates and groups have criticized UT for not adequately reprimanding Morrisett, and some are calling for his firing ("Is UT Harboring a Domestic Abuser?" Feb. 16). While the vandalism's source has not yet been identified, the Revolutionary Student Front, a self-billed "anti-capitalist" student group, posted photos of the vandalized property on social media with a message condemning UT for "their role in endangering and perpetuating violence against women and all survivors of patriarchal abuse, assault, and harassment." (The group held a protest against Morrisett in February.) The group uses a red hammer and sickle as its symbol, an image that appeared on both acts of vandalism. UT continues investigating both incidents.