Vandalism in Enterprise Hall

An email was sent out by Tasmeem Mahmuda, the residence director of Enterprise Hall, addressing the acts of vandalism. // Photo Courtesy of Giovanni Salsa.

On Nov. 18, Public Safety received reports of vandalism that occurred in Enterprise Hall. These reports consisted of damage in the laundry room and bathrooms on multiple floors in the dormitory. The electric panel in the laundry room was pried open, and two of the dryer doors were damaged. On the second-floor bathroom, one of the shower curtains was ripped out and one of the toilets was clogged from a trash bag.

On Nov. 20, Enterprise Hall residents received an email from the building’s resident director, Tasmeem Mahmuda, where she alerted the residents of the vandalism. The email detailed the vandalism and urged the perpetrator(s) to respect the living space.

Some students came across issues with their day-to-day tasks due to the vandalism, and many are speculating what the cause could be.

“I know that after the email was sent, the machines were still broken, which made it annoying to dry my clothes,” said Kobe Germain, an Enterprise resident and junior filmmaking major.

When asked about the vandalism, Jovanni Ortiz, the assistant director of public safety for community engagement and transportation, offered a statement by Public Safety.

The statement read, “At approximately [midnight] on Saturday, November 18, 2023, Public Safety responded to the laundry room in Enterprise Hall on a call that an unknown person(s) clogged the sink with paper towels, left the water running and the electric panel and paper dispenser were pulled open. The Plant Department was notified for a clean-up and to inspect the electric panel. After conducting an investigation, the unknown person was identified as a Hofstra student, and they were referred to the Office of Community Standards.”

Some students say that the bathrooms are constantly being vandalized and that Saturday’s incident was not an isolated event. While some students believe that these acts are a string of pranks, others simply hope for these occurrences to end.

“It doesn’t seem like any students are being harmed or targeted, so I’m not scared as of right now, but I do hope this behavior does not continue and is an isolated incident because I enjoy living in Enterprise,” said Gigi Ortiz, another Enterprise resident and junior filmmaking major.

The person who was involved in the incident is unknown to the public, but Public Safety confirmed that they identified the individual as a Hofstra student and that they have been referred to the Office of Community Standards, as noted in the statement.