Yalies Admit to Statue Prank

Trust a Yalie to waffle.

Two Yale students earlier this week claimed reponsibitly for painting to admit painting the John Harvard statue blue during the weekend of the Game--but they said they want to remain anonymous unless the four students apprehended by Harvard police for the act are disciplined.

The accused students are three Yale undergraduates and a Harvard graduate student who is a graduate of Yale College, according to Dean of Harvard College L. Fred Jewett '57.

But two other Yale students, who have not revealed their identities to Yale or Harvard police, said they were responsible for the crime and the four who were apprehended are innocent, the Yale Daily News reported earlier this week.

The four suspects were apprehended shortly after 3 a.m. on November 20, when a Harvard security guard found them by the John Harvard statue, according to Harvard police chief Paul E. Johnson. The statue had been doused with blue paint.

Thinking he had caught the students "blue-handed," the security guard concluded that the students were responsible for the vandalism.

"They were climbing on the statue, they had a paint can, and their clothes were soiled with paint. The paint on the statue was still wet," Johnson said. "The guard made an immediate decision that these students were up to no good."

The suspects were not arrested because Harvard police were able to obtain positive identification of all four students, Johnson said. The matter was, however, forwarded to the Yale College dean's office.

Claims by the students that they had come upon the statue after it had been covered in paint did not sound plausible to the officers, according to Johnson.

"They denied, of course, doing it and said that they just happened to climb up on the statue," he said.

But the confessed offenders' story may back the suspects' claims.

The anonymous students told the Daily News that they dumped a gallon of paint on the statue and left, leaving the can and the lid behind.

They guessed that their classmates came uponthe statue about an hour later.

Johnson said he was not aware of the anonymousYale students' claim that the wrong people wereapprehended. But he said there was no need forthem to be notified.

"We didn't arrest [the students] and any costfor the restoration of the statue and thediscipline of the students would be forwarded tothe proper agencies," Johnson said.

The students claiming responsibility also toldthe Daily News they would not come forward unlessYale takes disciplinary action against those whowere caught.

Yale officials have not yet announced whatdisciplinary action, if any, will be taken againstthe three Yale students accused.

"We're investigating it so we haven't made anydecisions yet," said Betty Trachtenberg, dean ofstudent affairs at Yale College. "It's notpossible to say what will happen."

Any disciplinary action against the Harvardstudent involved in the incident must go throughchannels at his graduate school, according to Deanof the College L. red Jewett '57

They guessed that their classmates came uponthe statue about an hour later.

Johnson said he was not aware of the anonymousYale students' claim that the wrong people wereapprehended. But he said there was no need forthem to be notified.

"We didn't arrest [the students] and any costfor the restoration of the statue and thediscipline of the students would be forwarded tothe proper agencies," Johnson said.

The students claiming responsibility also toldthe Daily News they would not come forward unlessYale takes disciplinary action against those whowere caught.

Yale officials have not yet announced whatdisciplinary action, if any, will be taken againstthe three Yale students accused.

"We're investigating it so we haven't made anydecisions yet," said Betty Trachtenberg, dean ofstudent affairs at Yale College. "It's notpossible to say what will happen."

Any disciplinary action against the Harvardstudent involved in the incident must go throughchannels at his graduate school, according to Deanof the College L. red Jewett '57