National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) yesterday offered an apology after some of its students left graffiti at one of the nation’s major natural scenic attractions.
“We are very sorry [for the students’ misconduct]. We will oblige them to do volunteer community service after school begins [later this month],” said Liu Ine-wei (劉英偉), secretary-general of the school.
The school was forced to offer the apology after four students from the school’s Department of Soil and Water Conservation were found to have scribbled on the pillars of a public pavilion during a visit to the Jhihben (知本) National Forest Recreation Area in Taitung County on Dec. 13.
CORRECTION FLUID
The students wrote their names, the name of their department, the initials of the school and the date of their visit in correction fluid on the pillars.
The school subsequently received a number of complaints from angry visitors to the area, prompting authorities to take action.
“Their adviser demanded that the four students call the East Coast National Scenic Area Administration and apologize,” said Wu Chia-chun (吳嘉俊), chairman of the student’s department.
FORGIVE
Despite the students’ misconduct, the school administration had decided to forgive them and said that administration staffers would remove the graffiti, Wu said.
The NPUST students were not the only ones who have recently left their mark at a national scenic area.
Earlier last month, several students from Tunghai University’s Department of Industrial Engineering were disciplined by the school for scribbling on a plaque at Wuling (武嶺) on the New Central Cross-Island Highway (新中橫公路) — about 3,275m above sea level.
CRITICISM
The incident drew widespread criticism of the students on the Professional Technology Temple (PTT) — one of the biggest college bulletin board systems in the nation.
The Tunghai students were required to return to Wuling and clean up the graffiti they had left.
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