A staircase in Mandeville Center is covered in graffiti, which university officials labeled as “trashy” and have struggled to paint over since last quarter. (Erik Jepsen/Guardian)

Instead of the colorful walls surrounding some of Mandeville
Center’s stairwells — commonly known to students as the “graffiti stairs” —
those passing by will now find multiple layers of blue paint.

The stairwells, along with other tunnels and corridors that
contain graffiti in the Mandeville Center,
have long been considered UCSD landmarks. However, the recent reopening of the University
Art Gallery
— closed since 2006 for remodeling — has led UCSD administrators to start
covering the graffiti. The gallery restoration project included the revamp of
the UAG and the painting of several walls that displayed graffiti.

“The area around Mandeville, particularly in some dark
corridors near the University Art
Gallery, had been overrun with what
many perceived to be ‘trashy’ graffiti,” Associate Vice Chancellor of
University Communications Stacie A. Spector said in an e-mail.

Spector said the graffiti seemed to be done by off-campus
artists and was of very poor quality, which led to its removal.

Another Mandeville staircase has been painted over as part of a University Art Gallery renovation project, though not all staircases in the building have been repainted. (Will Parson/Guardian)

Some students, however, feel that the graffiti provides a
positive touch to Mandeville’s atmosphere.

Eleanor Roosevelt
College senior Danya Michael, who
often uses the Mandeville facilities, said the graffiti adds to the vibrancy of
an otherwise gray building.

“I have never seen anything offensive,” she said. “I always
enjoy seeing the new things people put up. But in a sense, I guess the new
paint is like a new canvas.”

As a graffiti artist who does custom T-shirt and skateboard
designs, John Muir College senior Ji-San Lee said the graffiti in Mandeville
benefits the community and provides a way for artists to relax from the
stresses of everyday life.

“There are people who are just screwing around, but there’s
also a lot of art that’s really beautiful,” he said. “When you start learning
something, it’s not going to be graceful, so students should have a place to
try things out.”

It is illegal to graffiti on campus buildings, Spector said,
and the act is punishable under state laws as a form of vandalism.

“It’s like kids who skate on campus,” Lee said. “There are
rules against it. So instead they just figure out things themselves, sneak out
or things like that.”

Other students said the graffiti highlights the need for a
designated campus location where students can create their art freely.

“If it’s against the rules then it should be removed, but I
think there should be designated graffiti spots for students [to] express
themselves,” Eleanor Roosevelt
College senior Vijay Rama said.
“Graffiti is accessible [to] everyone unlike ‘real’ art, which is usually in
galleries. [The graffiti] gives me something to look at besides the usually
monotonous stuff.”

Despite efforts to repaint, graffiti continues to reappear
regularly by the stairwells. As a result, more layers of blue paint have been
added over the past few weeks.

The artists responsible for the graffiti have not been
located.