As Carnegie Mellon prepares to welcome thousands of students back to campus in the coming weeks, the university is reminding the community about the longstanding traditions and expectations governing the Fence following several recent troubling incidents.
Over the last several weeks, the university has received multiple reports of vandalism and reports of non-CMU students and individuals unaffiliated with the university participating in painting the Fence. Officers routinely patrol campus and may request valid CMU identification, consistent with longstanding campus practices. In an effort to help safeguard one of Carnegie Mellon’s most recognizable student traditions, CMU Police has been actively verifying university identification for individuals painting the Fence.
“We want the Fence to remain a safe and welcoming part of our campus community,” said Daryl Weinert(opens in new window), vice president of Operations. “Our officers have always conducted periodic identification checks around campus, particularly during overnight patrols. In light of recent reports of vandalism and non-student painting, we’ve extended those routine checks to include Fence painters while these matters are being investigated to help ensure university guidelines for the Fence are being followed.”
The reminder comes as the university continues broader conversations about the future stewardship of the Fence. Earlier this summer, President Farnam Jahanian condemned threatening language(opens in new window) on the Fence while emphasizing that all members of the community share a responsibility to engage one another with civility and respect. He also reiterated in messages on June 30(opens in new window) and July 3(opens in new window) that language that incites or implies violence, or that can reasonably be viewed as threatening to members of the community, is inconsistent with Carnegie Mellon’s community standards and will not be tolerated.
CMU’s approach also reflects the work of the Fence Working Group, a representative body of students, faculty, staff and alumni convened to examine the future of the tradition. The group’s recommendations(opens in new window) emphasize preserving the Fence as a student-governed space for expression while strengthening shared expectations around stewardship, accountability and respect for the broader campus community. Those recommendations will inform discussions about the Fence and its protocols and governance this fall.
“Our conversations are centered on ensuring that this Carnegie Mellon tradition remains a venue for authentic student expression and reflective of a community built on mutual respect,” said Gina Casalegno(opens in new window), dean of students and vice president for Student Affairs.
Information about how the Fence is governed can be found at the Student Government website(opens in new window). Concerns about the Fence can be reported to Student Government via this email.
“Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The institution was originally established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical School. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology and began granting four-year degrees.”
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