Sixteen Carolina Fever members crept into the N.C. State University free expression tunnel early Wednesday morning and painted it Carolina blue.
""We got all the walls" the ceiling the railings everything" said Tyler Singleton, chairman of Carolina Fever's game day affairs committee, who organized the painting.
We took up half the wall painting just ‘Courtesy of Carolina Fever.'""
Singleton said painting the tunnel three days before the kickoff of the football game between the two schools was only a part of this year's ramped-up rivalry that will culminate in Fever's Friday night Old Well watch.
At the watch"" Singleton said students will protect the Old Well. It was vandalized in February with a splash of bright red paint before a UNC-N.C. State basketball game.
""That was completely uncalled for" Singleton said. The free expression tunnel is meant to be painted but the Old Well is an iconic" sacred figure.""
The free expression tunnel was painted early to avoid the Ram Roast"" an event since 2005 similar to the Old Well watch.
""It's funny this happened" because we were going to have the Ram Roast tomorrow where we protect the tunnel" said Morgan Donnelly, chairwoman of N.C. State's campus community committee. I think Carolina finally caught on to that.""
The Ram Roast also includes a pig pickin' and pep rally.
Singleton said that by painting the tunnel with phrases such as ""University of National Champions — bass fishing doesn't count"" and images of the Old Well, he hoped to get Fever's name out and keep the rivalry alive.
One of my themes this year is legal vandalism" to get Fever's name out there and get people pumped up" Singleton said, though he would not say what he had planned for the rest of the year.
N.C. State Senior Class President Adam Compton said that he viewed the pranks between schools as healthy rivalry, but that painting the tunnel was frustrating because payback is difficult.
There's not much you can do about it" it's all in good fun" he said. It's hard because we can't do anything back at Carolina without breaking the law.""
But Compton said the disparaging messages" which were mostly painted over by the time he went through the tunnel at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday" wouldn't determine the outcome of Saturday's game.
""I guess the only thing we can say about it is we'll see you on the field"" he said.
Donnelly, a junior, agreed.
We don't get mad"" she said. We get even.""
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Operation Legal Vandalism from Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.
