The Rock on Farm Lane is seen on July 21, 2023, after it was painted over, twice, for the first time since a Feb. 13 mass shooting on campus that killed three students and left five others severely injured. The Rock had displayed the same message for at least five months after the shooting, one of the longest periods with no changes in recent history.
The Rock on Farm Lane was painted over for the first time in months the week of July 17, marking the end of one of the longest stretches in recent history that it has sat still.
The Rock serves as a community landmark that is usually painted over almost daily. Following the Feb. 13 mass shooting on Michigan State University's campus, which killed three students and severely injured five others, The Rock was painted four times in quick succession to express messages about gun violence and remember the students impacted.
The fourth design, which the university commissioned Detroit based artist and owner of Hidden Gate LLC Anthony Lee to paint, had remained as a memorial since Feb. 15, the day of a candlelight vigil on campus.
Last week, a picture of The Rock began circulating on social media, which showed that it had been painted over with a new message.
Chemistry education senior Rylee Warner said she first heard about The Rock being repainted on YikYak, a popular social media app among college students.
“I was really confused at what it was supposed to be, I thought it didn’t look very planned out and it looked really sloppy,” Warner said. Warner then mentioned that one of the messages was a bible verse, which also appears on the Beaumont Tower: “Whatsoever a man soweth.”
“That was really hard for me to see, considering they painted over the memorial and we already have Beaumont Tower,” Warner said.
But the repaint was short-lived.
Social work junior Michelle Goldberg said she was planning to repaint The Rock, but other students beat her to it. Goldberg said she was happy to see the update on YikYak.
“I’m not sure if they meant any harm, but they for sure knew there would be uproar from people,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg said she believes it would be appropriate to repaint The Rock during welcome week in the fall. She added that MSU should keep The Rock as a memorial and invest in a new rock for campus.
MSU has previously said they did not have an official policy on when to repaint The Rock. Lee's design is believed to be one of the only times the university has commissioned a painting for the landmark.
The university planted a memorial tree near Berkey Hall last week, using composted flowers that had been left near The Rock, the Spartan Statue and outside buildings like Berkey Hall and the MSU Union.
That tree honors all 23 students who passed away during the 2022-2023 academic year, not just the shooting victims. The State News attempted to cover the ceremony but was turned away by university communications.
The Associated Students of MSU passed a bill advocating for the creation of a memorial bench honoring the lives of the victims of the tragic events of Feb. 13.
Warner said she feels having only benches isn’t enough to honor Alexandria Verner, Arielle Anderson and Brian Fraser.
“I feel like (the benches) are expensive, I think we could be using that money towards a different memorial,” Warner said. “Maybe creating a space in the Botanical Gardens that could be used as a reflection that maybe does have a bench … but also has different resources from people.”
Warner added that any planned memorial should spread awareness about the tragedy itself, saying that not including resources and the victims' names would feel like MSU is ignoring the impact of the tragedy.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
