Despite the recent incidents of racist graffiti on campus, a new wall is being built outside Boebel Hall solely to be covered in student tags.

The art department is encouraging students to spray paint responses to the cases of racist graffiti that have been found in the residence halls. They will be able to paint their messages Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Linda James, an associate professor in the art department, said that this is an opportunity to give art a voice towards social justice.

“This wall is for all UW-Platteville students to express in graffiti form their reactions to the recent incidents of racist graffiti. It is a kind of visual ‘shout out,’” James said in an e-mail to the administration. James said art students will supervise the event.

Katharine Caywood, senior art major, is leading the event.

“We have a really strong art department and one of the things that we are encouraged to do is come up with ideas,” Caywood said. “This idea takes what [the vandals] have done and shows them that people who have a positive voice outnumber them.”

Caywood said that James told her and other art students that the art department wanted to make a visual statement about the graffiti in a public setting.

Caywood students could use things like compliments or lyrics.

A drop box will be available in the Pioneer Involvement Center for students to leave things they want to have on the wall if they cannot get to the wall themselves.

“We want something that we can be proud of instead of hiding it in basements and bathrooms,” Caywood said.