T from Tech Tower Stolen!

[Techster]

Here is the reply I received from Pres. Bud

Ms. Walker,
Many thanks for your input on this matter. As reported in the press, the student involved has been issued a "citation for vandalism" and we do not plan to press criminal charges. He has also been referred to the Office of Student Integrity, and will be put through the student judicial process here on campus, which provides an opportunity for a panel of students to make recommendations on the appropriate sanctions.

While I understand your position, our principal concern is for the safety of our students. Having students climbing around on a very steep and slippery rooftop in the middle of the night presents a very dangerous situation, particularly if they have been participating in some other activities before doing so. As a result, Georgia Tech as an institution, and I as President, must take that the impact of any actions we might take into account. Simply put, I could not live with myself if a student fell and was injured or killed because of some the desire to support a "tradition." That said, we will see where the student judicial process takes us.
All the best and thanks for the continued support of Georgia Tech.

Regards,
BP
G.P. "Bud" Peterson, President
Georgia Institute of Technology
225 North Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30332-0325
Ph: 404-894-5051
Fax: 404-894-1277
http://www.gatech.edu/president/
http://www.me.gatech.edu/faculty/peterson

Good stuff.

I think that falls in line with a "slap on the wrist" all things considered. Had that perp not returned it willingly, and GT had to do actively search and arrest him, I think the charges would have been far more severe.

All in all, whoever did it has a great story to tell one day. I'll take a "citation for vandalism" for being one of the few to ever pull off heisting the "T".

 

[forensicbuzz]

The guy on the left in the photo above tried to hide it in his dorm room. He got busted, but I think it was a "double-secret probation" thing. Obviously, if you have a photo op with the President of the Institute, you can't get into too much trouble.

I have heard they've tightened down on the punishment since then.

 

[Animal02]

The guy on the left in the photo above tried to hide it in his dorm room. He got busted, but I think it was a "double-secret probation" thing. Obviously, if you have a photo op with the President of the Institute, you can't get into too much trouble.

I have heard they've tightened down on the punishment since then.

Not charging him with a criminal offense is a good sign, the other would be not expelling him. They need to make the sanctions tough enough that it discourages 99.99% of the people.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Sadly, we are the only group that glorifies a theft that makes our school name look like "ECH". Our opponents are saying that is what we should be called - Yech

We are too smart to steal the "H" where it could still be pronounced "Tech"

And the beat goes on.

 

[ramblinvak]

Though I can appreciate the T from the tower getting stolen, as a recent graduate, the amount of "t"s getting stolen around campus was getting a little ridiculous and annoying. It got to the point where people were scraping of t stickers off import plaques in building that helped you find rooms or offices. I also read somewhere that the school spent an upsurd amount of money every year trying to replace "t"s around campus. So, though the tradition is funny and a little silly it would be nice to see that money being used other ways to make the school better. That's why I don't blame the school cracking down on people stealing "t"s. I think a better tradition would be to go to the cesspool east of us and steal all their "t"s. Haha

 

[forensicbuzz]

There's only 1 "T" that is a tradition to steal. I never saw any other "t"'s stolen when I was in school. That seems pretty lame.

BTW, there is a treatise in the library on "how to steal the 'T'." It's not in the catalog, but it's there if you know where to look. It was written in the 50's. It has the blue prints of the Tech Tower and the best access points.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

There's only 1 "T" that is a tradition to steal. I never saw any other "t"'s stolen when I was in school. That seems pretty lame.

BTW, there is a treatise in the library on "how to steal the 'T'." It's not in the catalog, but it's there if you know where to look. It was written in the 50's. It has the blue prints of the Tech Tower and the best access points.

That's awesome lol

 

[AE 87]

There's only 1 "T" that is a tradition to steal. I never saw any other "t"'s stolen when I was in school. That seems pretty lame.

BTW, there is a treatise in the library on "how to steal the 'T'." It's not in the catalog, but it's there if you know where to look. It was written in the 50's. It has the blue prints of the Tech Tower and the best access points.

BTW, I was once in a library that had an uncatalogued masters thesis on the first exorcisms done on the boy whose story was the basis of the movie, the Exorcist.

 

[Essobee]

Our periodic "Tower Heist" reminds me of some of the great Cal Tech stories from back in the day...tricks played by the underclassmen on Seniors when the Seniors were away from campus for a few days. One especially ingenious Cal Tech prank involved closing up the door area to a Senior's dorm room, then plastering and painting over the hall wall so the Senior could not find his room. And when I was a student at GA Tech, we disassembled a fraternity brother's Volkswagan and reassembled it in his second floor fraternity room.

While I agree with Bud that the Tower Heist is a somewhat dangerous stunt, it is great to have campus traditions from which Tech legends are made.

 

[Animal02]

Our periodic "Tower Heist" reminds me of some of the great Cal Tech stories from back in the day...tricks played by the underclassmen on Seniors when the Seniors were away from campus for a few days. One especially ingenious Cal Tech prank involved closing up the door area to a Senior's dorm room, then plastering and painting over the hall wall so the Senior could not find his room.

Funny....I had heard that same story done to an RA in Techwood Dorm back when I worked for housing.

 

[Essobee]

Funny....I had heard that same story done to an RA in Techwood Dorm back when I worked for housing.

Not surprising. That story went viral even before the internet.

BTW, I have a brick from Techwood; also one from the Knowles Building. Wonder what they would fetch in a Tech Traditions market?

 

[Animal02]

Not surprising. That story went viral even before the internet.

BTW, I have a brick from Techwood; also one from the Knowles Building. Wonder what they would fetch in a Tech Traditions market?

Techwood was such a poorly constructed building.....a lot of walls were just wire mesh and cement plaster.....they were a pain in the butt to patch. Wish I had a brick from the old theater....I slept there more than any dorm during my time at Tech.....lets just say there was more privacy there.

 

[Essobee]

Techwood was such a poorly constructed building.....a lot of walls were just wire mesh and cement plaster.....they were a pain in the butt to patch. Wish I had a brick from the old theater....I slept there more than any dorm during my time at Tech.....lets just say there was more privacy there.

The old Techwood theater next to Juniors? A.k.a. The Armpit? Where no one could take a date more than once, and then only if you were a silver-tongued liar?

Yeah, those were the good old days. My room at home when I was a child had interior walls of wire mesh and cement plaster...and no insulation! My first dorm room at Tech was a pleasant step up from that...steam heat, no less.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Legends are born of extraordinary feats, not ordinary ones.

Seems that the T should be very susceptible to a drone removal ......... I don't like steep roofs anymore but wouldn't mind going in from the air. Removing the T is not a trivial pursuit and I doubt anyone has ever taken it on a whim after drinking a six pack.

But Petersen is right, we don't want a bunch of drunks thinking it is there for the taking.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

The old Techwood theater next to Juniors? A.k.a. The Armpit? Where no one could take a date more than once, and then only if you were a silver-tongued liar?

Yeah, those were the good old days. My room at home when I was a child had interior walls of wire mesh and cement plaster...and no insulation! My first dorm room at Tech was a pleasant step up from that...steam heat, no less.

Steam heat and no AC. The students today are pampered {:tic}. I came to Atlanta after living in Bluffton (Hilton Head) in a house on a river with no AC. I was acclimated to the heat, but not to Atlanta heat and having to be more active. I remember many times going to the library to study in a cool place. (they had study cubes with doors which were so quiet you could hear your blood flowing.}

 

[AE 87]

If we were going to discourage behavior in which drunks might fall long distances and get hurt, we'd close Bobby Dodd.

 

[Essobee]

Steam heat and no AC. The students today are pampered {:tic}. I came to Atlanta after living in Bluffton (Hilton Head) in a house on a river with no AC. I was acclimated to the heat, but not to Atlanta heat and having to be more active. I remember many times going to the library to study in a cool place. (they had study cubes with doors which were so quiet you could hear your blood flowing.}

Like you, I used the library for study...only I don't remember study cubes with doors. I do remember those clocks in the walls and the clunk they would make each minute. So every minute I would look up from my book and then down to resume reading for one more minute. It was almost worse listening to that clunk than studying in the dorm heat...which we also did wearing only our underwear shorts; except Fred...he wore only a towel.

 

[Animal02]

The old Techwood theater next to Juniors? A.k.a. The Armpit? Where no one could take a date more than once, and then only if you were a silver-tongued liar?

Yeah, those were the good old days. My room at home when I was a child had interior walls of wire mesh and cement plaster...and no insulation! My first dorm room at Tech was a pleasant step up from that...steam heat, no less.

No the old Drama Tech theater at Hemphill and Ferst.

Steam heat....there was nothing like the banging of those pipes as the system cranked up.

 

[Animal02]

Steam heat and no AC. The students today are pampered {:tic}. I came to Atlanta after living in Bluffton (Hilton Head) in a house on a river with no AC. I was acclimated to the heat, but not to Atlanta heat and having to be more active. I remember many times going to the library to study in a cool place. (they had study cubes with doors which were so quiet you could hear your blood flowing.}

Painting those non AC dorm in the middle of the summer was no picnic.......especially the 4th floor of Glenn and Towers......they were like an oven.....and the paint would not dry because of the humidity.

 

[Animal02]

Like you, I used the library for study...only I don't remember study cubes with doors. I do remember those clocks in the walls and the clunk they would make each minute. So every minute I would look up from my book and then down to resume reading for one more minute. It was almost worse listening to that clunk than studying in the dorm heat...which we also did wearing only our underwear shorts; except Fred...he wore only a towel.

That is why I hung out at the theater......AC, we had a fridge, ice maker, selectric typewriters ( courtesy of the State Surplus Warehouse), beds, washer and dryer that was free, and even a vending machine with beer in it, .