The first statue was vandalized near midnight on Sept. 2. The second vandalism took place shortly after on Sept. 3.
The statues have been a part of the the Neuhoff Sculpture Court located between James and Stearns Halls since the spring of 2001.
"I recognized that this vandalism was almost certainly motivated by sheer drunken stupidity; but at the same time, it was a very serious harm not just to our property but to our ideals of teaching," said President Tom Gerety.
The damage done to the statues prompted the campus police to conduct a swift investigation. The result is the discovery of the two individuals responsible for the destructive acts, according to Chief of Campus Police John Carter.
"Two individuals have been identified through witness interviews and other information collected during the investigation," said Carter. The severity of the acts and the expensive restoration needed by both sculptures has forced the incident to be considered as both a College and criminal matter.
"[The individuals] are facing both College disciplinary action through the student code of conduct and also criminal action through the Northampton District Court," said Carter.
"Basically, it is true that we do not always file complaints; but when a matter reaches a level of seriousness, such as this, I believe that we must file complaints because we're part of a larger community that has laws and standards," said Gerety. "Anybody who does serious damage will be treated similarly."
Many Amherst students were upset by the destruction. "It is shocking how much they are worth and absolutely stupid that someone would want to knock them down," said Kathy Hamlin '06, a resident of Stearns.
Aside from the historic value of the two sculptures, which were donated by Herbert L. Pratt, Class of 1895, it is estimated that any attempt at restoration will cost tens of thousands of dollars. Even if a full restoration is possible, which has not yet been determined, neither statue will be placed back in the courtyard anytime in the near future.
Many first-year students who live in James and Stearns were also bothered by the incident. "I remember playing orientation games around the sculptures and now there is nothing there," said James resident Scotty Hanley '06. "It looks bad especially for the freshmen because of where the sculptures were located," added Hanley.