According to Chief of Campus Police John Carter, the incident has not been reported to the Amherst town police nor has an investigation been made. Consequently, Campus Police have not identified the responsible party. However, Carter asked witnesses to contact the Campus Police or the Dean of Students' office with any information.
Professor of Classics Rebecca Sinos, former friend and colleague of Marshall, was saddened when she learned of the incident from landscape technician John Bator. "I am always sad to learn of vandalism, and this year, given the amount of destruction we've seen due to the violence of nature, it is particularly hard to understand how people could act so senselessly and maliciously," she said.
However, Sinos suggested that the vandalism may have not been directed towards Marshall. "I assume that the vandals did not notice that this tree was planted in commemoration of Professor Marshall," she said.
Lan Nguyen '08 agreed that felt the damage was probably not an act against Marshall but an act committed by individuals under the influence. "[The vandalism] is just people being careless or reckless … [most likely] when they're drunk," said Nguyen. "Overall, I don't feel the vandalism was done with malicious intention."
Campus Police are concerned about not only this particular case but by on-campus vandalism in general. "Vandalism detracts from the living and learning environment of the College, inclusive of the residence halls, academic buildings and grounds. The cost to the community is much more than monetary," said Carter.
Carter said that the physical plant usually has to pay for the cost of vandalism. "The monetary cost of much of the malicious damage is absorbed by the physical plant department and diverts resources from other uses," he said. "Malicious vandalism is wholly unnecessary and disrespectful to our community."
Many individuals at the College do not realize that vandalism is a widely occurring problem on campus. According to Carter, vandalism occurs almost on a weekly basis. "Vandalism is a common problem and is vastly under-reported," said Carter. "The grounds of the College, trees, shrubs, etc., are vandalized in some manner most weekends. The physical plant department expends great efforts to restore the properties as quickly as possible."
Jake Maguire '07 said that he noticed buildings are often vandalized on campus. "People tend to break windows," he said. "That's pretty lame."
The memorial tree was a Sorbus decora, better known as the Showy Mountain Ash. The tree was planted in 2001 in front of Grosvenor House, where Marshall's office was located from 1967 until he passed away in 2001.
The Showy Mountain Ash is known for its white flowerheads, which grow in the spring, and the scarlet berries it produces in the fall. After being replanted by Bator and gardener Edward Kosakowski, the tree has been doing well, according to Bator. He expressed hopes that the tree will re-root soon so that it will survive the upcoming winter.
Marshall was a professor of classics at the College from 1959 to 2001. He taught courses in Latin and other offerings in the classics department. He was greatly admired by many individuals on campus. "He was much loved by the many, many students he taught over his years at Amherst, and I cannot imagine that anyone would have meant this as an attack on his memory," said Sinos.