STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ask almost anyone what one of the most recognizable things on Penn State University's campus is, and they'll probably say the Nittany Lion Shrine.
"It's such a cultural thing here to just go take your pictures with the lion shrine. You go to Old Main; you go to the lion shrine," Evan Roberts said.
"Kids starting off when they're like eight years old will take a picture sitting on the lion shrine, and they'll do the same picture once they graduated," Ethan Liebig said.
But this spring's graduates did not have that opportunity. On Sunday morning, it was discovered that the Nittany Lion Shrine had an ear broken off along with red paint splashed on the statue. The site is fenced off, and it was closed to the public.
"I kind of waited until after graduation because I knew that's when a lot of pictures would be done, especially this week I'll be here. With the vandalism happening, it's kind of a shame I didn't get it," Liebig said.
"I think it's really frustrating to come all this way and then not get to have that moment with such important symbols of the campus," Sydney Klainberg said.
Not everyone who wanted a picture with the Nittany Lion Shrine was a recent graduate. Dev Rajani is from India and is a sophomore at Penn State University. His parents are here visiting for the first time and hoped to snap a few pictures with the Nittany Lion Shrine.
"Pretty disappointing," Rajani said. "I'm the first generation of my family coming here to Penn State, and I wanted a picture with my parents so I could frame it over my wall in my home. Probably next year."
Two other spots on campus were also vandalized, including at Old Main, where there was graffiti on the doors. That was already cleaned off.
In addition to the Old Main building, there was graffiti on the Hintz Family Alumni Center. If you have information, you are encouraged to contact Penn State University Police at 814-863-1111 or submit an online tip here.
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