Penn State alumna charged with vandalizing Nittany Lion Shrine, claims responsibility as protest
An arrest warrant was issued Friday for a Penn State alumna accused of vandalizing the university’s iconic Nittany Lion Shrine and three buildings during commencement weekend, acts she said were in protest of the largest university in Pennsylvania.
Julia F. Cipparulo, 23, of New Jersey, claimed responsibility in a 2,000-word email obtained by the Centre Daily Times for defiling the campus landmark, as well as Old Main, the Hintz Family Alumni Center and the Deike Building.
Penn State, Cipparulo wrote, is the “blueprint for mishandling, negligence, and concealing sexual abuse, hazing, and student deaths.” A Penn State spokesperson declined to comment, saying Friday evening that the university would not comment on an arrest prior to the arraignment.
“I’m tired of people not talking about it. That’s why I’m forcing people to talk about it,” Cipparulo told an investigator. “This was my peaceful protest.”
The 14-ton limestone statue’s left ear was broken off and red paint was splashed across its head before sunrise May 8. The names of four current or former Penn State students who died within the past three years — including Tim Piazza, Osaze Osagie and Justine Gross — were written behind the shrine.
The phrase “Time is up” was written in red spray paint on the entrance of Old Main. Other doors on the building had phrases written in blue Sharpie, including “Death by cop,” “Death by hazing,” “Death by suicide” and “Death by PSU culture.”
The alumni center was covered by large red letters that read “FTG,” a reference to “For the glory” — the first three words of the university’s alma mater.
The phrase “Deike ghost wuz here BOO” was written in red marker on a wall of the Deike Building.
Four candles were lit at Old Main, while other candles were lit at the Bryce Jordan Center, the State College Municipal Building, Beaver Terrace and the former Beta Theta Pi house. Each represented a Penn State student who died, Cipparulo told police.
“The back of the Lion is red because — to the front — it looks like everything is OK. Just like Penn State. Everything is OK. From the back, it’s all bloody and broken,” she said, according to an affidavit of probable cause. “The names spray painted on the ground, no one seems to think about them anymore. The ear, it’s because people are finally going to notice. It’s not hiding anymore. It’s bloody and broken. The other ear has been broken and glued on. The death is a physical part of Penn State history, and no one is ever going to forget.”
The university described the commencement weekend vandalism as “profoundly disturbing acts.” The damage rankled graduates and their families, especially because many didn’t have an opportunity to pose with the statue before it was closed.
The oft-photographed statue that was installed eight decades ago was closed for more than two weeks. It cost more than $26,000 to repair the statue, university police wrote.
It wasn’t the first time Cipparulo vandalized the shrine, Old Main and the alumni center, police wrote. She covered the shrine with teal paint and used permanent markers to deface the buildings in June 2021. Repairs costs more than $20,000, police wrote.
The lion’s left ear was missing for more than week. Cipparulo kept the ear and took it back to her New Jersey home, police wrote. She turned it over after police officers in the Garden State served a search warrant.
“I can rest knowing that I have done everything I could to break the cycle of death and trauma. It’s not enough on my part,” Cipparulo wrote. “But that broken ear is a permanent reminder of the dark side of Penn State University, the lives lost, and a warning. A warning that the deaths will continue unless massive change is enacted.”
A defense lawyer was not listed.
Cipparulo was charged with two felony counts of theft and one felony count each of institutional vandalism and criminal mischief. Her preliminary arraignment is scheduled for Monday.
“I’ll make this clear, I have no intention of causing legal trouble for myself in the future. But I’ll make this clear as well: I have no regrets, and I would do it again every single time,” she wrote. “I can handle the consequences of my actions. But the biggest consequence? Penn State University cannot handle it: our friends, family, and community are finally talking about these deaths and what cause them. We will not suffer in silence any longer. At least, I won’t.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 8:57 PM.