On Thursday April 17, as part of the Lower Estate Gardens renovations, a flagpole flying the American flag was erected. It can be seen from the Frank Manor House, centered with the view of Mount Hood, and stands directly above the Rose Garden.
On Tuesday night, only five days after the installation, the flagpole was vandalized with purple spray paint, including writing reading “FUCK NO,” “FUCK TRUMP” and “NO KINGS.” The graffiti on the pole also included a swastika in a circle with a line through it. The base of the flagpole read “NO FASCIST USA.”
While there are American flags elsewhere on campus, such as at the Griswold Stadium, none stand as prominently and centrally as this flagpole, whose installation came at a moment of high political polarization in the United States. Turbulent federal policymaking under the Trump administration is impacting attitudes on campus as the institution adapts to attacks on higher education. In recent months, research grant funding has been rescinded, international students’ visas have been revoked throughout the country and DEI programs have come under continuous fire.
The sentiments scrawled on the flagpole reflect feelings of anti-patriotism, uncertainty and discontent.
On a sunny Wednesday morning, the graffiti was visible to those walking among the Lower Estate Gardens. The college found the graffiti that morning and promptly removed it later that afternoon.
One student, Claire Sherman ’26, pointed to the inopportune timing of the re-installation of the flagpole, expressing concern about it further dividing an already-polarized nation.
“I’m just not sure why they put it up in the first place,” she said. “I feel like our country’s so divided right now, and that flagpole is not going to unify us.”
Lois Leveen, director of public relations, in a statement to The Mossy Log on Wednesday, April 23, explained that the flagpole was not new, but instead a replacement for a flagpole that was installed in the 1920s — and a tribute to Gary Baker ’68, a friend and former law classmate of the law school alum who donated the funds to replace the historic monument.
According to a January 26 article from the Lewis & Clark Law School Newsroom, the longstanding monument was taken down after engineers flagged safety concerns with the base of the structure.
“It wasn’t until new flags were ordered that engineers noticed that the base of the flagpole was not structurally sound and in the worst case scenario, it could fall,” the article states. “The flagpole was promptly removed and the spot, where the flagpole once held a steadfast position, stood empty throughout the COVID pandemic and much longer.”
Leveen emphasized that for newer students, the sudden appearance of the flagpole can come as a surprise.
“The flagpole was part of the historic estate garden, as included in the National Register of Historic Places, and was a familiar fixture on campus until fairly recently, because the actual pole needed to be replaced for safety reasons,” Leveen wrote. “So although it may seem like a ‘new addition’ to some current students who have no recollection of a flag in that spot, it is not new. There had been a flagpole there for about a century.”
She also noted that the history of the flagpole can provide valuable context for its installation.
“Lewis & Clark regrets that this may have marred a tribute to an alumnus who has passed away,” she wrote. “Hopefully, as students become aware of the tribute and of the historic designation, they will understand the context in which the flagpole stands.”
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