Who is the LU Banana Vandal and when will they strike next?
A masked vandal has been causing bunches of trouble on Liberty’s campus.
On Oct. 26, a student dressed as a banana climbed to the top of the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, commonly known as the ROT, and hung 10 inflatable bananas along with a sign emblazoned with “Who is @lubananavandal?”
This was likely in response to Sodexo District Manager Duke Davis, lovingly called Mr. ROT by students, who appeared at Convocation Oct. 19 to discourage students from throwing bananas onto the roof of the ROT, an issue that has persisted since last year. The Banana Vandal issued a challenge to Davis and a statement to Liberty students through his Instagram account after Davis’s Convocation appearance.
“I will be conducting 3 of the greatest banana pranks anyone has ever seen this semester,” the Banana Vandal said. “Throwing bananas on the roof was mere child’s play!”
Davis did not find the stunt appealing.
“I just think it’s kind of a gag person that’s just trying to ride the whole hooplah about the whole banana thing,” Davis said. “I think it was childish to some extent. The fact that they’re going to go all the way out to somehow find a way up on the roof and film it and do his little dance up there and put the blow-up bananas up there. I mean, I don’t really think it was funny.”
Davis made his distaste of the stunt known on Twitter.
Oh @lubananavandal you think you are pretty witty with the roof top stunt you pulled! We were not impressed. My LU family and I just yawn at your efforts. Honestly ever since my Convo appearance, you are just a thing of the past! pic.twitter.com/llll6tkwiv
— Duke Davis (@MrRott_LU) October 27, 2018
But the backlash has not made the Banana Vandal back down. The @lubananavandal social media account has exploded in popularity, earning more than 1,300 followers on Instagram since his first post on Oct. 18. Davis said he is working with LUPD to catch the Banana Vandal before the next stunt. “We have cameras,” Davis said. “We’re just tracking footage of where that person came from and the vehicle they used to get away.” Davis said that in addition to the extra work of having to get props off the roof of the ROT, the Banana Vandal acted irresponsibly by endangering himself. “Winter time is coming now and there’s frost that sits on there, it could be black ice on the roof and they don’t know it, so them getting up there climbing, they could slip, fall and really do themselves some bodily harm,” Davis said. But this has not deterred the Banana Vandal from prepping his next phase of “bringing about the Banana Republic.” On Nov. 7, the Banana Vandal posted on his Instagram that he is getting ready for his next stunt.
As for now only time will tell if the Banana Vandal will slip up.
Hilarious😅😂🤣BforBanana!