Graffiti briefly defaces bridge &#039;smoots&#039;

May 6, 1998

Anti-gay graffiti defacing the Smoot landmarks on the Massachusetts Avenue bridge were swiftly removed by the Metropolitan District Commission last Friday.

The markers measure the length of the bridge at "364.4 smoots and 1 ear," with each "smoot" denoting the height of 1958 Lambda Chi Alpha pledge Oliver Smoot. The markings are maintained by the fraternity, whose house on Bay State Road in Boston was also smeared with anti-gay messages.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 6, 1998.

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Graffiti briefly defaces bridge 'smoots'

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Lerna Ekmekcioglu named head of MIT's History Section

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Building a scholarly community

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