Since its inception in 2005, the Ram Roast, an annual pig-pickin style pep rally has aimed to protect the Free Expression tunnel. This year, however, many students woke up on Wednesday morning to discover that the tunnel was covered with a thick layer of Carolina blue.

“I’m frustrated that the tunnel got painted blue on Tuesday since the whole point of the Ram Roast is to protect the tunnel,” David Drosback, a senior in engineering, said.Although many students were appeased by the fact that the tunnel was covered with red just before midnight, some N.C. State fanatics decided to take matters in to their own hands.On Thursday, a group of N.C. State students spray painted anti-UNC statements on the campus’ own sidewalks.”We can’t really do anything back to them without there being vandalism,” senior class president Adam Compton said.Prior to the N.C. State-UNC basketball game last February, several State students vandalized the Old Well with a splash of bright red paint.”It definitely kind of sucks because we can’t go and do the same thing to them [as they do to us],” Compton said.”There’s not really a monument that you can paint like our Free Expression tunnel.”Even without a designated area for free expression and legal vandalism, UNC students have developed a tradition of their own.Carolina Fever, the UNC group responsible for painting the tunnel, is planning their own Friday night “Old Well watch.””I think it’s funny that they stole our idea and are going to be standing outside of the Old Well all night tomorrow.”Even with the tunnel in a mess of blue, several students were excited by the idea of returning the tunnel to a more natural shade.”I think it’s good that they’re out here tonight and are willing to guard our tunnel,” Bennett said.