In the early hours before sunrise, a group of Carnegie Mellon University students once again gave a fresh coat of paint to The Fence, one of the campus’s most beloved and recognizable landmarks.

The final brushstrokes served as the beginning of what is expected to be a long week for the angered community members, as they plan to guard The Fence around the clock until Tuesday for Sen. Dave McCormick’s Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit.

The morning’s public display of disapproval is the second within the last two weeks after a mix of students, faculty, staff and alumni were angered to learn that not only would Carnegie Mellon host the summit but also that President Donald Trump would attend.

On Monday, a small group of these community members, including Assistant Professor Carrie McDonough, met with Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian to discuss a letter requesting the university to move the summit off campus, remove itself as a host and allow for feedback at a town hall before the summit. By Wednesday, McDonough said they received an email from Jahanian thanking them for the meeting with the offer of perhaps hosting a town hall during the upcoming fall semester.

On Wednesday afternoon, rising sophomore Ryan Tosh, who serves as the informal activism chair for the Carnegie Mellon College Democrats, was going on his 18th hour “holding” The Fence. He said the group started painting around midnight and did not finish until roughly 5 a.m.

“The overall message is don’t let the oil billionaires and the tech CEOs dictate what the future looks like,” Tosh said about The Fence’s elaborate paint job — one half depicting a dystopian nightmare, the other a utopian dream.

On the other side were the words “Protect the future,” “Protest the summit,” along with messaging urging people on campus to visit their red canopy tent to ask questions about an upcoming protest event and Trump’s participation at the summit.

Before the newest coat of paint, The Fence had messaging that read “No Trump” and “Stop The Summit.”

McCormick’s office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Maintaining the spirit

The Fence has served as a student-centered space for free expression and community for more than 100 years.

The first documented reference to the idea behind building the fence was in 1913. However, The Fence’s actual construction was pushed off until the class of 1923 built what they referred to as the “Senior Fence” out of wood, according to Carnegie Mellon’s Student Government page.

Back then, The Fence was exclusively for seniors to sit and celebrate their time on campus. The tradition evolved and by the 1960s the practice of painting The Fence had taken off. In 1989, the west end of the wooden fence collapsed and was replaced with pressure-treated lumber and concrete. In 1993, the east end fell and was replaced as well, the page said.

Throughout the years The Fence has served as a reflection of history, capturing prominent moments in time including President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, John Lennon’s death in 1980 and in remembrance of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

When asked about The Fence and its history, a university spokesperson referred TribLive to Carnegie Mellon Student Government’s website page about The Fence.

Because of its historic nature, painting The Fence comes with a specific set of rules, which are outlined online.

The Fence may only be painted by Carnegie Mellon University-affiliated students; painting must take place between midnight to sunrise and completely cover The Fence; and The Fence may only be hand-painted with paint brushes.

“(It’s) so that the spirit of 100 years ago can be maintained,” said Alexander Werth, a rising sophomore who was occupying The Fence on Wednesday.

Guarding the fence

Once painted, The Fence is considered “guarded” when at least two students are in the surrounding gravel area. While they are physically in the area, The Fence cannot be repainted.

Tosh said so far they had not received any negative feedback beyond individuals muttering to themselves as they walked past the painting.

The group said they are working to put together a formal sign-up sheet that would allow students to help with the shifts.

Anthony Cacciato, president of Carnegie Mellon’s College Republicans, said that after the 2024 election, his organization painted The Fence in celebration after Trump’s victory, before the College Democrats repainted it.

“They chose to really paint The Fence in opposition to what we said and hold it for several days, and ultimately, it’s the prerogative of whoever holds The Fence to do so,” he said.

Cacciato said if the students were to leave The Fence unattended in the upcoming week, there would be a possibility that the College Republicans would repaint it.

“We’ll see if the opportunity arises. We might take a crack at it,” he said.

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