The grafitti artists who annually mark Hawthorn Lodge with an extra ‘e’ are following a tradition of confusion in the lodge’s name – and their identities are a mystery, according to housing officials.

Housing director Mark Dougherty said he doesn’t kow who turns the name from Hawthorn – a common shrub type – to Hawthorne, a last name of British origin.

There seems to be some confusion within the university, as well: documents sometimes spell it varyingly, and the Housing office web page uses both spellings within just a few lines of each other.

The logical spelling would be without an ‘e’, as most campus residence halls are named for plants.

Housing officials couldn’t say for certain whether those altering the Hawthorn sign also are responsible for Briar Lodge’s annual conversion to ‘Brian!’ Lodge.