Pictures of Syracuse students painting the Nittany Lion Shrine orange this month were shown on television in New York, and one of the vandals admitted the act to a Syracuse newspaper.

Television station WSTM in Syracuse broadcast the pictures prior to the Penn State-Syracuse football game Oct. 14, said Roger Springfield, the WSTM sports director.

Springfield said the pictures, and an interview with a cardboard cut- out of Coach Joe Paterno, were aired on the news the day before the game. He said public response to the interview and the pictures has been "no big deal."

However, the Syracuse student newspaper article elicited some attention.

Andrew Ahlberg, a Penn State alumnus who is now a Syracuse law student, said he faxed University Police Services a copy of The Daily Orange article hours after reading it.

"As a lifelong Penn State fan and Penn State alumnus, I was outraged on Monday morning to open the paper and read of this dastardly act," Ahlberg said. "I felt it was my duty to bring this to the attention of University Police Services."

Ron Jackson, University police supervisor in charge of investigations, said an inquiry is continuing, but police have no suspects.

The Daily Orange reported eight students from Syracuse University sprayed the Nittany Lion Shrine with orange paint prior to the Penn State-Syracuse football game.

"The famed Nittany Lion on the PSU campus turned a complete shade of fluorescent orange thanks to the brothers of Phi Kappa Psi," the article said.

Ardath Johnson, a spokeswoman for the University's Office of Physical Plant, said labor and materials needed for immediate repairs to the statue cost between $150 to $200. The office also puts a wax coating on the shrine nine times a year to prevent any serious damage from vandals, Johnson said.

The Nittany Lion Shrine is defaced about two or three times a year, he said.

In a telephone interview this week, Heather Crooks, news editor for The Daily Orange and reporter of the article, said she interviewed a member of Syracuse's chapter of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity about the incident. Her source asked to remain anonymous, she said.

Rich Mitterando, the fraternity's vice president, said the article "is hearsay," adding no one at the fraternity has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the incident. He said he thinks someone is trying to frame the fraternity.

Devin Cohan, a Syracuse student who is interning at the WSTM and a member of Phi Kappa Psi, turned in the pictures to the station, Springfield said.

Cohan declined to comment on the incident.

In Crooks' article, the source said: "'We went to the Phi Psi house at Penn State, partied for a while at some bars, then went back to the house. We said goodnight to the brothers and then when they were asleep, sneaked out.'"

Shawn McKee, president of Penn State's Phi Psi chapter, said the Syracuse students arrived in the afternoon Sunday, Oct. 8 and wanted to stay the night. The members were on semester break and were visiting various Phi Kappa Psi chapters in the tri-state area. A group of local Phi Kappa Psi members went to The Saloon, 101 Heister St., with the Syracuse members, he said.

The next morning, the Penn State Phi Kappa Psi members awoke and found the Syracuse brothers had left the house and had written a note thanking them for their hospitality, McKee said.

According to Crooks' article, the Syracuse fraternity members took pictures of themselves while they used eight cans of orange spray paint and one can of blue spray paint to cover the lion.

"'We had it all planned out. Six guys would be spray painting while one guy took pictures and one other guy stood guard down the street. Then we switched places so everyone had a chance to paint and be in the pictures.'"

The Daily Orange article also reported that Phi Kappa Psi members painted the shrine two years ago.

"'We especially wanted to do it now because they broke the rivalry,'" Crooks' contact said, citing the next-to-last time both teams will face each other.

The article continued: "'We're hoping it becomes a (Phi Kappa Psi) tradition, and especially next year because it's the last game of the rivalry. Then we can do it every year after that just to show them how we feel about the situation,' (the Syracuse fraternity member) said with a smile."

Mitterando claimed painting the lion is not a Phi Kappa Psi tradition.