2008 Woodie Awards
Campus beautification in jeopardy
UM littered with bottles, pizza boxes and falling bicycles
Joshua Parda
Issue date: 11/13/06 Section: Soap Box
This past spring, a debate raged on campus concerning the trees on the mall. Somewhere in the shuffle, the original intent of replacing the trees - campus beautification - was lost. I am not going to comment on the trees, but I would like to throw in my three cents on the idea of campus beauty.
To begin with, how do we define campus beauty? UMaine's mission statement refers to "[a]n attractive campus" which is offered to "complement and extend the learning environment." As the mission statement does not define "attractive," I am left to base my definition on the current state of the campus. Apparently, "attractive" means trash on the ground and other reprehensible behavior.
Some people do not believe me when I say this campus is dirty. They claim there is not trash all over the ground, but have they really looked around lately? This past UMaine Cares Day, I filled a trash bag with approximately 10 pounds of trash strewn about outside Estabrooke. Not from the entire campus, but from within 20 feet of just one building. I got 35 cents out of it, so I have that going for me.
Walking around campus on well-traveled routes I see countless cans, bottles, pizza boxes, random pieces of paper, plastic bags and other assorted junk on the ground, such as hubcaps and milk cartons. Seriously, I have pictures. Of course, we cannot forget the ubiquitous cigarette butts.
Among the stranger items I find are full cans of beer, soda or whatever. Although finding a full can of Coors Light is a special type of strange, the number of these cans and bottles on the ground or in the trash borders on unconscionable. News flash, folks: you pay a 5- or 15-cent deposit on every can or bottle of soda, juice, water or alcohol you purchase. Redemption centers are located all over the place, including right here on campus, where you can turn these containers in for a refund. At the very least, that should take care of one type of litter.
Then there are days when I lose all faith in humanity. I was recently walking by a certain residence hall - cough, Cumberland, cough - when a cup formerly containing some type of soft drink came plummeting from the sky. Egad! Not only is this littering, it is also dangerous. A cup full of ice falling 30 or 40 feet could hurt. It could hurt quite a bit. Luckily, I was not harmed in this incident. Still it manages to get worse. Just a few days later, I found out some geniuses were heaving bicycles out the window of their residence hall. What the hell is that? Is the world a better place now that you've thrown your bicycle out a window? Or maybe a mysterious windstorm picked up those bicycles and dropped them in the bushes? Climate change is a harsh mistress.
It extends beyond simple litter. Notice the ruts along sidewalks, because we seem to think every paved surface is a road? Beauty currently boils down to litter and laziness.
Fear not, students, for this accusation is not leveled solely at you. Unless you are between the library and the Union, it is nearly impossible to find a trash can. Never mind trying to find a recycling bin, which is difficult even if you are inside. These are institutional shortcomings.
Is this what we want UMaine to be? Does our quality cultural environment consist of lazy, irresponsible behavior? Everyone, myself included, is failing. We fall short of every conceivable definition of beauty. I, though I am only one person, am asking for more.
Joshua Parda is a student coordinator for the Green Campus Initiative.
To begin with, how do we define campus beauty? UMaine's mission statement refers to "[a]n attractive campus" which is offered to "complement and extend the learning environment." As the mission statement does not define "attractive," I am left to base my definition on the current state of the campus. Apparently, "attractive" means trash on the ground and other reprehensible behavior.
Some people do not believe me when I say this campus is dirty. They claim there is not trash all over the ground, but have they really looked around lately? This past UMaine Cares Day, I filled a trash bag with approximately 10 pounds of trash strewn about outside Estabrooke. Not from the entire campus, but from within 20 feet of just one building. I got 35 cents out of it, so I have that going for me.
Walking around campus on well-traveled routes I see countless cans, bottles, pizza boxes, random pieces of paper, plastic bags and other assorted junk on the ground, such as hubcaps and milk cartons. Seriously, I have pictures. Of course, we cannot forget the ubiquitous cigarette butts.
Among the stranger items I find are full cans of beer, soda or whatever. Although finding a full can of Coors Light is a special type of strange, the number of these cans and bottles on the ground or in the trash borders on unconscionable. News flash, folks: you pay a 5- or 15-cent deposit on every can or bottle of soda, juice, water or alcohol you purchase. Redemption centers are located all over the place, including right here on campus, where you can turn these containers in for a refund. At the very least, that should take care of one type of litter.
Then there are days when I lose all faith in humanity. I was recently walking by a certain residence hall - cough, Cumberland, cough - when a cup formerly containing some type of soft drink came plummeting from the sky. Egad! Not only is this littering, it is also dangerous. A cup full of ice falling 30 or 40 feet could hurt. It could hurt quite a bit. Luckily, I was not harmed in this incident. Still it manages to get worse. Just a few days later, I found out some geniuses were heaving bicycles out the window of their residence hall. What the hell is that? Is the world a better place now that you've thrown your bicycle out a window? Or maybe a mysterious windstorm picked up those bicycles and dropped them in the bushes? Climate change is a harsh mistress.
It extends beyond simple litter. Notice the ruts along sidewalks, because we seem to think every paved surface is a road? Beauty currently boils down to litter and laziness.
Fear not, students, for this accusation is not leveled solely at you. Unless you are between the library and the Union, it is nearly impossible to find a trash can. Never mind trying to find a recycling bin, which is difficult even if you are inside. These are institutional shortcomings.
Is this what we want UMaine to be? Does our quality cultural environment consist of lazy, irresponsible behavior? Everyone, myself included, is failing. We fall short of every conceivable definition of beauty. I, though I am only one person, am asking for more.
Joshua Parda is a student coordinator for the Green Campus Initiative.
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