Stash that trash

TU volunteers sought to help clean up campus

The Adopt-A-Campus initiative is asking faculty, staff and students to assume responsibility for keeping TU’s 328-acre campus easy on the eyes.

The program, announced last week by the Office of the President, urges members of the campus community to adopt high-traffic areas that tend to accumulate litter and other debris.

And while similar programs have been implemented at other U.S. colleges and universities, Adopt-A-Campus may be a first for TU, says James Sheehan, vice president for Administration and Finance and CFO. 

“This is not a one-time proposition,” Sheehan emphasized. “We hope the need will diminish as people pay more attention to the campus, but it’s certainly intended to be an ongoing effort.”

Individuals and groups can adopt a designated part of the campus and pledge to clean it twice per term. Among the eight “cleanup zones” identified by Facilities Management staff are areas near the University Union, Stephens Hall, Cross Campus and Osler drives, and Towsontown Boulevard.

The first cleanup is scheduled for October 11—in time for Homecoming.

Office of Student Activities staff will designate dates and facilitate sign-up, while Facilities Management will provide materials and pick up and dispose of collected trash. Sheehan says additional outdoor trash receptacles will be placed around campus to encourage passersby to “stash their trash.”  

Deb Moriarty, vice president for Student Affairs, says Adopt-A-Campus provides a great way to reinforce the importance of community and civic engagement.

“One of the things we talked about in new-student orientation was what it’s like to be part of a community—that we share an environment and that we were all responsible for taking care of it,” she says.

And while students participating in SGA-funded and affiliated groups can fulfill mandatory service requirements through the program, Moriarty says she hopes the program will also attract students from across the campus as well as faculty and staff members.

“I’d really hope to see a large turnout from the campus community for this, ” she adds. “If everyone would take part in being responsible for our community, we'd make progress toward our vision of a 'clean, safe, pretty, happy' campus."

For more information or to volunteer, call the Office of Student Activities, x43307, or visit the Adopt-A-Campus Web site: www.towson.edu/adopt-a-campus.

Story by Jan Lucas/Photo by Desiree Myers

Story by Jan Lucas/Photo by  Desiree Myers

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