When Sheryl Crow rolled into SMU with her bio-diesel tour bus, the entire campus suddenly cared about the environment. Pictures of the event featured the Pom Squad, sorority members and student senators. Lacking from the scene were the hard working, deeply committed environmental activists who put SMU on the environmental map in the first place. Of all the students invited to the welcoming façade, the most relevant were ignored.
The Student Senate and certain leaders seem to believe the environmental successes on campus resulted from a cooperative effort. As a member of the environmental groups on campus, I have witnessed the endless efforts of the few shining leaders. It’s time we give credit where credit is properly due instead of jumping on the green band-wagon.
The successes to which I refer include LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) awarding SMU for our first “green building,” winning the MTV “Break the Addiction” environmental challenge, the Boulevard recycling program and departments purchasing recycled paper. At the helm of these accomplishments sits Joseph Grinnell, now graduated but still passionate about the environmental status of SMU. Christine Dougherty took on this passion for the environment by leading the former senate Environment Committee and participating in the other groups on campus. So much could not have been accomplished without the help of the few and underestimated environmental groups, Students for a Better Society’s environmental committee and the Environmental Society. While no one denies that Grinnell is to thank for the amazing developments of policy and programming, and that Dougherty is a promising follower, lately I have watched behaviors of certain people and collective groups which exhibit otherwise.
Tensions first arose this year when the Student Senate streamlined its operations and combined its Environment Committee with others into the current Student Concerns Committee. I understand the rationale for such a decision. With two other groups on campus taking on environmental programs, the senate committee could use its resources for more logical activities. Despite the open debate allowed by the Student Senate, the activists themselves felt their student representatives marginalized their environmental concerns. The aftermath of the decision still rings in the ears of the senators and activists.
Tensions continued to rise after Dallas Mayor Laura Miller offered her services to bring back the Environment Committee. Mayor Miller made the comment during her speech about her efforts to stop the TXU coal plants. The environmentally conscious audience fervently responded to her interest in the situation. After such a long debate with the Student Senate only ending in disappointment, what else should the senate expect? The groups hosting the event did not intentionally invite this controversy but naturally accepted the support of the mayor.
After a very rational concern by Mayor Miller, former Student Body President Taylor Russ associated himself with the sensationalists of the Mustang Post and inappropriately accosted the nationally esteemed environmentalist and politician through the guise of an open letter. Mayor Miller initially was given a one-sided perspective and as a proponent of free speech and open dialogue, I think the most appropriate and productive action to take was inviting her to the next Student Senate meeting. It is inappropriate to confront the activists in such a way after they have been ignored and marginalize by the student body.
Russ dedicated several minutes of his opening speech at the 2007 Awards Extravaganza to the collective efforts of the campus for the environmental movement without even a vague reference to those who make the movement possible. Every student on campus should be proud of these successes, especially the president of the student body, but several environmental activists at the ceremony, including myself, were frustrated with the lack of recognition in light of recent tension between the environmental groups and the student senate.
I do not intend to make Russ the scapegoat for this issue. At least he understands the importance of environmental groups on campus: Most students on campus rarely care about recycling or global warming. It is wonderful when our student leaders acknowledge the presence of the environmental movement, but it is frustrating when they take the spotlight.
This past year it seems that the environmentalists’ efforts on campus have been ignored, marginalized and even attacked when in reality these few dedicated people make it possible for the student body to reflect with pride about our green campus. Of course a collective effort of the Student Senate, student body and student groups is necessary for success, but in the heat of controversy and excitement of celebrity, we need to take a step back and take a reality check.
About the writer:
Kristin Schutz is a sophomore CCPA and German major. She can be reached at [email protected].
