|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Rice Thresher
Phone:
|
by Chase Danford for the thresher The Student Association Senate passed a resolution Monday night to voice students' concerns about the quantity and quality of campus green space. Wiess College President Josh Katz and Wiess junior Josh Ginsberg sponsored the resolution. "There's a feeling that, during a period of massive concurrent campus construction, Rice's long-standing commitment to having a large proportion of the campus dedicated to green space has been ignored," Ginsberg said. The resolution calls for the Rice administration to continue its commitment to green space conservation. Specifically, it requests a guarantee by the administration to convert the land on which Wiess sits into green space after the building is vacated and later demolished. It also requests the creation of new playing fields and the improvement of existing fields and green space. Ginsberg said he hopes the SA resolution will give voice to student sentiment on the issue. "Having a beautiful campus is important to us," Ginsberg said. "We want to reinforce that it's a priority of students to have green space." After several minutes of discussion at Monday's meeting, voting members of the SA passed the resolution unanimously. "I'm pleased with the way it's worked out," Wiess senior Matt Mitchell said. "Well, for the SA, they've done a pretty good job. They've actually responded to our desire to actually effect change. It's made a difference." The administration wields final authority over any changes in campus landscaping, but Ginsberg is optimistic. "I think this is one thing where the students and the administration can definitely see eye to eye," Ginsberg said. "This is something they've made clear that they would give us if we asked for it, and we're asking for it, so I don't think there will be any problems." The administration does appear to support the student initiative to preserve green space. "It's an issue we've discussed for several years," Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho said. "Our No. 1 priority was the preservation of green space, and the president and the entire administration is very much in favor of that." Campus support for the resolution appears widespread. Many students voiced their approval for the SA's actions. "I think anything that encourages a face-lift is a good idea," Lovett College sophomore Shervin Shirvani said. "It's a kind of a shame that all this construction is taking away from the beauty of Rice." Other students agreed that green space should be a priority. "I think it's very important to have a lot of green space in light of the green space that they've taken away," Jones College senior Jennifer Trub said. "I'm from Jones College and we really miss all of our open green space and our volleyball court and deck and everything, so I think it's good that they want to put it back."
- back - |
|
|
Search the Thresher pages:
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
