As the new school year starts, the University is touting our environmentally friendly green policies more than ever. In reality, however, there are quite a few practices that happen on campus every day that are nowhere near being green.
Outside the UC Satellite there are three recycling cans for aluminum and plastic bottles. As of right now, all three are so full that there are bottles protruding from the top of each one. And for all of the University’s efforts to clean up our campus, there is a lack of cigarette ashtrays around, leaving most smokers no choice but to flick their butts in the grass or on the concrete. If there were a few more cigarette butt receptacles placed around campus, this problem would cease — no smoker wants to litter, but there is little choice when there are no other options.
The tables outside of the Satellite are still a health hazard as well. There are sticky messes on each one, with bits of trash left lying around everywhere. This isn’t just the University staff’s job, either; students need to take responsibility for their messes and actually try to clean up their own areas so that other people can enjoy the tables as well.
Along with the trash, cigarette butts and table messes, there is another glaring problem with UH’s green efforts: the go-karts University staff uses to transport things around campus. While some of the time the staff is transporting materials around, more often than not it seems that these vehicles are being used for the sole purpose of transporting people. And this isn’t about the golf carts that have been appropriated for transportation purposes; these are maintenance vehicles that are supposed to be used for loading and unloading materials. This is, to the Cougar’s knowledge, at least, an improper use of University funds.
Students are expected to walk around campus; does the same principle not apply to everyone who works at UH as well? Just this first day back there were numerous vehicles spotted transporting nothing but people. We certainly don’t get the luxury of driving around, and yet we’re paying to watch professors and UH staff drive wherever they need to go. It isn’t fair and it certainly isn’t worth paying for.
Why not open the underground tunnels to student access so that we don't have to walk around as much in the heat? It could bring our transportation conditions up to the level of the staff.
The Daily Cougar editors said…Students are expected to walk around campus; does the same principle not apply to everyone who works at UH as well?
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No! Not if the student, staff or faculty member is mobility challenged.