Recycling is an issue, which many people know about, but relatively few people care about. The administrators of this University have tried to do the right thing and inform students about the importance of this matter, but what they do not realize is that recycling is a way of life and not just words on paper.
“There are students who care about the issue of recycling and these students will be vocal about it and make it happen, but those students are not really found at Quinnipiac,” Dennis Kisyk, vice president of student concerns said. “The average Quinnipiac student knows that recycling is important, but there is little done about it.”
Even though the administrators of this University have tried to inform students about the importance of this matter, they refuse to accept the fact that recycling is a way of life and not words on a pamphlet.
Kisyk and members of the SGA spoke about recycling at the annual Student Awareness Committee’s (SAC) retreat. Kisyk said although recycling was third on the list of concerns, it was still one that students raised in regards to campus life and it was something SAC would work on throughout the year.
“During our talks, we came up with the idea of getting a recycling machine on campus,” Kisyk said. “We thought it would be a good idea because students would be able to swipe their Q-card and get their deposit back.”
Kisyk said this was a big project and the Facilities department needed to help them if it was going to become a reality. After many meetings with Facilities, the idea was rejected because barriers stood in the way of its execution.
“Facilities stated that there were too many problems with the idea,” Kisyk said. “We needed to figure out who would be maintaining the machines, where we would get the money for them and other logistics that would make it possible.”
Facilities raised another issue of placement of the machine. They said that it would have to be centrally located for student accessibility.
“There really was no place where a machine like this could be placed,” Kisyk said. “We could not place them on the quad because it would look gross and there really is no other central location for students on campus.”
During the talks with Facilities, it was stated that one of the main reasons they did not want the machine on campus was the fact Facilities claimed Waste Management gets money from the cans that Quinnipiac recycles.
However, Bob Patterson, account representative at Recycle America, a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc., told The Chronicle they do not receive any money from the cans and the only way the University or students can get their deposit back is if they go through a recycling machine just like the one SAC wanted to bring to the University.
“After discussing all of the logistics, the issue was basically dropped by SAC, but was taken up by the junior class,” said Kisyk.
Michael Radparvar, junior class representative, said his class wanted to tackle the recycling issue because they believed the recycling program needed to go through serious changes before becoming acceptable.
“Recycling is an issue that has not received enough attention,” he said. “Our University, like any other of similar size, produces a serious amount of waste. Therefore, we must take greater responsibility for managing the waste we produce.”
The junior class cabinet has worked on specific methods to better manage library paper waste and disposal of cans and bottles in the residence halls,” he added.
Radparvar also noted the junior class has worked in conjunction with Teaching and Reaching for Environmental Education (T.R.E.E.) and the Public Health Committee to develop solution for the recycling issue at the University.
“We plan to continue these cooperative efforts into next year,” he said.
Kisyk said as president of the SGA for the 2004-2005 academic year, he will also work on recycling if the students deem it a concern.
“In my mind, this is something that needs to get accomplished,” he said. “It is something that needs to be worked on, but I am not sure if it is a major concern of students on this campus.Next year, I plan on taking up this issue, but only if the students want us to. If they are concerned about it, then we will provide them with options.”
Kisyk said he believes the University should realize that as college students we are already educated about the issues and concerns that center around the matter of recycling. He stated that he believes the students need reasons to recycle.
“Think about it -there are laws in place to make people recycle and that is why people do it when they are one their own,” Kisyk said. “But, it is hard to recycle. This university needs to realize that the average student will not do it without an incentive.”
