Spring/Summer 1998

Choose from the following selections:

• From the Director (see below)
• Cover article (see below)
• Articles by/about faculty and staff
• Articles about students
• Alumni/ae News
  
• Ravin'! - News to Rave About in the Environmental Program Community

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  Bittersweet Vine

  Student Editors
  Andrea Boggs '99 Lucinda Newman '99
  Production Team
  Jessica Bartenhagen '99, Hillary Essar '00, Aaron Simon '00, Forrest White '00
  Editor
  Ibit Getchell
  Photographers
  Andrea Boggs '99, Leslie King, Lucinda Newman '99, Rick Paradis, Ian Worley
  Masthead Designer
  Hellene London

  Published by the Environmental Program at the University of Vermont, The Bittersweet,
  153 So. Prospect Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401-3595. (802) 656-4055 http://www.uvm.edu/~envprog
  Feedback, submissions to: Ibit Getchell, Student Services Coordinator.
  E-mail: egetchel@zoo.uvm.edu

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  From the Director

  Academia is a world of transitions. Just when knowledge seems certain, new insights lead us to new theories, which require new modes of inquiry, which force us to accept new ways of understanding (Check out Bill Eddy's seminar this fall!). For the schola r-educator one's professional life wanders not only from student to professor, but from place to place. Each step can be bittersweet, as are the departures from our community of Laura McArthur and Subir Sinha.

  Over the last decade Laura taught us all the central role of nutrition in any environmental theory, and to students in "Research Methods" she taught disciplined thinking and methodologic rigor to soon-to-graduate students—new scholars, advocates and ac tivists seeking change in our world. I am certain that at ECU Laura will carry our environmental message in all her courses. We will miss her, and we will also miss Camille, whose love and devotion are lessons beyond measure.

  Two years ago Subir's transition to the Environmental Program was as though he had always been here, except we didn't know what we were (and will be) missing without him. Scholar, teacher, mentor—Subir brought an energized global comprehension that cha nged many a student's education and life's direction. That energy is his legacy and our challenge.

  With delight we welcome Seth Appiah-Opoku to our faculty for next year; he comes to us via the University of Northern British Columbia. A specialist in indigenous knowledge and planning, Seth has degrees not only from his homeland of Ghana, but also fr om three Canadian institutions. His course "Gender, Environment and Development," to be taught this fall in addition to "Environmental Awareness," confronts compelling issues discovered by so many of our students on overseas programs.

  Greetings Seth, may you find this place rich with rewards. To Laura and Subir, we wish you every great blessing in your new positions. To all of our community, far and wide about this wee globe, best wishes in your life's wanderings. Do keep in touch.

  - Ian

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  Cover Article:

  To Green the Green

  By Lucinda Newman '99

  Some consider University Place the "doorstep to the University"; others deem it an eyesore. University Place is the road that runs adjacent to the UVM campus Green. It connects Main Street to Colchester Avenue, with Ira Allen Chapel on the north end, and Morrill Hall on the south. Directly in front of Williams and Old Mill, which recently received a $1 million-plus facelift, you see an eroded embankment that slopes down to generator-powered vendor trucks. Vehicles barrel by. Craters in the pavem ent are tricky to maneuver on foot, let alone by wheelchair.

  What you won't find at University Place and the Green is aural serenity, a calm pace, and an appropriate greeting from the "heart" of Universitas Viridis Montis, the University of the Green Mountains. Historically, the Green was a place to go for a str oll. At present the Green is an island among speeding vehicles and municipal racket. Parked cars and trucks, crumbling curbs, and cracked asphalt detract from the overall aesthetics and architecture. But this could all change sooner than we think. Univers ity Green now has its own planning group.

  ENVS Course a Catalyst

  Several years ago, the Office of University Planning discussed the state of this area, but no changes were made and the subject was forgotten. Last spring 1997 the topic was readdressed, all thanks to three ENVS 204 Campus Stewardship students: al umnus Francis Churchill '90, Ty Cronin '97, and Sean Durkin '98. Campus Stewardship exposes students to campus-related planning issues and teaches "how to get an idea into the mechanisms of the University so that it can be dealt with," expla ins instructor, Steve Libby. Francis, Ty, and Sean conducted informal site surveys and found that University Place is the main pedestrian-crossing area of campus. Says Steve of the students, "They looked at the function of University Place and found that it was a linear parking lot. They also concluded that the food cart arrangement disrupts the sense of place."

  The students then developed the idea of changing University Place, a city street, into a "fussgangerzone," German for "pedestrian way"—much like Church Street in downtown Burlington. They gained positive feedback and support from the (then) newly-forme d Environmental Council and then presented their findings to the Space Management Committee.

  Bill Ballard, assistant vice president for administrative and facilities services, sits on both the Environmental Council and the Space Management Committee. Of the students efforts, Bill remarks, "Their presentation helped open possibilities f or improving University Place and the area associated with the Green. I welcomed the meaningful solutions that they presented." Almost immediately, Bill agreed to form a larger group to focus on the issue.

  Linda Seavey, university planner, and ,Bob Penniman, executive director of Campus Area Transportation Management Association (CATMA), also enthusiastically welcomed the idea of making University Place and the Green more inviting areas. La st summer they organized a task force that considered future possibilities, present interests, and past standards. The Steering Committee now meets monthly through the collaborative efforts of about 12 constituents representing the City of Burlingt on, UVM faculty, vendors, student body, Historic Preservation Program, and others. There is a Campus Master Plan discussion list on the internet so that the Steering Committee members—and anyone else who may be interested—can voice and listen to ideas, opinions, and problems pertaining to the changes that may be made to the Green, South Prospect Street, and University Place.

  Addressing Concerns

  A multitude of concerns about "greening" the Green have been expressed at the meetings and on the internet. Some include vegetation planting and maintenance, road surface material, vehicular traffic circulation, an alternative parking area, understandi ng pedestrian-use patterns, respect for historic patterns, proper signage, enhancement of scenic vistas from the Green and of course, the on-going debate of an appropriate location for the locally-owned vendor trucks.

  As the food vendor issue now stands, many people would like to see the trucks move to a permanent space with utilities and benches. However, under Marriot's Food contract, it is impossible for this to occur on UVM grounds (see "Student Enterprise", pg. 13). Sean Durkin, who originally represented the student body of the Steering Committee and had been the driving force for the focus of attention on this issue, says of the campus dining opportunities, "We get Taco Bell when we ought to 'Buy Vermont Firs t' to support regional food production and small businesses. The local food sources such as the vendors are important and should be treated as such—not stuck out on the street."

  Sean's ENVS senior thesis, "Alternative Endowment Criteria for the University of Vermont's Endowments" is a culmination of many classes and experiences, but he speaks most fondly of Campus Stewardship. "The University is the perfect learning center wi th such a captive audience. People can be taught how to live and make sound choices about the environment in which they live; not simply how to learn."

  Plans for Action

  Aiming for December '98, the Steering Committee proposes to develop policies; designs; ten work teams, each led by landscape architects; costs; and determination of funding for the University's National Register Historic Campus Green and perimeter. All ag ree that media attention should be brought to this planning process—through the discussion list, display boards, and newsletters—to reach the broader community. Only with concerned voices and dedicated support will the Green, the very portal of the Unive rsity, become greener. If you have questions, or are interested in participating with task force teams, you may contact Linda Seavey's office, 656-3208, or lseavey@zoo.uvm.edu. For more information about the ENVS 204 Campus Stewardship course contact: St eve Libby : srlibby@together.net or (802) 434-2592 or the Environmental Program.