Haupt circle, Old Morrison’s sweeping lawn, the shady trees – these are important and measurable goods. In a rapidly developing world where the environment is threatened by so many human factors, campus green space is vital to sustainability for both physical and social reasons. To students, a university campus is a place of education which is transformative and influential in their social/intellectual development as citizens. The physical elements of a campus, and of any place, mirror the formal or ideological, and will impact the mindsets and lifestyles of individuals who will be in positions of power in our country and our world (us!).

The new Back Circle is a hot spot for frisbee, volleyball, hammocking, and other social events, as well a study space and a haven for those who feel the need to get out of dorm rooms and classrooms for more than their 10 minute walk to class. While the green spaces set Transy apart from its urban/suburban environment and help to define the bubble, they also welcome in families, joggers, and dog walkers. Unbeknownst to many, Transylvania also has a garden behind Poole, and partners with Seedleaf in the London-Ferrill community garden, at the corner of 3rd Street and Martin Luther King Drive. Increasing participation in both of these locations by both Transylvanians and members of the community could do wonders for the relationship between the two, and thin the bubble. In addition to positively influencing lifestyles and mindsets, green space enhances mental health of students. Many studies have demonstrated a statistical relationship between green space usage and reported quality of life.

Along with the above benefits, there’s the most obvious positive of having green space: physical sustainability. Transy’s green spaces help to absorb and offset water and air pollutants and prevent soil erosion – an especially virtuous quality given the age of many of Transylvania’s buildings. They slow surface water runoff from the city into lakes and streams, purify the air, regulate the temperature, and replenish ground water (rain doesn’t penetrate concrete). Trees measurably decrease cooling and heating costs when planted near buildings (anywhere from 2-4% for deciduous trees) by providing shade in the summer and insulation in the winter (Environmental). For Transy, that adds up to thousands of dollars saved each school year, the conservation of natural resources used for energy and a decrease in emissions from the use of that energy. Green space conserves both the environment and university funds. Energy savings could go towards great things like scholarships, student organizations, faculty and staff development, facilities, academic programs, student research grants… the list goes on, these savings could be made greater by the educational institution owners deciding to look for other energy suppliers, by using comparison websites similar to Utility Bidder, for example.

While the tendency is to rail on all the Transy quirks people can’t stand, like the long lines in the Raf, difficulty of many GE classes, or Styrofoam cups (now switched back to paper), sustainability and green space improvements at Transy often go unnoticed or unappreciated, simply because they’re unadvertised. In addition to the obvious physical changes on campus such as the recent renovation of Back Circle, invisible changes are going on constantly. The Green Revolving Loan fund supplies the school up to 150,000 to spend on renovations that will reduce energy costs. The fund is revolving, because the school replenishes the fund with the energy costs that are saved with the purchase of more energy efficient items. An example: the decades old ice machine in Forrer was putting gallons of water down the drain, and when the school invested $9,000 from the fund in a new machine, they saved $10,000 in water costs in the first year. The investment paid itself back in a year, and the $9,000 was put back into the fund within the year to be used for other projects.

These improvements are happening all over campus thanks to the fund – new and efficient LED lighting in Beck’s main gym, the pretty new LED lamp posts in Back Circle, motion sensor lighting in bathrooms, low flow toilets… this list of good things that save money and energy also goes on. With all these energy and expense efficient changes made, it would make sense for them to take a look at their energy provider supplying them with all this electricity and see if they can transfer to a cheaper option. Visting the Home Energy Club website will allow you to look at certain providers and compare them with others, such as these TXU energy rates against another main supplier. This allows them to see clearly whether their provider is really the most efficient. Have hope for the future, faith in Transyland, and appreciate the grass beneath your feet – it’s not something to be taken for granted in today’s world.

I believe a major role in the residence life of a university is to provide comfortable and healthy living arrangements for students. A part of this involves that the university provide substantial, easily accessible, nourishing meals for its residents. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily the case when it comes to meal plans at Transy.

This year, Sodexo—which contracts with Transy to provide dining services—has made a lot of changes as it pertains to their meal plans. Frankly, none of these changes benefit the students who pay for meal plans. They have eliminated a campus favorite for late night eating, and for people with special diets like myself, such as paleo diets, vegetarian, or vegan, there are little to no options for food. On top of this, they have changed the hours that food establishments are open. The majority of the time, it is hard to find food on campus that is healthy, and available. It should not be this hard, as a college student, to eat university-provided food.

Here’s an example. This year, I chose not to have a meal plan because of these reasons stated above. My healthy dining options were sparse, and I ended up cooking my own meals most of the time because places were never open, and the food wasn’t great. However, in the instances where I have had no choice but to eat on campus, I put money on my Crimson Card to use at my convenience. It was a simple concept that should have allowed me to obtain a sub par meal from campus dining. However, it was not so simple.

One evening while I was working late on campus, I decided that I needed a snack and went to “Late Night Caf” minutes before close (because they have shortened the hours of late night dining options). After ordering my grilled cheese, which I had heard to be the only edible option on the menu, I was told that my Crimson Card was not registered with an account. I explained to the cashier that I had loaded my card with money, and that I was using that, rather than an actual meal plan. A blank stare and complete confusion preceded me, and the cashier eventually shrugged and asked if I could pay cash.

Long story short, I was unable to eat that evening, when it really shouldn’t be that hard for a student to obtain a sandwich on campus. After emailing Sodexo inquiring if they had changed their policy on Crimson Card money, I was told that the cashier did not know what he was doing, and was not trained prior to the start of the school year on how to use these form of payment. I was angry and completely flabbergasted that it has become so incredibly difficult to obtain a quality meal on campus. It is safe to say that I am happy to have cancelled my meal plan, and will not be spending my money on sub par food any longer.

The moral of the story here is simple: if you are in the business of providing a service to students, put the students first. Yes, I understand that Sodexo is a business and needs to turn a profit, but when its role is a critical part of the student life at a university, it needs to be more organized and less concerned about making money for themselves. It needs to be more concerned about feeding the students, and providing the service they were hired for.

Update 10/14/16: Interim Transylvania Dining General Manager Jeff Griffis reviewed procedure with staff not to allow students to go without food due to a register issue.