As a second semester senior in the Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) department, I am distraught over pieces of information I have received pertaining to the department I call home.
Every conversation I’ve had has been in an “off the record” format or cloaked in hypotheticals, but all point to the same outcome. Some say we will be absorbed by the biology department and some say there will be no place at all, but one thing is clear. Due to outside pressures and inside conflict, ESP won’t be standing on its own for much longer, and there’s a few things I’m wondering.
As a student with hopes of making an environmental difference in this world, I’ve come to learn a few things. The first is about funding. Being environmentally friendly has a lot to do with paying a little more up front, waiting a little longer for a ROI (return on investment), and in the end, generating a massive impact.
When it comes to funding, it is no secret that each department gets its own. With a small consensus agreeing that ESP will be absorbed into the biology department, which holds the top spot on campus as the largest major with over 700 students, are we actually expected to be able to compete for a piece of the pie?
The next thing I’ve learned is the importance of perception.
To say students haven’t been aware of the fighting within the department’s faculty is incredibly false, as these conflicts have become a core source of disappointment that’s plagued our experiences.
It’s no secret the majority of the campus’ green efforts have been almost exclusively driven by students. There has been a substantial lack of support from the ESP faculty, despite the time, energy and funds students have devoted to giving the university the green badge it wears with honor.
In January, I was awarded an opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. and present the green projects on our campus to the National Council for Science and the Environment.
Here, we were able to make a splash on the national stage by presenting our work and creating partnerships. Nationally, we’re a little school doing a lot; on our own campus, were just the crazy environmental hippie kids who have lost our minds and hardly have a couple faculty members behind us.
We’ve all heard “perception is reality” and without a department to stand on, I want to know what our reality will be.
The last, but arguably most important concept I’ve learned is about cooperation.
Cooperation between the private and public sectors, between academic silos, and between people. The very fact that our department’s staff and faculty couldn’t keep it together, both literally and figuratively, speaks more to the issues than I could.
Cooperation accomplishes much more than competition, yet when egos, pride and tenure come into play, we all lose.
As the students who get up and come to class each day only to be taught utterly depressing material regarding the conditions of our planet and society, we might be called recklessly optimistic. Willing to do as much as we can with whatever we’re provided seems to be our specialty because in the end, we’re all fighting for the same team.
We want to be armed with the best information and the best tools for our fight, yet here we are, standing to lose even that.
Some faculty members have given us their all, but many have opted to either board themselves up into another academic silo or in some cases, made plans to leave the university altogether, neither of which fosters a productive atmosphere.
As I reflect on my time in the department, I can pinpoint life-changing moments provided by faculty of this institution, and I couldn’t be more content with my decision to come 1300 miles from Wisconsin for this program.
Meanwhile, I can only hope that as plans are made, everyone remembers which team they are on and what they are truly fighting for. That way, students younger than myself are given the same – if not better – tools to change the world.
