Kent State Stark Students Participate in Towpath CleanupReturn to Issue of Sept. 29, 2008 Dr. Betsy Boze, dean of Kent State University Stark, turned her enthusiasm for the environment into an inspirational experience for Kent State Stark students this summer.
On Aug. 18, Boze and a team of eight students cleaned up a six-mile stretch of river next to the Ohio Canal Towpath. They canoed down the river, picking up trash as they went. After they finished canoeing, the team hopped on bikes and rode back to their starting place, picking up the litter from the riverbank and the bike trail. “I have a lifelong interest and commitment to protecting the environment,” Boze says. “And social and environmental responsibilities are part of our formal campus values and are woven in the very fabric of the campus experience.” The cleanup was designed to give first-year students an opportunity to meet other students while giving back to the community. “I really liked that I got to meet new people before school started,” Elana Koh, Kent State Stark freshman, says. “They had the same interest in helping the environment, too.” Not only did the trip allow students to get to know each other, but it also allowed them to learn more about the dean on a personal level, which was important to the students, as well as to Boze. “These experiences place the staff and students on equal footing where true, open communication can be experienced outside of the confines of the normal student/administrator relationship,” Linda Burmeister, Kent State Stark student, says. “And Dr. Boze rides a mean bicycle!” To Boze, educating students about environmental responsibilities is just as important as what’s taught in the classroom. “As they examine their values, explore different roles and perspectives and eventually determine for themselves what they believe and stand for, it is important that they respect and protect the environment,” she says. “Kent State University Stark students understand the social and environmental consequences of their actions. It is our job to help them understand what they can do that will make a difference in the world.” Boze says she knew it was a great learning experience for the students. “I heard them talking about how this experience made them realize just how much difference nine people could make,” she says. Under Boze’s leadership, Kent State Stark helps students focus on their commitment to a green world. First-year students can pledge to uphold their societal and environmental responsibilities during their time at Kent State Stark, and graduates can pledge to improve the societal and environmental responsibilities in their future jobs. According to Boze, 90 percent of Kent State Stark seniors take the graduation pledge. Boze says this experience won’t be the last one. “Given the enthusiasm about this experience, this cleanup will become an annual event,” she says. “Students are making plans for an environmental organization.” By Katelyn Luysterborg Return to Issue of Sept. 29, 2008  |
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