|
|
| March 2004
|
| CAMPUS
NEWS |
|
| Get Down and Dirty on Campus
Here at AU it’s no different. Despite a cold snap last week, the forsythia are in full bright-yellow bloom and those famous D.C. cherry blossoms are due to hit their peak any second now. That means it’s time to plant again. For eleven years now, the AU community has come together to salute spring’s arrival with a fun “morning off” called Campus Beautification Day. On April 14 this year, anyone interested in trading their usual day of class or work for a day of planting and mulching the grounds across campus is invited to do so. All those who work that morning are rewarded with a free T-shirt, a tasty barbecue in the Woods-Brown Amphitheater at noon, and a chance to win a variety of cool raffle prizes donated by local businesses. (Gardening gloves and plants/mulch are provided.) More than 500 members of the AU community have participated in Campus Beautification Day in recent years, says Katherine Kirlin, director of Special Events at AU and co-chair of the committee that plans the event. Alumni are more than welcome to join in and participate. This year, more than 5,000 flowering perennials, 250 shrubs, and 25 trees will be planted and 180 cubic yards of mulch will be spread across campus, according to Mark Feist, assistant director for Grounds. Long-time participant Keri Thorn, SIS/BA ’93, SIS/MA ’96, who works at AU and sits on the Campus Beautification Day planning committee, will plant in her usual spot, Sarah’s Garden. The garden was established as an “Adopt-A-Spot” section next to the McCabe Hall a few years ago to be cared for by members of the Enrollment Services team in honor of an AU employee who passed away. “We’re up to more than 10 groups from the original few who adopt a spot on campus the way Enrollment Services designated Sarah’s Garden,” says Kirlin. Other clubs who have adopted a spot include the student club, EcoSense, and several fraternities and sororities. “It’s such a nice plus that these members of campus have made a commitment to keep their spot on campus beautiful year-round,” adds Kirlin. In addition to the Adopt-A-Spots, more than a dozen areas on campus are designated for extra attention. This year, AU will also officially announce the university’s new status as a national arboretum. “It’s been years in the making,” says Willy Suter, director of Physical Plant Operations. “We’ll have a brochure available that talks about the tree collection, the gardens, the sculpture, etc.” Many trees on campus are now tagged with their genus and species as a result of the new arboretum designation. If you prefer not to don your garden gloves as a volunteer landscaper for the day, Kirlin is also looking for some more raffle prize donations to give away at the barbecue. If you own a local business or offer a service you think members of the AU community would like, she invites you to contact her. Any alumni who donate their goods or services will be given a nice plug as a generous alumni donor both at the picnic and in campus media. “It’s a great way to advertise your business to fellow members of the AU community and get new customers,” says Kirlin. Past alumni raffle prize donors include Booeymonger’s Ron Vogel, CAS/BS ’72 and the D.C. Improv’s John X. Already this year, raffle prize donations include airline tickets (compliments of STA Travel), Orioles tickets (compliments of Aramark and Coke), and gift certificates to Chef Geoff’s, Booeymonger’s, Johnson’s Flowers, Chevy Chase Florist, the Holiday Inn Georgetown, and AU’s Campus Store. Campus Beautification Day is April 14. The planting runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., and the barbecue begins at noon. To volunteer or for more info, contact Keri Thorn, SIS/BA ’93, SIS/MA ’96, at 202-885-6029 or . To
donate a raffle item, contact Katherine
Kirlin at or 202-885-2431. |
Spring
is officially here, and even if Mother Nature’s daily weather offerings
don’t always mesh with the calendar or our expectations, the promise
of warmer temps still seems to bring out a renewed energy for getting
down-and-dirty with planting new shrubs and flowers for folks near and
far.