It’s going to be difficult for the new student government administration to make one of its campaign promises a reality.
The leadership of the Associated Students of the University of Utah and various university offices are lobbying to have Summer Semester classes moved to more energy-efficient buildings in an attempt to save money and help the sustainability movement.
“We’re still in the beginning stages of the project,” said Ameena Khan, chief of staff for ASUU. “We’ve been speaking with administrators and the Office of Sustainability trying to get the project off the ground. Our goal is to have the classes moved by next summer, but nothing immediate.”
The administration is looking to have the classes moved from OSH, which was built in 1953, and the Social and Behavioral Science Building, two of the oldest on campus, to newer buildings that are more energy-efficient.
Tayler Clough and Rachel Rizzo, respectively president and vice president of ASUU, ran with the idea as part of their platform’s stance on sustainability. The offices of Sustainability and Energy Management have jumped on board and offered their help to realize the goal.
“There are a lot of factors that go into this8212;closing on Fridays, closing after certain hours, among other things,” said Bianca Shama, the resource conservation specialist with the Energy Management Office. “Most buildings have faculty offices and that’s the main obstacle. We’re trying to find departments that are willing to make the changes.”
Although ASUU hopes to be able to close OSH, it might be an impossible task, Shama said. The building is a hub to multiple departments8212;it houses the College of Social and Behavioral Science and the departments of geography, philosophy and political science, in addition to the Hinckley Institute of Politics. Scheduling is a logistical nightmare.
“It’s about looking at which buildings this would be feasible.,”said Marie Martin, the outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “Preferably, it’s a building that is generally used for classroom space and doesn’t have any lab space. In order to close OSH, we would have to convince all the schools and departments to close their offices and working spaces over the summer.”
The project hasn’t yet received any intervention from the U administration.
“It’s just departments that we’re dealing with,” Martin said. “We haven’t met any resistance, but I’m not sure if there’s much “buy-in’ for it. ASUU is hoping that we can get support from the administration.”
Although expectations are high, reality is beginning to set in for all parties involved.
“We’re optimistic right now, but as far as reality is concerned, we’re pretty open to many ideas right now,” Martin said. “It may be that we only shut down classes on Fridays, or another option. I think to do something like this, we’re going to have to start small and build from there.”
Clough and Rizzo could not be reached for comment.
ASUU sustainability efforts to close OSH summer classes