A.S. Plans for Garden on Campus

The Associated Students are proposing a set of plans to SMC President Dr. Chui Tsang for an educational culture garden.

It's not clear how big or what will be planted in the garden, but its purpose has been declared.

"It is imperative that our educational institutions equip their students with an understanding of the social, ecological, and economic impact that agriculture has on our environment," David Chun, president of the AS said. "[Therefore] they can make conscientious decisions to minimize their ecological footprint, while giving them the confidence to start an urban garden themselves."

According to Chun, the culture garden will serve many purposes on campus by benefiting the college's students and environment.

"Unfortunately a lot of individuals come out of college without really understanding the living systems of the earth," said Chun. "But, if you give them the opportunity to grow their own food, they start asking...questions [about this matter]."

The idea of creating this project stems from the global sustainability initiatives the AS created when Chun started his term as president.

Chun has guided this project from request to result.

After the idea was formulated, Chun, along with other board committee members have put together a declaration resolution and a master plan for the educational culture garden. Originally, the SMC administration didn't show much interest in assisting the project, Chun said.

Once the AS passed the cultural learning garden resolution on April 20, Mike Tuitasi, the Vice President of Student Affairs, decided to set-up a meeting every Friday, starting May 8, "to discuss the viability of having a garden on campus."

Chun said he hopes that the next AS committee will continue to fight for the project to go from a dream to a reality.

The AS president elect for next semester, Cameron Henton, spoke about his hope that the effort shown by the college will translate into production and not just pontification. Henton said more clerical work from school administrators and professors is needed before the project could even be in the works.

"I would like to see all the planning that we've come up with to be done by the end of winter (and into the) next year, but I especially would like to see the work done by all the parties involved to make this [happen]," Henton said.

In due time, the AS will see if the garden plans grow into fruition. For now, they hope the college will comply with their requests to improve the school's inner and outer beauty.

"Just ask the students," said Chun. "What better than having a garden to beautify and educate."