A form of spring cleaning arrived on campus Thursday as an estimated 800 students, faculty, staff and community members participated in University Day, an annual volunteer event that involves various cleaning and gardening activities around the University.
The event’s theme was “So Fresh & So Clean” to recognize the aim of the campus clean-up, University Day chairwoman Heidi Rivinus wrote in an e-mail.
Volunteers spread bark dust, planted flowers and picked up litter around campus. In all, more than $5,000 worth of flowers was planted and 450 cubic yards of bark dust was spread, Campus Exterior Supervisor Tim King said.
The University’s Facilities Services department provided the bark dust, supplies and flowers, Rivinus said in an interview.
Rivinus said there were more activities for students than during previous University Days. Student groups set-up water balloon tosses, face painting and a recycling game on the lawn in front of the Collier House. KWVA and several bands provided music in the EMU Amphitheater.
University Day began in 1905 as part of the annual Junior Weekend, which included parades, dances and social events. It became inactive in the 1920s, but students Brian Sandy and Doug Untalan revived it in 1990.
King said that when the students approached Facilities Services to reinstate University Day, personnel were skeptical about having students do the work. But the first year and subsequent years have been successes, he said.
University Day is a long day for the groundskeepers, but many of them look forward to it, he said.
“My groundskeepers love this,” King said. “They take a lot of pride in their area, and this helps them get more work done.”
John Duncan, director of the Leadership Resource Office, spoke as part of the day’s events and said University Day is a unique and special tradition for the University.
“There’s not very many campuses that do this,” Duncan said. “There’s not very many opportunities for students to lead this kind of initiative and to have it supported by the entire campus community in this way.”
Executive Assistant to the President Dave Hubin, who also spoke in the EMU Amphitheater, said he was touring different universities with his daughter and noticed that at one university he was struck by the litter and how the campus didn’t look fresh and clean.
“I thought, ‘I wonder what it is that makes Oregon so special that we value our campus and work together to maintain it, and I wonder what that other campus was lacking,’”Hubin said.
Duncan said some of the cleaning and gardening activities during University Day prepare the campus for the end of the year when parents, alumni and guests visit.
“I feel a strong sense of pride from what they’ll see when they walk around our beautiful campus that day, and a lot of that pride stems from the work that’s being done today,” he said.
Rivinus said the majority of volunteers are students and that about 50 percent of the students are from the greek community.
Senior journalism major Jessica Brandes said all 110 members of her sorority volunteered for University Day. She has volunteered since her freshman year, she said, and she felt this year was better organized than past years.
Senior business major Michael McKay said he volunteered for a second time this year because Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity, requires at least two hours of community service.
“It’s fun giving back,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot out of college, so giving two hours of my time isn’t such a big deal.”
A plaque was placed in front of a bench in University Day Terrace next to Friendly Hall to commemorate the event.