Pitches
- What is UNE actually doing about climate change? I would like to focus on what UNE is currently doing to reduce their carbon footprint on campus. I know of multiple student run organizations on campus that are attempting to make a change, and there is constant talk of sustainability, but there are holes that exist, like what happened to fossil free UNE?
- Mental health at UNE. I would like to take a few surveys, discuss with students and talk to professionals on campus about the general mental health of the student body and what problems they encounter on a day to day basis.
Early Draft
The University of New England V. the World
Sub-headline goes here
On Wednesdays at 6 pm in Decary 226 you can find a meeting of UNE students attempting to do their part to make the University of New England’s campus and the surrounding areas a greener place. These meetings are led by the president of the club, Kiara Frischkorn. Kiara has spoken on climate issues in the Portland State House and organized cleanups in Maine, California, and the Philippines. This has given her a first hand perspective on people and places that are affected by climate change. After serving as Earth Eco’s president for a year she has been on the frontlines of UNE’s attempts to decrease their carbon footprint. “There are so many more steps to be taken,” Frischcorn said. “But professors really care, it’s not their job, it’s their life.”
All students have environmental awareness courses in their curriculum yet this doesn’t matter unless the lessons learned in those classrooms are taken to heart. Last year in the freshman dorms there were power usages charts by dorm building posted every so often, and showing people how they stack up against others is always a good tool to get them thinking about how they’re using their resources and give them reason to shut off lights and unplug appliances when not in use. Perhaps metrics like waste, recycling, electricity usage, and composting could be better recorded and turned into a bit of a competition, rewarding those who use less. This could create social pressure to be more sustainable.
Workshop Draft
The University of New England V. the World
Sub-headline goes here
On Wednesdays at 6 pm in Decary 226 you can find a meeting of UNE students attempting to do their part to make the University of New England’s campus and the surrounding areas a greener place. These meetings are led by the president of the club, Kiara Frischkorn. Kiara has spoken on climate issues in the Portland State House and organized cleanups in Maine, California, and the Philippines. This has given her a first hand perspective on people and places that are affected by climate change. After serving as Earth Eco’s president for a year she has been on the frontlines of UNE’s attempts to decrease their carbon footprint. “There are so many more steps to be taken,” Frischcorn said. “But professors really care, it’s not their job, it’s their life.”
The University of New England is no stranger to climate activism, boasting the motto “Innovation for a Healthier Planet,” A phrase that can be seen on nearly every piece of school apparel and just about all the press releases that come out of administration. On their website you can find detailed plans for the campus to be carbon neutral by 2040, yet today nearly every single vehicle in their fleet runs on gasoline or diesel, and in their stores you can find plenty of items with single use packaging that add to the immense amounts of waste that any institution this large generates. It could be possible to attribute this to lack of effort made by the student body.
With most movements that create any meaningful modicum of change it typically works its way from the bottom to the top, rather than through legislation made by those who are leading. For example Germany’s use of green energy came from protests by normal people and the democratic ownership by communities of these resources, and in the early 1900s women’s suffrage came from protest, as there are still states where the Equal Rights Amendment hasn’t been ratified. All students have environmental awareness courses in their curriculum yet this doesn’t matter unless the lessons learned in those classrooms are taken to heart. Last year in the freshman dorms there were power usages charts by dorm building posted every so often, and showing people how they stack up against others is always a good tool to get them thinking about how they’re using their resources and give them reason to shut off lights and unplug appliances when not in use. Perhaps metrics like waste, recycling, electricity usage, and composting could be better recorded and turned into a bit of a competition, rewarding those who use less. This could create social pressure to be more sustainable.
There are programs being put in place that will benefit UNE in the future. These include initiatives by science departments to recycle the large amounts of gloves used for experimentation, solar panels being placed on top of the forum, and a larger variety of sustainable and recyclable goods being sold in the campus center store. Although the University of New England hasn’t reached their final goals of sustainability yet, the school is still a leader in the fight against global warming and is making numerous attempts to shrink their carbon footprint.
Revised Draft
The University of New England V. The Rising Threat of Climate Change
What is a small Maine school doing to combat a growing global crisis?
On Wednesdays at 6 pm in Decary 226 you can find a meeting of UNE students attempting to do their part to make the University of New England’s campus and the surrounding areas a greener place. In these meetings beach cleanups are planned, current climate issues are discussed, and events are planned to get the rest of the student body involved with the work they’re doing. Leading the meetings is the president of the club, Kiara Frischkorn. Kiara has spoken on climate issues in the Portland State House and organized cleanups in Maine, California, and the Philippines. This has given her a first hand perspective on people and places that are affected by climate change. After serving as Earth Eco’s president for a year she has been on the frontlines of UNE’s attempts to decrease their carbon footprint. “There are so many more steps to be taken,” Frischkorn said. “But professors really care, it’s not their job, it’s their life.”
The University of New England is no stranger to climate activism, boasting the motto “Innovation for a Healthier Planet,” A phrase that can be seen on nearly every piece of school apparel and just about all the press releases that come out of administration. On their website you can find detailed plans for the campus to be carbon neutral by 2040, yet today nearly every single vehicle in their fleet runs on gasoline or diesel, and in their stores you can find plenty of items with single use packaging that add to the immense amounts of waste that any institution this large generates. It could be possible to attribute this to lack of effort made by the student body.
With most movements that create any meaningful modicum of change it typically works its way from the bottom to the top, rather than through legislation made by those who are leading. For example Germany’s use of green energy came from protests by normal people and the democratic ownership by communities of these resources. All students have environmental awareness courses in their curriculum yet this doesn’t matter unless the lessons learned in those classrooms are taken to heart. Speaking with a teacher who leads an environmentally focused class gave insight to how teachers feel about the university’s efforts. From their perspective it seemed that UNE’s progress towards a greener future came in waves of effort, rather than a constant focus. I was pointed towards the Fall 2019 president’s forum for more information about these efforts.
That semester’s discussion was about whether it is ethical or not to profit off of climate change. The discussion was focused around UNE north, a planned expansion of the campus into Iceland. At this point researchers are certain that the recession of the polar ice caps will result in more accessible arctic resources, including minerals and oil. Forums like this one yield great insight into the top administration’s real future plans centering around a changing planet. Students should maintain a vested interest in these sorts of discussions.
On a smaller scale, There are programs being put in place that will benefit UNE in the future. These include initiatives by science departments to recycle the large amounts of gloves used for experimentation, solar panels being placed on top of the forum, and a larger variety of sustainable and recyclable goods being sold in the campus center store. Although the University of New England hasn’t reached their final goals of sustainability yet, the school is still a leader in the fight against global warming and is making numerous attempts to shrink their carbon footprint.
The scholars of UNE should also maintain a focus on their day to day use of resources outside of major administration decisions. Last year in the freshman dorms there were power usages charts by dorm building posted every so often. Showing people how they stack up against others is always a good tool to get them thinking about how they’re using their resources. It also gives them reason to shut off lights and unplug appliances when not in use. Perhaps metrics like waste, recycling, electricity usage, and composting could be better recorded and turned into a bit of a competition, rewarding those who use less. This could create social pressure to be more sustainable. Even the smallest actions make a difference. Shutting water off when brushing your teeth or cutting bottled water out of your life may seem laughable, but these stepping stones lead to a path of great change.
Workshop Experience
Before I submitted my article to the class I was a bit nervous. I was mostly afraid that my writing was garbage and there would be an hour and twenty minutes spent, for a lack of better words, tearing me a new one. When I did show up it seemed that people actually enjoyed my article, and I was overjoyed to find I was the only one who had chose that topic. There weren’t many grammar errors present in my draft besides a couple of run on sentences. On a grander scale there were some problems that I had with overall structure of the article. My transitions were weak and really needed some assistance. I don’t think this paper would have turned out as well as it did if it hadn’t gone through the newsroom. I really like the format we used to go through this paper and I hope that we do it again. In every other english class I’ve been in the editing process has consisted of a one on one conversation or just a brief discussion among small tables. The newsroom approach was quite enjoyable. It was good to get feedback from a group of people who would all sit down at the table with a different perspective. I feel that sometimes it is a bit difficult to give and receive criticism, but in that scenario it felt more like a discussion than a roast, even when people were bringing yup negative things. A fellow student in the class provided me with the email address of a faculty member that could really help get my paper to the place that it needs to be. I also wouldn’t have received real insight into how articles are written for serious newspapers if we hadn’t done it like this. I will be removing the whiplash inducing sentences from my draft, goodbye suffragettes.
Editorial Team Reflection
Being a part of the editing team was quite the experience. I felt that I could’ve contributed more, but there were some students like Kaelin and jack who were really carrying the class. A lot of my focus when I was in the editing room was how the story felt to consume. I commented on intros a few times and places where I felt an article contradicted itself. The moments where someone would provide a source or give someone a lead were my favorites. It’s really great when someone helped out in a bid way like that. Being a part of the editing team was a pleasure.
Feature Story Reflection
This was the first time that I had ever written anything in the format of a feature. Overall, I think it went pretty well. When choosing my topic I was having a bit of trouble, but thanks to some friends and the classes that I’m in I was able to settle on writing about UNE and what they’re doing to make the world a greener place. I was thinking about writing something discussing mental health at UNE, but that probably wasn’t the greatest idea, and I don’t know where I would go to find information about that topic. Then came my initial draft, and that was rough. It was short and didn’t really have much to say, but through the editing process it would become something that I appreciated. Initially I got a quote from my friend Kiara, and that was just about all the information that I had. Then in my next edition I would start digging around on UNE’s website for something substantial, and I found it. The climate plan that I found was a fantastic resource and really aided me towards the final product. Then once that was finished it came down to the editing process. I thought that went fantastic. I got a lot of insight into how newspapers publish their final products and what their writing process involves. After this, I got to writing my final draft. I was unable to secure a meeting with Alithea, so I got a comment from my sociology and climate change teacher. She didn’t want her name attached to the article, so I wasn’t able to get an actual quote from her, but she believed that the university wasn’t doing enough about climate change. She also pointed me towards a presidents forum relating to climate change that I watched and got some information from. Although it wasn’t exactly what I wanted it still gave me the push I needed to really put some polish on the article. Then I sorted out all the issues that were discussed in the workshop and it was finished. Overall I learned a lot and had a good time creating this feature.
