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Students may pay to go green

27 February 2008 | By Austin Wright, Flat Hat News Editor | The Flat Hat » news

More than four out of five students at the College say they would pay an extra $15 per semester in fees if it meant that the College would be greener, according to a survey conducted by the Student Environmental Action Coalition and sent out randomly by Information Technology to 1,000 students.

Of the 355 students who responded, 86 percent said they would be willing to pay what SEAC refers to as green fees, or a small tuition increase that would go directly toward environmental sustainability initiatives such as upgrading facilities and creating an office of sustainability.

Now, SEAC leaders are trying to get the 250 signatures needed to add a referendum question about the potential tuition increase to the March 20 Student Assembly election ballots. If passed, the Board of Visitors would then have to sign off on the program for it to take effect.

“The idea got its start last semester as a response to the frustration we were all feeling from a lack of response from the administration on climate reform — most notably not signing the President’s Climate Commitment,” SEAC member Phil Zapfel ’09 said.

“We know we’re not going to get any help from Richmond or the administration, and these changes are pressing enough that they should happen regardless.”

In all, the fee would generate about $225,000 per year, about half of which would go toward facilities upgrades like better insulation and occupancy sensors that can turn lights off automatically. The remainder would pay for an office of sustainability, fund student projects and create an endowment for the program.

SEAC members gave a presentation about the idea at the December BOV meeting, and many board members were surprised when told that the College received a D-minus for its energy policies on the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s 2008 report card.

“The movement toward environmental sustainability is inevitable and is completely necessary for William and Mary to be recognized as a top university,” Zapfel said. “We are falling behind our peers, and in order to stay in the forefront, we must commit to environmentally sustainable initiatives as soon as possible.”

But some feel that tuition increases are not appropriate.
“I’m always against the idea that the administration needs to use the students as a piggy bank,” SA Sen. Joe Luppino-Esposito ’08 said. “More should be done at the state level before we start taxing students on these things.”

SEAC members, though, say this is their only option after two years of trying unsuccessfully to convince former College President Gene Nichol to sign the PCC.

“This is a last resort,” Zapfel said.

  1. To Sen. Luppino-Esposito: it would be great if the state would commit to providing these funds, but since they’re even cutting money for faculty pay, this looks to me like a great way for students to seize the initiative and show that they care about the direction of their school. I’ve been encouraged to see that students have gotten so engaged in the College’s operation in the past few years.


    — Willie M. Mary    Feb 28, 04:06 PM    #

  2. This is only a referendum to send something up to the BOV to decide.

    Joe L.E. = editor for the Virgina Informer


    — rusty shackleford    Feb 28, 05:23 PM    #

  3. I have a suggestion how the “students can seize the initiative and show they care about the direction of their school” If W&M students were to “Walk the walk”; in addition to “Talking the talk” they could make a profound contribution and possibly even embarrass the VA Legislature into committing some funding.

    The only way to realistically reduce Greenhouse gas emissions in the short term [25-50 years] is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. One, the students should convince their classmates to voluntarily ban the use or storage of personal automobiles on campus, except for rare, needs based, exceptions. Second, students should disable all air conditioning systems in dorm rooms and classrooms except in cases where building function absolutely requires AC.

    The W&M Environmental folks could probably come up with an estimate as to the energy and environmental savings that would accrue to the college and community for these student inspired actions; how could the legislature not at least match the student generated savings? Such student activism would undoubtedly result in nationwide media praise and elevate the reputation of WM around the world.

    Everybody knows that “going green” will require sacrifice – but so far, the politicians and other green advocates, want somebody else, but not themselves, to do the sacrificing.

    The neat thing is that it would not really be a big deal for students to forego cars on campus and AC because thats the way it was for W&M students for the first 340 years or so – although, perhaps these deprivations may account for the crotchety nature of many of todays Alums but, trust me, at the time nobody thought anything of it.

    Good Luck!


    — Jeff '62    Feb 28, 06:03 PM    #