The Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) at UNH is a large organization with a myriad of functions and purposes. The USGA represents the undergraduate student body, serves as a forum for students to discuss their concerns, manages and distributes the $1.5 million budget utilized by clubs and organizations, and so much more.
A significant portion of the work that is done by the USGA is done through the organization’s roughly 20 committees. These committees, which are chaired by members of the USGA’s Executive Board, Senate and occasionally House of Representatives, provide a range of different services, which include event programming, bringing student concerns to university administrators and administrative functions such as miscellaneous budget allocation and proposing constitutional revisions.
One of the university’s initiatives is to go green and increase sustainability initiatives and practices on campus. The commitment to this goal can be seen throughout campus, in the residence halls and classrooms, as well as through the work of the UNH Green Team. However, in a meeting of the USGA’s Constitution Committee, it was brought to the committee’s attention that the USGA has not taken many actions towards helping to fulfill the university’s go green initiative.
Towards that end, the idea of a USGA Sustainability Committee was proposed to the Constitution Committee for inclusion in the organization by-laws. During the USGA meeting that took place Friday, Nov. 9, the proposed addition was voted on and approved by the USGA legislature, composed of the Senate and House.
As written in the USGA by-laws, the purpose of the new USGA Sustainability Committee will be to “serve to educate and help promote ‘green’ living among the campus community.” At the following USGA meeting, which took place Friday, Nov. 16, USGA Senator Joshua Howard, who had originally brought up the idea of a Sustainability Committee up to the Constitution Committee, was voted in as the chair of the Sustainability Committee.
When reached for comment, he had the following to say: “The goal for the Sustainability Committee is to work to make UNH a more environmentally friendly and aware campus. Two of our first projects will be to run a petition drive to get more recycling on campus and to begin planning events for Earth Week. Our first meeting will be on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 8:30 p.m. in K104. There has already been significant interest in the committee, and we are expecting a good turnout. All students are welcome to come; it will be an important meeting since we will have a lot of member discussion in order to create the foundation that the committee will build on starting next semester. If you are interested in the committee and would like to be added to the committee’s email list, please email Joshua Howard at [email protected].”
