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Recyclable Items In the trash on campus. Photo by Julia Dent
Campus Sustainability
Efforts Not As Green As
Advertised
Julia Dent and Alexus Stout
Campus Analysis - It’s hard to walk
around campus and not see large blue
recycling bins, signs for the Daisy
Trade and posters advertising the
environmental sustainability major.
But if you look beneath the sustainable
surface, how “green” is Meredith?
While Meredith advertises to re
cycle plastic bottles, only bottles with
the recycling numbers one and two
are accepted for recycling. The city
of Raleigh accepts plastics numbers
one through five and number seven,
and it is now against the law in North
Carolina to throw away these plastics.
Meredith’s contract is with American
Recycler, and they take the recycling
to Sonoco, where it’s shipped to
other markets to be melted. Grounds
Manager, Aaron Schettler, reports
that “Meredith doesn’t accept higher
plastics is because it isn’t cost efficient,
and it has a very low market. In order
to melt these plastics, they have to
have higher temperatures, in which it
is hard to recycle locally.”
Other recyclable items like tin and
paperboard are also not recycled at
Meredith. Schettler is currently look
ing into having a commingled recy
cling program for these products to be
picked up once or twice a month.
There are many other recyclables
whose bins are hard to find on campus.
Cardboard receptacles are only located
behind the Cate Center, apartments
and dining hall, so many departments
don’t recycle their cardboard. The art
department’s dumpster is always full
of cardboard at the beginning of the
semesters from the all of the card
board boxes that the'art supplies come
in. Glass can also be recycled by the
library, behind the Cate Center and be
hind the apartments, but many people
don’t utilize these facilities.
And why recycle these products on
campus at all? “It’s important because
it saves valuable landfill space and
resources used in the manufacturing
of packaging and paper,” says Dr. Erin
Lindquist, professor in the Depart
ment of Biological Sciences.
Paper towels and toilet paper are
among the many of the recyclables that
travel from Meredith College to land
fills, and they cost the college about
$5,250 eveiy month according to John
Wilson, the purchasing coordinator for
the Facilities Department. This finan
cial and environmental impact could
be lessened by installing hand-dryers
across campus. Companies like Excel
Dryer produce “green” hand dryers
like the XLERATOR hand dryer that
uses 76 kilojoules per use compared to
743 kilojoules one paper towel takes
to produce, according to their website.
They also say that once installed, the
XLERATOR hand dryer has a 90 to 95
percent cost savings since paper towels
aren’t used.
In addition to recycling efforts,
Meredith also has compost, local foods
and energy conservation programs
that may not — cont. on page 7
Cornhuskin’ History Holds Fun
Facts collected by Marzia NawrozI, compiled by Amy Hruby
Fall brings the rustle of corn to Hills
borough Street as Cornhuskin’ season
begins. Students across campus are
frantically finalizing costumes, skits
and songs for the main event Nov. 6 at
6 p.m. in the Amphitheater. Before it
begins again, take a look back at past
campus newspaper coverage of Mer
edith’s most experiential tradition.
Oct. 26,1945
Athletic Association Schedules All-
Student Husking Bee
“The Athletic Association has an
nounced definite plans for the all
student Husking Bee party which is to
be held on Tuesday, Oct. 30 in honor
of the new students.”
Oct. 31,1958
New Contest Added
“Hoola-hooping [sic] has been
added to the list of contests this year,
and pie-eating and cow-milking have
been dropped.”
Nov. 3,1977
Changes in Cornhuskin’
“Cornhuskin’ was introduced at
Meredith in 1945 by Miss Doris Pe
terson, head of the physical education
department. Being a Kansas native,
she knew corn ‘shucks’ as corn ‘husks,’
so she called the contest Cornhuskin’.
The first year contests consisted of
cornhusking, hog calling, chicken call
ing, apple bobbing, relay races, and
folk dances.... Today, Cornhuskin’ has
evolved into a parade, hog calling, tall
tales, class songs, apple bobbbing, and
corn husking.’” —Cindy Bizzell
Nov. 8,1995
Fifty years of magic
“The first Cornhuskin’ was held in
the Dining Hall, with events beginning
at 6:15 p.m. and ending at 8:15 p.m.
Following the class competitions, the
Folk Dance Club performed for both
students and faculty in the courtyard.
The competition was judged on show
ing ‘pure corn and hillbilly-ishness.’.;.
The only class to be victorious all four
years was the class of i960.” —Carol
Swink
Nov. 11,1998
Capture the Com
“School spirit, strategy and fun are
what made up Meredith’s first game
of‘Capture the Corn’ last Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFS
afternoon. This field activity, based on
the game ‘Capture the Flag,’ was coor
dinated by MRA to replace the nor
mal Cornhuskin’ tradition of raiding
the President’s house. On any other
Cornhuskin’ Wednesday night, all the
classes would have gotten toegether to
sneak through the woods to serenade
the college president at his horhe.
This year, however, with no president
to serenade. Cornhuskin’ needed an
alternate activity. Kate Breen, an MRA
Cornhuskin’ co-chair, came up with
the idea.” —Kristen Bostedo
Nov. 4, 2009
Time to Get Corny
“Cornhuskin’ is an event simply too
big to be contained within Meredith’s
campus. When practices begin, nearly
the entire Raleigh area knows. People
ask, ‘isn’t Meredith starting to play
with corn, or whatever it is they do this
time of year?’” —Anna Turner
John Creagh Memorial
Scholarship Established,
Accepting Applicants
Meredith faculty/staff are invited to
nominate students, and students are
invited to apply, for the first John
Creagh Memorial Scholarship Award.
Dr. Creagh was a beloved Meredith
faculty member of theater and com
munication for 23 years, before he suc
cumbed to cancer just before Easter
2007. Thanks to donations from Dr.
Creagh’s family, students, friends,
and colleagues, a grant of $1200 is
anticipated, to be awarded for spring
semester 2013. Students with a dem
onstrated interest in communication,
theater, and literature are invited to
apply, particularly those who con
tribute to the diversity of the college.
Each application should consist of an
application letter (one page) by the
student and a letter of nomination and
support by a faculty or staff member
of the college community. Students
may pick up an application form from
faculty members in Communication,
Theatre, and English. Applications
and nominations must be completed
by Nov 26. Please deliver applications
to Ms. Cindy Bell, Administrative As
sistant, Dean of the School of Arts and
Humanities, Joyner 230.
The World Series is scheduled to begin on Wednesday. / Kateri Tekakwitha was canonized as the first Native American saint. / Hundreds of meteors passed through the sky Sunday night
as Earth passed through Halley’s comet’s path. / The FDA confirmed its investigation of whether five deaths could be linked to Monster Energy Drink, causing its shares to fall 14 percent.
/ Lance Armstrong was stripped of his cycling titles after allegations of him doping for the Tour de France. / Activists in South Korea flew balloons carrying tens of thousands anti-Pyong
yang flyers into North Korea. / A Dubai cafe is now selling camel lattes, camel-ccinos and camel meat fajitas.