Texas Tech University students have celebrated Arbor Day annually since 1938, when University President Bradford Knapp pioneered the event. Nowadays, nine organizations are working together to help participants beautify the campus, build a sense of community and receive recognition.
John Buie, president of Tech Activities Board, expects at least 2,000 people to participate this year, especially because of the incentives.
“You get free T-shirts and water bottles this year,” he said. “You also get the sense that you’re giving back to Texas Tech, you’re helping to beautify campus, and you’re giving back to the grounds staff.”
The event starts at 10 a.m. in Memorial Circle, where students can get free food and a T-shirt. A representative from each group must check in by 12:30 p.m. to participate.
The event will continue with live music by Cas Haley, runner-up of America’s Got Talent in 2007. After that, groups will plant trees and flowers in designated spots on campus.
“One of the criticisms you hear about Lubbock is that it’s flat, dusty, no trees, and I think Arbor Day might have grown out of a desire to beautify campus and differentiate from the area around Lubbock,” Buie said.
He said Arbor Day is one of his two favorite TAB activities. The other one is Raider City Limits.
Although participants plant trees and flowers in designated spots, they should not count on them still being there in the future. Claire Maginness, the assistant director of Student Union & Activities, said sometimes Grounds Maintenance will do replanting.
Hospitality Services gave out free T-shirts in exchange for recyclable bottles outside the SUB Wednesday. Maddy McCarty/The Hub@TTU.
“We put the flowers out and hope that people plant them well and put them in order,” Maginness said. “So they just go back and remove them to make sure it looks nice and it’s appealing because not everybody is a gardener.”
Arbor Day marks the conclusion of Eco Week on campus, which consists of events promoting recycling, sustainability and beautification.
Dee Nguyen, assistant managing director for Tech’s Hospitality Services, said she enjoys Eco Week because it helps spread awareness of her office’s sustainability programs, which not many students know about. For example, students who bring their own recyclable cups get a discount on drinks.
“We as a department of the university get to give back to the campus, so that all the incoming freshmen, parents and students get to enjoy it,” Nguyen said.
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