LETTER: Fee not related to the CNR
To the editor:
I am writing to correct an erroneous impression students may have received from a recent article “Blue Goes Green funds distributed” that ran Feb. 15. Justin Hinh, president of USU Students for Liberty, offered his specious opinion in the article that the Blue Goes Green fund was an initiative of the College of Natural Resources and that natural resources students are the primary beneficiaries or instigators of green initiatives on campus.
Anyone familiar with USU’s recent history knows this simply is not true. One of the two most influential students leading the BGG fee initiative is from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The first student to chair the Student Engagement Committee of USU’s Sustainability Council was from the Huntsman School of Business. Of the three interns supported with BGG funds, one is from CNR, but the other two are from CHaSS. Of the two interns working with the Sustainability Council — who are not supported by BGG funds — one is from the Caine College of the Arts and the other is from the College of Agriculture.
The students who initiated USU’s Student Organic Garden were primarily from the College of Agriculture. Given that CNR is by far the smallest of USU’s eight colleges, it is difficult to imagine how anyone could conclude that the numerous USU students who use refillable water containers or participate in the “Energy Wars” competitions sponsored by Student Housing are CNR students.
As chair of USU’s Sustainability Council and former dean of CNR, I worked diligently for six years to ensure that USU’s Sustainability Council programs were kept separate from CNR programs. From the very beginning of the Blue Goes Green student fee initiative, I repeatedly refused to be interviewed by The Statesman, to take any public stand on the issue, or to become involved in any way — other than to state my personal opinion that university administrators should not speak out on student referendums.
The Sustainability Council invites Mr. Hinh and other leaders from USU Students for Liberty to meet with us to learn about the many benefits that are being provided to all students through so-called “green” initiatives at the university. In the meantime, I respectfully ask journalists at The Statesman to research opinions offered in interviews to determine which do and which do not fit the facts.
Nat Frazer