USF has been around for 56 years, and a lot of us have been around for a number of them. Even if we didn’t go there, we were aware of “Drive-Thru U,” “Bottle Cap U” and “Sand Spur U.” Its buildings had the architectural charm of Soviet apartment complexes. Campus landscaping was an oxymoron. Drive by the front entrance on Fowler Avenue back in the day–and it gave industrial park a bad name.
Now fast forward a few decades from then. The greening of USF is more than an idealist slogan, let alone a viable goal. It’s an ongoing reality.
We know about USF’s economic impact, sponsored research, patents and regional proactivity. We know that it hosts presidential debates and is a major player on the national sports scene. But it also looks like a campus–not just an economic engine.
If you haven’t been on this campus recently–even the last decade–you need to go see it first-hand. What used to be Henderson Air Field is now one of six universities selected by the Arbor Day Foundation to host tree plantings this spring. That has nothing to do with being in the Big East or being among the 10 biggest universities in the country. Advocacy for the environment is obvious.
Just last week staff members joined with a sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) and a fraternity (Alpha Phi Alpha) to plant 300 live oaks and cypress trees on campus. It was part of a USF initiative to plant a total of 1,000 trees.
So at a time when we’re more likely to see students rallying against tuition hikes or in support of a basketball run in the NCAA tournament, how inspiring to see them taking one for Team Green Legacy.
No, this is not your parents’ USF anymore. In fact, they might be green with envy.
Go, Bulls.