By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff writer
Look, we can all joke about the fact that the SFU campus may literally be one of the most damaged and maintenance-prone places, with boarded doors and safety tape galore. But, to some degree, the responsibility of keeping our community clean falls into our hands. When I came to university, I thought people would be more attentive to keeping spaces tidy as we developed more skills and knowledge. Yet, my expectations have been nothing but undermined with the ridiculous and flat-out gross things I’ve seen around campus. One example I can’t ever forget was during one summer, I was sitting in the Images Theater and looked beneath my seat to find a half-empty pink drink from Starbucks that had grown new life with various mould spores. What is university even about…?
Litter isn’t just an eyesore, it also contributes to pollution and disrupts local ecosystems. Garbage left around campus can be blown into green spaces and water systems that surround the school, especially forested areas harbouring wildlife. Not to mention the koi pond, which per my own sightings, has had chairs, safety cones, and other random debris end up lodged inside when it gets frozen over. For example, cigarette buds left on the ground and improperly disposed of can then produce leachate — a liquid pollutant consisting of water that’s been seeped through litter. This introduces harmful substances to the environment, endangering plants, soil, and animals that rely on these spaces to live and thrive. We are also exposed to microplastics “through direct ingestion, direct contact, and inhalation,” which can affect all our bodily functions and cause damage to living cells from chemical toxicity. Additionally, improperly discarded waste, such as plastic and food packaging can take years to decompose, further exacerbating environmental damage.
“With all the stressors that already exist in a university and academic setting, why reinforce it with the physical surroundings that you have control over?”
It’s also just disrespectful — for example, The Peak received a tip about recent littering of beer cans and garbage around the AQ courtyard and Terry Fox statue (pictured). Even the scarf, which seems like a nice touch at first, will only be weathered and turned to trash if left behind. This is not only disrespectful to the legacy of the athlete and cancer research activist, but disregard for what is supposed to be a communal space for everyone to enjoy. Leaving trash behind forces others to deal with it, whether it’s maintenance staff or fellow students. It creates an unfair burden and diminishes the quality of shared spaces. Everyone has a responsibility to keep the campus clean, ensuring that it remains a welcoming and pleasant place for all who study, work, and visit. Speaking of maintenance workers, this habit is especially pressing in light of the recent reduction in cleaning services by SFU. The Contract Worker Justice organization’s various rallies are advocating for SFU to hire these workers as in-house staff and not contract them through third-party companies like Best Service Pros and Chartwells Canada.
A messy campus gives the impression that students and staff don’t care about their environment. When visitors see litter and unkempt areas, it alters the perception of respect and responsibility within the SFU community. As well, visibly littered areas mean people are more likely to add to the mess, creating a cycle of neglect. A study from California State University states that “locations with more litter were associated with a higher littering rate.” A clean campus encourages everyone to be more mindful of their surroundings. Personally, when faced with an untidy environment, whether it be a room or a campus space, it stresses me out. With all the stressors that already exist in a university and academic setting, why reinforce it with the physical surroundings that you have control over?
If you see someone littering, call it out; if you have litter that you cannot comfortably dispose of where you are, hold on to it until you can; and, advocate with Contract Workers Justice to encourage SFU to hire maintenance workers around campus under in-house contracts to ensure fairness as well as improved and more frequent servicing. By instilling the practice of leaving a place better than you found it, others will be more likely to do the same!
