For three weeks, debate and personal grievances have plagued Oswego State’s Student Association before senators voted down a proposed resolution focusing on sustainability in dining hall facilities on campus.
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Omar van Reenen, with the collaboration of resident dining hall environment activist and teacher Lucas Grove, introduced Plastic Action for Commitment to Sustainability Affirmation, a resolution that addressed the increased use of plastic cups in Auxiliary Services dining locations.
The resolution was submitted by Senator Catherine Millington and was sponsored by 179 student and staff members at Oswego State.
“The Student Association answers calls to the students’ concerns. The use of plastic cups had been brought forward by the students; senators represent the students,” van Reenen said.
Over the summer, dining halls introduced iced coffee to their facilities along with opaque plastic cups, which are made from a different type of plastic than the plastic cups that have been used in Auxiliary Services’ retail facilities, such as Mackin Dining Hall. These plastic cups are placed next to the fountain drinks and the iced coffee dispenser.
“Being in the customer service business, when we decided to add iced coffee, our management team thought that it would be a wise idea to have something more suitable for a cold beverage,” said Ruth Stevens, director of residential dining at Auxiliary Services.
PACSA was created with the intention of asking Auxiliary Services to first move these plastic cups next to the paper cups used for hot drinks and taking drinks or snacks out of the dining halls. This solution would have lasted for the rest of the semester had the resolution been passed.
“There was no issue with not having these plastic cups before, so there is no reason that there should be now,” said Ian White, a sophomore who spoke during public comment two weeks ago. “I think the best solution is to quit cold-turkey.”
The resolution also called for an increase in restrictions of allowing students to use plastic cups while in the dining hall and then for next semester, to abolish the purchase of them from the dining halls.
“On September 15, 2007, President Deborah F. Stanley signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to demonstrate both regional and national sustainability leadership by modeling our campus as an example of ways society can reduce their carbon footprint,” according to Oswego State’s sustainability webpage. “In signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, SUNY Oswego has pledged to becoming climate neutral by the year 2050.”
The resolution addressed this as one of the reasons of its proposal to decrease the use of plastic cups in the dining halls. In addition, the opaque plastic cups being used in the dining halls are made of a polymer called polystyrene, and the clear, heavier duty plastic cups in the retail facilities are made of polyethylene terephthalate, or more commonly called, PET, according to Stevens. PET is more recyclable than polystyrene.
“So we really had to work to get recyclable plastic cups through Auxiliary Services, and that took us two years to convince them to use something that is recyclable,” said Jaime Adams, program coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “I have no idea why in the dining halls they have these lower-quality, sort of flimsy cups, but basically, with that type of plastic [polystyrene], it’s end of life, so this type of plastic has gone through a couple of recyclable cycles, and it’s so lightweight and so low-quality that it just cannot really be recycled.”
Polystyrene is type six in the Resin Identification Code, and PET is type one. There are seven types that identify which plastic resin the product is made of. The number can be found in the middle of the recycling triangle symbol.
“We do recycle types one through seven in this county. It’s all single stream, so they just throw it in with all the other recyclables,” said Mike Lotito, sustainability engineer coordinator. “It’s been that way for a long time. So using any products that aren’t recyclable is kind of silly.”
van Reenen introduced the resolution to SA Oct. 24, and it was tabled to be discussed the following Tuesday. Afterward, van Reenen and others assembled the Student Sustainability Survey for students to take and sent to residence hall councils. It was posted by van Reenen on a Facebook group page, SUNY Oswego Accepted Students: Class of 2020, along with the page for class of 2021 accepted students. van Reenen said he focused the survey on students living in Funnelle and Hart halls because Cooper Dining Hall is connected to both.
“It’s not like we excluded anyone else. Whoever the survey got to, it got to them,” van Reenen said. “Yes, I live in Funnelle, so it was easier for me to be like ‘Hey, go on the Facebook page and click on the link.’ I think if I had another week, I could have gotten more people.”
Some senators were concerned that, of the 103 responses, 72 students were from Funnelle and Hart halls, and thought the survey was inaccurate in that it was a convenience sample rather than a simple random sample. This meant the surveys were only taken by those who were easiest for the surveyor to reach, and therefore, did not accurately represent the whole of the student body.
According to that survey, in Appendix G of the PACSA resolution, 84.5 percent of students surveyed believed the use of the plastic cups in the dining halls is an environmental concern.
“We have 4,300 students on campus. They should have a voice and be heard, and I’m not sure that surveying 100 students is the proper proportion,” Stevens said.
In the same Facebook post, van Reenen included a list of senators and which buildings they live in so constituents could contact them with any questions or concerns about issues on campus.
“Now the Senators who represent YOUR voices said: ‘plastic cups are easier to burn, thus takes less energy and contributes to an increase in energy output,” van Reenen said in the same Facebook post.
During the Oct. 31 SA meeting, some senators, such as Connor Douglass and Ashley Sewer, expressed concern about asking consent before including a senator’s name for privacy sake. Other SA members, such as Connor Breese, disagreed with those who argued for privacy.
“You are public servants. Your information should be public knowledge,” Breese said. “If you do not want to share your information to the public, then you represent no one but yourself. You are being held accountable to the people to reach out to.”
During the SA meeting on Tuesday, 21 students attended to speak during public comment in support of the resolution. In addition, Michael Flaherty, general manager of Auxiliary Services, spoke his side of the argument, saying he was not “married” to the polystyrene cup and that he would be willing to change it should someone tell him of a possible alternative.
“Saying that it’s service related when [Flaherty] said that customers matter, but all the customers are sitting right in front of you, telling you that they don’t want this plastic cup and just ignoring them because of hypothetical customers is really silly,” said Ceseley Mulligan, graphic design intern for the Office of Sustainability.
SA President Dalton Bisson expressed his disappointment in how senators allowed their own personal vendettas to plague SA. He told SA members that the association must clearly define their own views and the views of their constituents and act in favor of their constituents.
“I think, initially, some people got personal; a senator actually admitted last night [Tuesday] that he initially let it get personal. I know a few other individuals who also felt that way who turned around and actually supported the resolution,” Bisson said.
Though the resolution was voted down, a new SA committee will be planned and executed to focus on tackling the sustainability issue in dining halls and stick to Oswego State’s commitment to leaving a smaller carbon footprint.
Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian
