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Friday, March 29, 2024

Sustainability Committee plans for possible environmental studies course requirement

The Associated Students of Madison Sustainability Committee evaluated its efforts to introduce a campus-wide sustainability credit requirement Tuesday after its proposed agenda was met with some faculty criticism.

The campaign, which has been spearheaded by ASM intern Harrison Chalnick and Sustainability Committee Chair Jonny Vannucci, currently lacks the support of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, which Vannucci said would be valuable to the program going forward.

According to a leader from the Nelson Institute, the Sustainability Committee will need to create clearer parameters for the course requirement as well as generate a stronger definition of “sustainability” before they consider supporting the campaign.

“We need to define what we want so that people will understand what we’re talking about,” Chalnick said.

While the credit requirement lacks initial faculty support, members of the committee discussed the impact that any environmental studies course could have on the student body.

“When I took an environmental studies course my freshman year, it opened my eyes up to the environmental side of everything,” said Katie Piel, the committee’s vice chair. “I think that all students should have this perspective.”

If the idea does gain momentum, implementing the program will still be a several-year process, requiring cooperation from all levels of the administration.

“It’s a really long-term goal we have,” Vannucci said.

Similar to the ethnic studies course requirement, the sustainability credit would be offered as an extension to courses already taught and be available over a wide range of perspectives and subjects.

“We need to look at these problems, figure out what we should do and why we shouldn’t feel powerless,” Chalnick said. “It’s not political. This is something that is affecting our grandchildren, their children and even our own futures.”

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