SEO Head: Students concerned over lights at Byrd Stadium Answers emerge about lights at Byrd Stadium The

SSC invites asst. athletics director to weekly meeting

By Keighley Joyce Assistant Athletics Director Joshua Kaplan divulged answers at the Student Sustainability Committee meeting Oct. 14 as to why the athletics department keeps the energy-eating Byrd Stadium lights blazing after game hours. For months, the Student Sustainability Committee hankered for answers about the athletics department leaving the lights on at Byrd Stadium. In hopes of discovering an explanation, committee members requested that Assistant Athletics Director Kaplan attend one of their meetings. SSC President and sophomore environmental science and policy major Ori Gutin commenced the meeting by greeting the largest crowd this year. The meeting included 19 students and Kaplan. After introducing himself, Kaplan said that he recognized student concerns with the athletics departments sustainable efforts, but the SSC happened to be the first student group to approach him regarding the lights at Byrd Stadium. The costs Kaplan explained the departments efforts to shift to more sustainable lighting. He said that the athletics department recently completed the Pepco-funded switch from fluorescent lights to LED lights at the Comcast Center. The department also implemented controllable systems for almost all field lighting except Byrd Stadium.

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K.Joyce, Mainbar, Lights at Byrd, p.2 Installing controllable systems enables a facile way to turn field lights on and off. He said that regulating field lighting without a controllable system is a complicated process, but the cost to do it at Byrd was just too expensive. Is there any possibility of state or federal subsidies or alumni donations to fund the controllable systems at Byrd? committee member Vincent Clementi asked. Kaplan responded by saying there are no state funds for the department and all donations received go directly to student athlete scholarships. Reasons behind the lights Kaplan said besides football games, the lights are on for reasons such as security and housekeeping. There are times youll go by and youll see the stadium lights on, but I assure you its not often and its not for a purpose thats not intended, he said. Kaplan said the lights students see illuminating Byrd are not always the stadiums tower lights. We have a ton of emergency lights that light that place up like a candle, but its not those giant light towers, Kaplan says. So, you look around and youre like man, they Lights illuminate an empty Byrd Stadium. Photo by Keighley Joyce

are wasting energy right now and thats not the case.

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K.Joyce, Mainbar, Lights at Byrd, p. 3 SSC members responded with applause. This shows that sustainability is something incredibly important to the athletics department, SSC President Ori Gutin said. Kaplan said the athletics department is conscious about its environmentally friendly efforts. The department is currently working on a goal for 2014 to become more sustainable. ###

SEO Head: Athletics department strives for zero-waste Students engage in athletics departments sustainable goals
By Keighley Joyce Our goal for football next year is zero-waste, said Assistant Athletics Director Joshua Kaplan at a Student Sustainability Committee meeting Oct. 14 inside the Student Involvement Suite. Kaplan attended the SSC meeting to discuss the athletics departments budding sustainable efforts. He explained the initiatives that the athletics department has introduced, but Kaplan emphasized that its goal for the 2014 football season is to make athletic facilities zero-waste zones. To eliminate waste at athletic events in 2014, the plan includes introducing recyclable and compostable stations throughout stadiums, fields and tailgate areas. We are talking no trash cans in Byrd Stadium, Kaplan said. 2014 is our first year in the Big Ten. The Big Ten has a huge, huge sustainable effort. Mounds of trash accumulate after the Homecoming tailgate. Photo by Keighley Joyce

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K.Joyce, Sidebar, Zero waste, p. 2 The athletics department hopes to expand its sustainable efforts with its zerowaste goal. We dont take our goals lightly. We dont want it to stop with just football. We want it to be inclusive of tailgating and all athletics, Kaplan said.

This is a very difficult but attainable goal. - Joshua Kaplan, Asst.

Athletics Director

Kaplan said that the department requests student involvement to accomplish the goal. It is going to take a big education outreach and cultural change.

The SSC responded to the initiative with applause. President of the Student Sustainability Committee, Ori Gutin, said, I think this is incredible. I am very excited to hear about this. The athletics department scheduled the zero-waste initiative to appear at the spring 2014 football game. ###

SEO: The SSC to discuss semester initiatives Monday Students encouraged to attend SSC meetings
By Keighley Joyce The Student Sustainability Committee welcomes all students to join its next meeting as members discuss the committees remaining fall semester initiatives. President of the SSC, Ori Gutin, will lead the next weekly meeting by raising questions about how the SSC can improve its sustainable efforts on campus. The Student Sustainability Committee will meet Monday Oct. 28, in the Student Involvement Suite in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. Gutin encourages students interested in sustainable practices to attend. For more information on the SSC, visit http://umdsustainability.wix.com/umdssc.

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