Freshman Class President Jonathan Allen walked out of his room on a recent Sunday evening wondering why so much trash was on the ground. Allen decided to pick up the mess left behind by students. Students complained that facilities should put trash and recycle bins near the dorms so students wouldn’t throw trash the grounds.
“It is very important for us to keep our living areas clean. Students must realize that the campus is experiencing extreme budget cuts and we the students can take the initiative to make a difference,” said Allen.
“If students would pick up behind themselves, it would be a lot easier on the facility workers and I challenge all students to come out and clean up.”
Allen also mentioned that his campaign platform is “Keeping Freshman Village Clean.”
With the help of other freshmen, he said he hopes all students are inspired and will make a difference at Grambling.
Jonathan Williams, a freshman from Plain Dealing, stated, “I feel that it is very important to keep Grambling clean out of respect for the visitors and alumni.”
Allen and Miss Freshman Village, Cassey Wells, spearheaded the endeavor with about 15 other freshmen. Students donated trash bags and rubber gloves to support the cause.
They cleaned in front of Tiger Village buildings 600, 700, and 800 . It took them about 45 minutes.
There was trash piled high in front of the nearby dumpsters, which was a different story. The trash piled in front of the dumpsters exceeded 10 feet from the base of the dumpster to the wooden double doors that protected the area.
It was like a mountain of bagged trash, soiled boxes, a large dorm refrigerator, and broken luggage bags filled with unwanted items. The trash appeared to have accumulated there for a long period of time.
After completing the cleaning, Allen gave an informal speech to the students who sat on the brick wall in front of building 700 and said that students should become more involved.
Dr. Rory Bedford, director of Service Learning, and Allen had a brief meeting in regards to the students who helped out, the following morning.
Allen’s goal is to continue this cleanup for the rest of this semester. He is trying to provide 20 service hours to all students who participated.
Allen said he would like to thank all students who came out to participate and for all their support.