Students try for tree hug record
By GEREMY CARNES
News Writer
"If you can't hug a tree, what can you hug?" a student outside North Dining Hall asked Monday evening. At least 33 Notre Dame students proved that they shared his sentiments when they joined in what they hope will be declared the world's largest tree hug.
The record-setting tree hug was a kick-off for a series of Earth Week events designed to promote environmental awareness on campus, sponsored by Notre Dame Students for Environmental Action (NDSEA).
At 6 p.m. Monday evening, students gathered outside North Dining Hall around the NDSEA banner, which bore the phrase, "Making a world of difference right here under the Golden Dome." Members of NDSEA solicited students on their way to the dining hall to participate in the tree hug.
The students surrounded a tree on North Quad and held hands for a moment before rushing forward to hug the tree. A few more students who were passing by joined the hug when they realized what was happening. The final count for the hug was 33 students.
"[The largest tree hug] doesn't exist in the Guinness Book of World Records (GBWR) right now," said Kevin Allen, secretary for NDSEA. "We'll send it in to [GBWR] and tell them how it fits into [the environmental] section of the book."
Jennifer Slavick, an NDSEA member, explained how the organization came up with the idea for the tree hug. "We were just trying to think up ideas for [Earth Week]," she said. "Someone came up with the idea, somewhat jokingly, to set a record for hugging a tree. We researched it and found out none existed, so we decided to try it."
While the group is hopeful that GBWR will accept the record, the record was not the main purpose of the tree hug. "[The tree hug] is just to increase environmental awareness on campus," Slavick said.
Other participants shared Slavick's view that spreading environmental awareness among Notre Dame students is important and necessary.
"I think Notre Dame students are aware of some of the bigger [environmental] issues, but there are smaller issues to deal with on campus," said Paul Quinlan, an environmental science major who joined the hug.
"Everyone thinks everyone else is doing something instead of doing something themselves," said Alan Mackiewicz, another participant.
"There's not really an awareness of a lot of the big issues facing Congress right now," said NDSEA co-president Kathi Jo Jankowski. Erich Eschmann, NDSEA's other co-president, said that the rest of the events that NDSEA is sponsoring this week have an "educational purpose" and are intended to boost environmental awareness on campus.
Lectures will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Montgomery Theatre in LaFortune. Topics will include the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage site proposal and global climate change. On Wednesday at 4:45 p.m., Father Theodore Hesburgh will preside over the annual Earth Day mass in the Grotto.
Saturday is the Earth Day Celebration from noon to 5 p.m. on the Fieldhouse Mall. "There are going to be all sorts of environmental organizations there, both campus-wide and community-wide," said Eschmann. "We want to celebrate the community and all the different people who are helping the environment," said Jankowski.
The event will feature live bands and free tie-dying. Reusable Grab `n' Go bags will be sold for $3 each.
All News Stories for Tuesday, April 23, 2002
