Biology freshman Jonah Thibault learned how to garden from his father, who grew tomatoes and squash.
That knowledge inspired him to volunteer April 21 at a flower-planting event hosted by the Student Government Association.
“I just wanted to find ways to give back to the community and campus that helped support my education,” said Thibault, a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.
Despite the radiating heat from the sun and temperatures that reached 80 degrees, students worked voluntarily alongside staff members from Facility Services Management for about two hours raking mulch and bending down to dig holes in the ground to plant hot pink and white-and-red vinca flowers.
“The intent was not only to plant the flowers for improving campus life, but also to ensure a pretty and vibrant background for graduation pictures,” said Janet Zulu, graduate student and vice president of SGA.
Zulu said SGA pitched the idea as part of an initiative and quickly gained approval from university officials, as they want to endorse student responsibility.
Facility Services Management provided the flowers and supplies, including rakes, gloves, shovels, trowels and mulch, while SGA worked to promote the event to students.
SGA informed organizations such as Delta Chi, the Honor Society and the Texas Leadership Scholarship Program in advance of the event to attract more volunteers, said Zulu.
All students were welcome to join, regardless of their gardening experience. About 15 students participated, including Thibault. Wearing a black shirt and white shorts with tennis shoes, he planted vincas near the entrance to the Central Academic Building.
Criminal justice freshman Jasmine Silva, an honor society member, said she knew very little about gardening before participating in the event, but found the learning process to be easy.
Facility Services presented a brief tutorial and instructions to the volunteers on the gardening process.
Groups worked in sections assigned to them. A staff member from Facility Services Management led and supervised each group.
A few setbacks occurred, such as losing a few flowers and forgetting to bring water for the volunteers, but both problems were resolved quickly. Facility Services provided extra flowers, and Zulu obtained bottled water from various departments.
All participants took a brief break and grabbed snacks from the Office of Student Leadership.
Ultimately, the volunteers’ hard work paid off as the groups planted flowers in at least five different zones across campus, designated by Facility Services, which has assigned zones each season for planting. The zones included areas near the front entrance of CAB, Patriots’ Casa, Classroom Hall and next to the quatrefoil fountain at the campus entrance.
The event is not the first time SGA has worked with staff members from Facility Services. Zulu said a few weeks ago that SGA assisted the staff in mulching and cleaning up around campus.
Zulu said, “They truly appreciate students who have an interest in the work they do,” Zulu said.
Zulu said both she and other students have cherished the experiences they had with Facility Services staff members, as it allowed them to form a bond and understand the work it takes to maintain the campus.
This sentiment was reciprocated by the Facility Services staff members, as they personally thanked the students who volunteered for the event.
Zulu said she hopes that the students who volunteered will continue to contribute to creating a more sustainable environment.
“I hope students keep working to keep our campus beautiful and also the earth beautiful,” Zulu said. “I think initiatives like this definitely kind of push that. We had students who were just walking by, and they asked if they could help, which was like, ‘absolutely.’ We’re gauging that interest as well. We had students who had never touched flowers, mulch or a rake before. But now they are doing it and becoming so confident in that.”
This is the second year that SGA has hosted this type of event. SGA plans to continue the event annually.
