Hey Guys

Hi all! I hope everyone is holding up well during these last couple of hectic weeks at school. Anyways, here's a piece Kathy asked that I post, its on our group project on Earth Day.

Student-Led Event Makes Heads Turn

If you happen to walk through Washington Square Park you might still witness the remnants of an Earth Day event that left the square decorated with a collage of colorful footprints of all shapes and sizes. The footprints were a result of the efforts of a group of 15 undergraduate students currently taking a class concentrated on political journalism and activism at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. The “NYU Blackout” campaign created and managed completely by the students was an attempt to get NYU faculty and students to turn off the lights of their classrooms for the day. The result was greater awareness of environmental issues and energy preservation throughout the NYU community. The students formed a two-pronged strategy where they both asked individuals to make a pledge on how they would reduce their carbon footprints as well as a “Blackout Squad” that would go around each of the buildings trying to urge students and teachers to “shut their lights off!”
The course titled “Political Journalism and Activism” meets twice a week and throughout the semester students have continuously discussed topics including what constitutes good journalism and how to use media in order to move people to act. The group project was a component of the course requirements but it was completely up to the students to determine what, where, and how they were going to proceed. Collectively, the class decided that Earth Day would be a great opportunity to create an event that would enable them to get their hands dirty.
On Tuesday morning, students met together to tape posters they had created out of recycled newspapers and cardboard boxes throughout many of the university buildings. The main event took place in Washing Square Park during the afternoon. Some of the students stood in the park, armed with chalk, asking passersby to trace their carbon footprints and make pledges to help reduce them. Another group of students ran throughout the NYU buildings shutting classroom lights off, sometimes without the permission of professors.
In hindsight, the students have been motivated by the results of their efforts. “It is unbelievable what we were able to accomplish in such a short period of time,” Joel, one of the students, emphasized. With one week of planning, two in-person meetings and the rest coordinated through a classroom blog, the students were able to gain the support of not only friends but a number of students, faculty members, and other members of the community. Some of the anecdotes include John Sexton’s, the president of the university, coming in to a meeting a shutting off the lights, saying, “I’m sorry but this is what we have been asked to do” to having about fifty “chalk-prints” on the Washington Square Park’s pavement, including one in French. The student press team was also able to get an interview for one of the students on WCBS Newsradio 880, the flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network and CBS News.
The event was not only an accomplishment on the level of environmental awareness but also on the level of activism. With little money or time the students were able to work together and bring their thoughts to action. These students were able to make an example of other students and young adults who day in and day out are changing the way this country works and have taken one step closer to disavow the commonly held perception of apathetic youth.