UVUSA is enthusiastic about the progress that has been made thus far with recycling at UVU. Our efforts to make the campus more environmentally friendly have been widely supported. We appreciate the constant support that we receive from the administration and most importantly our fellow students.

However, we are also keenly aware that there is more that can be done in order to have a greener campus. Erica LeMaster, a writer for the UVU Review, also understands that we have more to do and wrote an exceptional article in the Sep. 7 edition entitled “Blue bins not green enough.” She gave an informative and well thought-out alternative to the wasted paper towels in our bathrooms and demonstrated how switching to air dryers could save money in the long run.

To clarify slightly on some of the statistics given: UVUSA, despite our unwavering commitment, did not invest $15,000 into the recycling program. The investment came from student tuition, which shows the importance that our administration puts on the recycling initiative.

We did, on the other hand, use approximately $1,500 to purchase 250 large white recycling stickers to label and help distinguish the new recycling bins throughout campus. With regard to UVUSA’s efforts to provide recycling options, Erica states that “it has come this far but it cannot stop here.” UVUSA would like to echo Erica’s comment: it cannot stop here.

These are truly the beginning movements of a large effort to have a more environmentally friendly campus. UVUSA calls on all students to share with us your ideas, comments or suggestions to make our campus greener. Come visit us in SC 105 or email our student body president at TrevorT@uvu.edu. Working together we can make a difference.

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I may be talking to the student body president but by the way he constantly drums his fingers on his desk, you’d think he was the nervous one. Trevor Tooke reaches into his drawer and displays two drumsticks, explaining that he has a pair in his desk at all times. “I used to be in a band called Lightning Fry,” he laughs.

Tooke’s hands are in the constant motion and service, whether he’s drumming or shaking several pairs of hands at board meetings. He spent the summer, for example, helping build orphanages in Tailand with a UVU chapter of the humanitarian group Youth Link. He got to ride elephants, too – but the ride was pretty rough. “I hate elephants – and I hate math.” But he’s open to just about anything else and is willing to discuss new ideas. He tells me he’s on his way to a meeting to discuss making spring and fall breaks five days long instead of only three. He’s fairly confident he’ll be convincing, even if this is not the first time he’s presented the idea.

And that’s part of what makes Tooke a student body president to be respected. He loves to meet new people and he’ll fight long and hard for the causes students come to him with. “I love talking to people and hearing their stories. It’s great because I can get on their level and we can find something to talk about and eventually, I find something admirable. Take Nascar. I can’t stand Nascar races, but I really love people who take that stuff seriously! It shows dedication.”

Perhaps this is also part of what makes Tooke a president to be respected: even if there’s something he personally doesn’t like or agree with, you can trust he will always respect you, too.

Just make sure you don’t play twangy country music near him.

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