SEO Head: Students concerned over lights at Byrd Stadium

Answers emerge about lights at Byrd StadiumThe SSC invites asst. athletics director to weekly meetingBy Keighley Joyce

Assistant Athletics Director Joshua Kaplan divulged answers at the Student

Sustainability Committee meeting Oct. 14 as to why the athletics department keeps the

energy-eating Byrd Stadium lights blazing after game hours.

For months, the Student Sustainability Committee hankered for answers about the

athletics department leaving the lights on at Byrd Stadium. In hopes of discovering an

explanation, committee members requested that Assistant Athletics Director Kaplan

attend one of their meetings.

SSC President and sophomore environmental science and policy major Ori Gutin

commenced the meeting by greeting the “largest crowd this year.” The meeting included

19 students and Kaplan.

After introducing himself, Kaplan said that he recognized student concerns with

the athletics department’s sustainable efforts, but the SSC happened to be the first student

group to approach him regarding the lights at Byrd Stadium.

The costs

Kaplan explained the department’s efforts to shift to more sustainable lighting. He

said that the athletics department recently completed the Pepco-funded switch from

fluorescent lights to LED lights at the Comcast Center. The department also implemented

controllable systems for almost all field lighting except Byrd Stadium.

(more)

K.Joyce, Mainbar, Lights at Byrd, p.2

Installing controllable systems enables a facile way to turn field lights on and off.

He said that regulating field lighting without a controllable system is a complicated

process, but “the cost to do it at Byrd was just too expensive.”

“Is there any possibility of state or federal subsidies or alumni donations to fund

the controllable systems at Byrd?” committee member Vincent Clementi asked. Kaplan

responded by saying there are no state funds for the department and all donations

received go directly to student athlete scholarships.

Reasons behind the lights

Kaplan said besides football games, the lights are on for reasons such as security

and housekeeping. “There are times you’ll go by and you’ll see the stadium lights on, but

I assure you it’s not often and it’s not for a purpose that’s not intended,” he said.

Kaplan said the lights students

see illuminating Byrd are not always the

stadium’s tower lights. “We have a ton

of emergency lights that light that place

up like a candle, but it’s not those giant

light towers,” Kaplan says. “So, you

look around and you’re like ‘man, they

are wasting energy right now’ and that’s not the case.”

(more)

Lights illuminate an empty Byrd Stadium.Photo by Keighley Joyce

K.Joyce, Mainbar, Lights at Byrd, p. 3

SSC members responded with applause.

“This shows that sustainability is something incredibly important to the athletics

department,” SSC President Ori Gutin said.

Kaplan said the athletics department is “conscious” about its environmentally

friendly efforts. The department is currently working on a goal for 2014 to become more

sustainable.

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SEO Head: Athletics department strives for zero-waste

Students engage in athletics department’s sustainable goalsBy Keighley Joyce

“Our goal for football next year is zero-waste,” said Assistant Athletics Director

Joshua Kaplan at a Student Sustainability Committee meeting Oct. 14 inside the Student

Involvement Suite.

Kaplan attended the SSC meeting to discuss the athletics department’s budding

sustainable efforts. He explained the initiatives that the athletics department has

introduced, but Kaplan emphasized that

its goal for the 2014 football season is to

make athletic facilities zero-waste zones.

To eliminate waste at athletic

events in 2014, the plan includes

introducing recyclable and compostable

stations throughout stadiums, fields and

tailgate areas. “We are talking no trash

cans in Byrd Stadium,” Kaplan said.

“2014 is our first year in the Big Ten. The Big Ten has a huge, huge sustainable

effort.”

Mounds of trash accumulate after the Homecoming tailgate.

Photo by Keighley Joyce

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K.Joyce, Sidebar, Zero waste, p. 2

The athletics department hopes to expand its sustainable efforts with its zero-

waste goal. “We don’t take our goals lightly. We don’t want it to stop with just football.

We want it to be inclusive of tailgating and all athletics,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan said that the department requests student

involvement to accomplish the goal. “It is going to take

a big education outreach and cultural change.”

The SSC responded to the initiative with

applause.

President of the Student Sustainability Committee, Ori Gutin, said, “I think this is

incredible. I am very excited to hear about this.”

The athletics department scheduled the zero-waste initiative to appear at the

spring 2014 football game.

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“This is a very difficult but attainable goal.”

- Joshua Kaplan, Asst. Athletics Director

SEO: The SSC to discuss semester initiatives Monday

Students encouraged to attend SSC meetingsBy Keighley Joyce

The Student Sustainability Committee welcomes all students to join its next

meeting as members discuss the committee’s remaining fall semester initiatives.

President of the SSC, Ori Gutin, will lead the next weekly meeting by raising

questions about how the SSC can improve its sustainable efforts on campus.

The Student Sustainability Committee will meet Monday Oct. 28, in the Student

Involvement Suite in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. Gutin encourages students

interested in sustainable practices to attend. For more information on the SSC, visit

http://umdsustainability.wix.com/umdssc.

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