Beautiful U Day 2004
Sustainability Forum
Washington Avenue Bridge Repainting
Celebrating the Spirit of Caring in our Community
Storm Drain Stenciling
Office for University Women Celebration & Lecture
Beautiful Classroom Custodial Challenge
Beautiful U Day Awards
Events in Conjunction with Beautiful U Day
Thank you!!!
Beautiful U Day 2004 Picture
Slideshow
Sustainability Forum,
Coffman Union President's Room
Sustainability and U: Priorities, Practices, and Plans featured
Professor Mary Guzowski speaking on sustainable architecture on
campus, Dr. Dana Donatucci on University of Minnesota waste management
practices, Dean Robert Elde on the Initiative for Renewable Energy
and the Environment and Executive Vice Provost Al Sullivan speaking
on the efforts to create a University Sustainability Policy. Dr.
David Hamilton, interim vice president for Research, moderated the
panel. There were approximately 28 attendees.
Washington Avenue
Bridge Repainting
Senior vice president and provost Christine Maziar, vice president
Kathleen O'Brien, and Goldy kicked off the event with Maziar making
the "first swipe" of paint at 10am. Sherwin-Williams Paint
Company sponsored the event by donating paint and some supplies.
Approximately 325 volunteers - students, staff, and faculty - came
to repaint the Washington Avenue Bridge exterior panels a deep and
lasting maroon. Work was completed in less than two hours, and many
volunteers were "turned away", although they did have
the chance to enjoy music by a wonderful steel drum band provided
through Spring Jam!
In the weeks before Beautiful U Day, UM Construction, under the
leadership of Tim Nelson, prepared the Bridge by replacing panels,
painting the surrounding metal, and prepping the panels for painting.
On Beautiful U Day, the professional painters, under the direction
of Tom Elton, led teams of volunteers to their panels and gave them
instruction. Stencils will be added by our professional Sign Shop
painters to finish the bridge off.
Celebrating the Spirit
of Caring in our Community, Van Cleve Park
A tree planting and dedication to honor the lives of Elizabeth
Wencl, Amanda Speckien, and Brian Heiden brought approximately 50
attendees.
The South East Como Improvement Association; the Minnesota Student
Association; the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, staff at
Van Cleve Park, the MPRB Forestry Division; the University of Minnesota
Facilities Management Landcare, and the Office of University Relations
partnered to plan and carry out this event.
President Robert H. Bruininks and several other individuals spoke
of hope, safety, and caring. After the speakers, individuals placed
commemorative ribbons on the new tree. A plaque will be placed on
a rock that will sit at the base of the tree later in the spring.
Storm Drain Stenciling,
St. Paul Student Center
 In
order to raise storm water and watershed awareness, the University
hosted a storm drain stenciling project as part of Earth Week and
Beautiful U Day.
The event was part of the president's campus beautification initiatives.
It is important to note that the entire St. Paul Campus discharges
into one point - the Sarita Wetland. With a goal of involving more
students, the Beautiful U Committee developed a design contest that
was posted in the Art Department and the College of Human Ecology.
The contest had only one parameter - the stencil must include the
term 'Sarita'. Many amazing designs were submitted and the BU Committee
selected the winning design by popular vote.
To kick off the BU Stencil Event, Scott Stulen, the artist, was
publicly recognized for his design and received the prize money.
Then, over 50 students, staff and faculty volunteered to paint his
stencil across the campus. In total, almost 240 drains were stenciled
in less than 2 hours. This event is a perfect example of the cross
disciplinary coordination between students, faculty and staff.
Now that the storm drains are stenciled, the University's public
is reminded on daily basis that the campus discharges into the Sarita
Wetland. This increased awareness will eventually translate into
water quality improvements as people pay more attention to the storm
sewers and recognize that they all discharge to a protected wetland
- Sarita.
Office
for University Women Celebration & Lecture, Coffman Union Mississippi
Room
Jane Prohaska, Executive Director of the Minnesota Land Trust,
spoke at the annual celebration of University women. The event also
included an awards ceremony honoring distinguished women scholars,
students, and staff.
Beautiful Classroom Custodial
Challenge, 125 Science Classroom Building
Two teams of four students competed for prizes. Challenge included
finding the most "deficiencies" (such as burned out bulbs,
broken clock, etc.), cleaning chalkboards, and removing dirt from
the backs of chairs. This campaign was launched to educate students
on keeping classrooms clean and also as a recognition program for
custodians for their roles in creating comfortable, clean and well
maintained classroom environments.
The challenge was led by Facilities Management staffers Ruthann
Manlet, Richard Flemmons, and Marvina Sanders. The audience consisted
of several competitors and several staff members from Facilities
Management.
Beautiful U Day Awards,
325 Science Classroom Building
Awards were given out to the winners of the Custodial Challenge
by president Bruininks. Then vice president O'Brien, Steve Fitzgerald
(director of Classroom Management) and associate vice president
Steve Spehn gave out the following awards for beautification efforts
on campus:
Beautiful Classroom Award:
A partnership between Beautiful U Day and the Office of Classroom
Management, begun in 2003, will continue with this honor for the
custodial staff member or team that provides University of Minnesota
students with classrooms that are clean and ready for use every
day. Awarded in 2004 to Ford Hall (Building and Grounds workers
Jack Ciupik, Bruce Uphus, and Greg Wessels).
Beautiful Building Award:
Beautiful U Day continues the tradition of honoring those that
keep our campus beautiful by inaugurating the Beautiful Building
Award. Custodians are nominated by building contacts across campus,
and winners are selected by the Associate Vice President for Facilities
Management. Awarded in 2004 to Child Development (Richard Flemmons
and Dexter Williams).
Events in Conjunction
with Beautiful U Day
Great Conversations, April 13
A conversation with Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
of Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, and Professor
G. David Tilman from Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. A nearly packed
house at Ted Mann Auditorium for this event.
Reuse Center Auction, April 29, May 3
and 4
Live, online auction of some of the best items available through
the Reuse Center. The first day of the Auction went very well, according
to Reuse Center coordinator Pete O'Keefe. For more information:
http://www1.umn.edu/reuse/.
Inauguration of landscaping at Ralph Rapson
Hall, April 28
A reception and exhibition opening celebrating the new landscaping
plans for Ralph Rapson Hall. Nicely attended (approximately 35 individuals).
Unitree Program (ongoing)
Later in the spring, additional trees will be planted on campus
and in the adjoining communities through the Unitree program.
Campus Cleanout, began April 23
A late entry to Beautiful U Day 2004, this process has just began
in April and is ongoing.
Thank You
The 2004 Beautiful U Day was a great success. We had hundreds of
volunteers turn out to paint the Washington Avenue Bridge (in record
time!) and stencil storm drains on the St. Paul campus. Hundreds
more took part in the forum, "Sustainability and U: Priorities,
Practices, and Plans," the custodial challenge, and the Beautiful
U Day Awards. We were pleased to have many in attendance as we planted
a tree in Van Cleve Park to honor the lives of Elizabeth Wencl,
Amanda Speckien, and Brian Heiden, three students whose lives were
taken in a house fire last fall.
Over the next month, we'll be reviewing our work in 2004 and making
plans for the future. Your comments are needed! If you have suggestions,
ideas, or concerns about Beautiful U Day, please e-mail them to
buday@umn.edu.
We will also be naming the Beautiful U Day 2005 Committee in June.
If you are interested in planning our next Beautiful U Day, please
let us know at buday@umn.edu
by May 18, 2004. All interested parties should state, in 1-5 sentences,
why you are interested in the Beautiful U Day Committee. For students,
submit your name, major (if declared), year in school, email address
and your summer address. For staff and faculty, submit your name,
position, department, email address, campus address, and phone number.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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