Spring Cleanup Day recently took place on the CSI campus, where CSI Urban Policy Analyst Nora Santiago and 17 fellow students and staffers took to the task of removing trash from the campus grounds.

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“We are here today to do our semiannual campus cleanup,” said Santiago. “We have perfect weather for this event.”

It really was perfect weather for the event and everyone was really excited about cleaning up the campus. Timothy Smolka, a College Assistant for Santiago, weighed in on the event.

“I think it’s great. I think it needs to be done,” said Smolka. “Honestly this needs to be done at least once a month.”

“So, the idea is today we are going to cover Alumni Walk, getting ready for graduation,” said Santiago. “We usually do the roadways but lately they have been a lot cleaner, so instead, we are going into the inner campus to do the cleanup.”

Other students such as Maiva Bilal, who is a first-year Biology major, were really excited about this trash pickup.

“I really love this campus because I feel like it’s a way for us to give back to the Earth,” said Bilal. “It’s our responsibility as humans to be seen for our own benefit, and for the benefit of the climate, the environment, and everyone, and I just feel like it’s a good thing.”

She went on to discuss what she is hoping to get out of the cleanup in her own life.

“Well, I expect to open my eyes more and look around my environment more,” said Bilal. “And make sure I am cleaning as I go.”

As for James Perera, a junior Computer Science major, he was here for a specific reason and he also has a great respect for CSI.

“Well, I really do not like littering. I just really think it’s a disrespectful activity,” said Perera. “I just really want to give back to the campus. I feel like I have been getting great value from the campus using the facilities. I feel like this is a little thing I could do.”

Overall, the cleanup day was a success. There was minimal debris on campus, and what litter was found was gathered by the group of volunteers.

The day’s activities serve as a reminder for us all of our responsibilities to our campus and our environment. If you are having lunch outside, please be mindful of your items that may fly away and please make sure you pick that garbage up. The more we do for our campus in regard to cleaning it up, the prouder we can be of it. It will also make future Cleanup Days easier for those who work so hard to keep the campus looking beautiful.

By Vinny Masocol