Aimee Caligiore

Action Assessment

PCA 312A

2 May. 2013.

OVERVIEW

At the beginning of the semester, I was excited to embark upon the possibility of creating change on campus, and making a lasting impression on the St. Lawrence community I have immersed myself in during these four years. Choosing to give back to the golf course staff was an easy decision due to my immense amount of time spent in that area on campus. I also chose to focus on the Avenue of the Elms because of its close proximity to the golf course, and the lack of garbage cans present in the winter. Also, after completing my educational project last semester, I noticed the avenue as being a significant host for trash on campus.

When my project began, the faculty involvement and support I had for my project was very exciting. I was surprised at how quickly my project was moving, and the level of acceptance I had from all those involved. The majority of my meetings and contacts were made before the golf course opened in April, so I would be able to implement the recycling containers as soon as possible. I had met with the Facilities Manager in February in hopes to have a garbage can outside during the remaining winter months. My proposed action for the garbage can was accepted in February, and I was told it would be ordered days after the meeting took place. Over a month had passed, and there was no garbage can as promised.

During this one month period, I was making numerous attempts to speak with Jim Hennessey who is the Superintendent at the golf course. One of the weeks within this month was our spring break. During this week I was in Arizona with the golf team where there was a three hour time difference. With our practice schedule, I was unable to speak with him during that entire week, which pushed back our communication. We both left multiple voicemails for each other starting February 22nd, until finally speaking on March 18th.

When I did not see the garbage can on the avenue, I chose to email the Facilities Manager to see if it was still possible for this to happen. After almost a week, I did not receive a response and chose to call his cell phone. He did not answer and I left a voicemail to set up a meeting time. At this point I was not only asking about the garbage can, but also leftover cans to be used as recycling containers on the golf course as recommended by Hennessey. Unfortunately, contact was never made and my project was unable to materialize.

LIST OF ACTIONS

1/22/13 - I met Assistant Golf Coach, Craig Siddon at the indoor golf center to get feedback on my idea for the golf course to instill more recycling containers.
1/30/13 - I spoke to Head Golf Coach, Mary Lawrence about my idea and she agreed in it being a positive change for the campus and local community. She was hesitant about putting multiple containers out, but thought I should start with trying to place four containers with one at each water station.
2/10/13 - My first email was sent to Facilities Manager, Marcus Sherburne to discuss a garbage can on the Avenue of the Elms.
2/13/13 - After not hearing from Marcus, my coach emailed him on my behalf to prove the seriousness of my project.
2/21/13 - I met with Marcus Sherburne on the possibility of adding a garbage can on the Avenue of the Elms at the campus end.
2/22/13 - My initial phone call to Golf Course Superintendent, Jim Hennessey to discuss recycling containers placed at four locations on the golf course.
3/18/13 - I spoke to Golf Course Superintendent, Jim Hennessey after many attempts to reach him by phone. Due to his schedule in the off-season, he was rarely in his office and he did not have an email address where I could reach him.
3/25/13 - I asked my coach her thoughts on using re-usable cans from the facilities department and she agreed that would be the best choice since the golf course most likely did not have the money to purchase new containers. She suggested I speak to Sherburne as well in regards to finding re-usable containers.
4/6/13 - My first follow-up email with Marcus to ask about the status of having a garbage can placed at the beginning of the Avenue of the Elms.
4/25/13 - I called Marcus Sherburne (315-323-2419) and left a voicemail regarding my email and asking to set up a meeting time to discuss the possibility of using old cans from facilities for recycling containers on the golf course.

DOCUMENTATION

Initial email to Facilities Manager Marcus Sherburne 2/10/13:

Hi Mr. Sherburne,

I'm starting a semester-long class project that involves putting recycling cans on the golf course and also placing some garbage cans on the avenue of the elms in the winter. Because the golf course trash cans are removed for the winter, there is no place to dispose garbage.

I spoke to my coach, Mary Lawrence, about placing the recycling cans on the course and she has approved it. She suggested I speak to you about the potential for garbage cans on the avenue of the elms. Do you think this would be possible? I understand it creates more work for you. I've just noticed a great deal of garbage in that area, and would like to keep it clean like the rest of campus.

Any suggestions or ideas that you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Aimee Caligiore

My interview with Marcus on 2/21/13:

He disclosed the price of the campus garbage cans, and knew the department would be unable to afford buying the same style. He did say he would be able to order a different style at a lesser price, and would be ordering one within a week. Emptying the garbage can would take place every Sunday. We also talked about my plans for putting in recycling containers on the golf course. He said it would be a great idea, especially if our competing schools are doing it, or we could be the first school to implement it.

My phone interview with Jim Hennessey on 3/18/13:

He explained to me how the recycled materials are currently being used. His staff keeps 75% of the cash earned from redeeming cans and bottles, and the remaining 25% goes to buying new tools and equipment for the maintenance crew. He suggested I talk to Sherburne to see if there are leftover cans because the golf course most likely does not have the money. It would be a help to not have to sort through as much trash to collect cans and bottles, but would need my assistance in emptying them when I go to practice and until I graduate. This would be used a trial run to see how the new containers work, and whether it would be worth maintaining after I graduate.

Email conversations:

PROJECT GUIDELINES RATING

__10____Community Based. What did you do to ensure that your issue, plan, and action reflected community needs?

I consulted my coach multiple times to ask her what would most benefit the golf course grounds crew since most of them come from a lower class income. Because they redeem the recycled material for cash, I wanted to help them collect more cans and bottles while also making it easier for them to sort through the materials. All the people who helped me toward completing this project live in the Canton area and thought it would be a good way to start an environmentally friendly lifestyle on a facility highly used by community members.

__10____Local. How did this project reflect your connection to the community and the issue?

I have spent most of my time interacting with my coaches and golf course staff during the four years I have been here. I chose to do this project to give back to these people that worked to make my St. Lawrence experience enjoyable. They were all supportive of our team and were happy to see us practicing every day. Local members would engage in conversation with team members at practice, and I feel like I developed a bond with the Canton community through the golf course.

___7____Collaborative. How does your action reflect the involvement of others in the community?

It involved multiple faculty members at St. Lawrence, and staff members at the golf course. If my project were to have materialized, it would have required the involvement of golfers to act on disposing their cans and bottles in the designated containers. I did have multiple meetings, and those people who I met with heard my reasoning for this project and why it is important. Now they have my ideas behind why this should have materialized, and could act on it in the future.

___4____Sustainable. What steps did you take to ensure that your community remains engaged with this issue?

If I did get the recycling containers, I had promised Jim Hennessey I would collect the cans and bottles every day to help him balance the extra work. He also said this would act as a test for him to see if it would be worth maintaining in the long-run. While I did not have a specific plan to make sure the project continued, I did volunteer my time to test out the process to see if it could be a long term implementation.

___7____Appropriate. Was your action the best choice to address the issue? Why or why not?

I thought having containers visible on the course would be the best way to show golfers that recycling is going beyond households. It is becoming prominent in universities to become more sustainable. Funding new containers was not an option so the potential to re-use cans would have saved money and strengthened my argument of recycling and reducing waste. I also thought having a garbage can at the avenue would have been synonymous to how the rest of our campus is set up with opportunities for trash disposal.

__7____Deliberative. How did you account for the voices of those who hold different positions and those not typically heard in your community?

In addressing the people necessary to complete this project I included those who are not always recognized for their hard work. One being Jim Hennessey whose position forces him to maintain control over how the land is treated, but also face criticism for the condition of the golf course if a person were to be dissatisfied. When I spoke to him he was surprised I wanted to help him and his staff. It is evident that these employees are not noticed or recognized for maintaining the golf course in its excellent condition. This is what fueled my project from the start; the idea that I could give back to those who do not normally get recognized for the hard work they give to their community.

___10___Evidence based. How did your research support your plan to address the issue and your action?

My research was very helpful in understanding what St. Lawrence is doing to improve sustainability on campus, but also showed me how we are behind in comparison to our competing schools. The information Sherburne gave me allowed me to hear about St. Lawrence’s future plans in improving recycling in all residences.

___7____Ethical. How did you ensure that your research, plan to address the issue, and action were ethical?

I made sure to be polite and respectful in my delivery of why I wanted to do this project, as well as why I thought it was important. I was open to having other ideas suggested as well. The aspects I struggled with were not knowing how to avoid being too persistent, which I think hurt me in the end. I did not want to poorly represent the student body in demanding for my project to be completed, or for a person to speak with me. I did make multiple attempts to those who did not respond to my emails or phone calls, but I could have been more assertive.

___9____Reflexive. How did you adapt to variables to ensure success?

I was open to switching my plan of action and accepting a new idea to maintain the highest possibility of my project working. I kept contacting those who were not responding to my messages, and I used the people who were always there to speak with me. I chose to consult my coach to receive phone numbers to make contact easier. All of my communication was primarily email and my coach provided me with phone numbers to those I was unable to reach on my own. I also changed my rhetorical strategies to make my argument more persuasive.

___8____Overall. What is your overall assessment of your actions?

I was very motivated at first when my project was panning out rather quickly, and everything was falling into place. Toward the end of the semester one person I had spoken to had backed out on what they originally agreed to do. This person is in the highest position in his department so it was very difficult for me to maneuver around this issue. This is when I began to lose hope for my project and became somewhat lost in how to go about doing my best to complete it.

COMPREHENSIVE REFLECTION

My project was successful in different ways. I definitely learned about my own abilities to communicate and the level of persistence needed when trying to make a change at a larger institution. I think I made somewhat of an impact in my interest to help reduce trash on campus and give back to the golf course staff. I know they are rarely acknowledged for their time and effort in upkeep. I also think I proved the potential for student interaction with campus faculty and represented the level of care students have in the cleanliness of campus. I wanted to strengthen the relationship between community members and students who use the golf course. While I was unable to do that, I do think my attempt to try and make this project work was evidence of how students do care about what is being done to their campus.

I do think I failed somewhat in emphasizing the importance of my project due to the lack of action from faculty members to help make it work. Although, I cannot change the level of value people have on the subject matter nor can I control the timeline in which they are able to help me. Of course there are important campus issues that have to take precedence over my project, and I think I failed in showing that my project is important too. I feel as though I should have been more proactive in having meetings in person, but because I was unable to maintain conversation after a certain time, I felt as though showing up to an office unannounced would be unprofessional. My choice to be more professional and remove parts of my personality is part of what led to my downfall in succeeding.

If I were to do this project again, I would be more proactive and energetic in showing the people I was in communication with how important this is to me and St. Lawrence. I think I was too professional in trying to be clear and concise that I did not allow my passion for the project shine through as much as it should have. I also would have involved the university more in trying to complete my project rather than relying on one person to help me make it happen. Distributing information on my project throughout the athletic department and gaining feedback from them would be beneficial in seeing how they felt about the new addition of the recycling containers. Also, I would conduct a survey to see if students notice the amount of trash prevalent on campus to have an idea as to whether litter is still an unrecognized issue that we choose to disregard. Most importantly, I would change my plan in how I communicated with people. Email is the most convenient form of conversation, but talking over the phone or in person is much easier.

I would tell other students to expect the process to be long and difficult because change does not happen overnight. Also, I would advise them to not get their hopes up in thinking the project will succeed immediately. Most importantly, be sure to show their passion for their project to make other people want to invest their time into helping them. Because I have learned much about myself in this process, I will take my experience into the workforce after college, and try to improve my delivery skills. I now realize the level of difficulty in making a project of this caliber succeed in one semester.

Due to the inability for my project to be successful, my hopes for the community were to create a stronger bond between the student body and the Canton community through myself caring to implement these containers. I also wanted Canton community members to think more seriously about how they can contribute to making their environment cleaner, and see how this is a growing popularity at other golf courses. My hope to give back to the golf course maintenance staff was the most important aspect of this project. Recognizing their daily work to maintain the facility would have been the best possible result of my project.