WMU students support sustainability with their pocketbooks

Western Michigan University Students have volunteered to pay for something important to them: a campus culture focused on sustainability.Students led the way, asking for a referendum and then voting to approve a new $8 per-semester fee. The fee will generate an estimated $440,000 annually. It will be used to fund student-designed and student-led sustainability initiatives. It also will support a Sustainability Office, a green jobs program for students and student research.Details and logistics for distributing the funds have not yet been determined. To decide the best way to allocate the funds, a committee made up primarily of students will work with the President John Dunn’s University-wide Sustainability Committee and Diane Anderson, the vice president for student affairs. The fee referendum appeared on a ballot in a March 15-19 general election sponsored by the school’s elected student government organization, Western Student Association.Of those voting, 60 percent — 1,002 students — supported the fee, while 40 percent — 662 students — opposed it. Western Michigan University trustees have now gone on to give final approval. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Cheryl Roland, WMU