Did freshman consider UNC Asheville’s environmental contributions?

Audra Goforth
News Staff Writer
[email protected]
As the new semester takes way, hundreds of fresh faces appear on UNC Asheville’s campus, allowing each one to discover the many unique characteristics the campus is known for. UNCA has a popular reputation as a sustainable campus.
“UNCA had better environmental options compared to any other university that I toured,” said 19-year-old Tia Patterson. “The campus seemed to really care about the environment and that is what I looked for when applying.”
Since the environmental aspect of the campus represents one of the reasons many students choose to attend here, might it have been a possibility some individuals in the class of 2020 considered the campus’ positive environmental aspects when applying?
At random, 25 UNCA freshmen were asked the following question: “when you applied to UNCA, did you consider the environmental and sustainability aspects of this campus?” The results concluded with 20  freshmen answering “yes,” four answering “somewhat” and only one answering “no.”
One freshman said the campus won him over when he learned that UNCA maintain their own gardens.
“I did value the environmental interests on this campus,” said 19-year-old Aaron Nasser. “What won me over was learning about all the gardens located in various places around campus. Oh, and the solar panels that are used for some buildings. Those are pretty neat.”
Freshman Kennan Staelin said her older sister attended UNCA and even though she already had prior knowledge about the campus and its values, she did not realize all the efforts the campus contributed to be noted as sustainable.
“I would say that I considered the environmental aspects only somewhat,” said 18-year-old Kennan Staelin. “I have been in love with this campus since my older sister attended here. My main interest was the liberal arts aspect, but now I really enjoy how our campus respects the environment, especially with the compost options.”
Patterson said that she toured NC State after touring UNCA and felt shocked after seeing their campus.
“I toured NC State after touring UNCA and the campus felt semi-depressing,” said Patterson. “UNCA emphasizes sustainability concepts and shows this through the gardens, compost bins and abundance of trees.”