2008 Woodie Awards
Keeping it pretty
Miami University meticulously maintains its image through the campus grounds
Allison Peters
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Features
Think of Miami University in the springtime. Now, think of Miami in the springtime with no tulips in the Formal Gardens, no palm trees surrounding Upham Arch, a yellow Cook Field, or dying shrubbery in the shape of an "M" in front of Pearson Hall. The campus would be nothing but identical neo-Georgian red brick buildings spread over 2,000 acres of bare ground.
The upkeep and maintenance of Miami's campus helps project the university's image, one that takes more than 500 employees to maintain-flowers don't grow naturally in the shape of an "M" after all. Campus Services Director Art Faura keeps his entire staff busy year round. It is Miami's department of physical facilities that is largely responsible for keeping the campus in tip-top shape and Faura is in charge of everything from landscaping, mowing, weeding, and fertilizing, to leaf and snow cleanup. And it is a job includes both man and horsepower.
"We have some very large mowers that cut as much as 14 feet in one swatch, specialized vacuums for leaf pickup in the fall, (and) a huge sweeper a big bucket truck to trim trees and hang up banners," Faura said. "Most of the students may not know when we trim or prune shrubs or pick up the leaves we have a compost site out behind the Dewitt Cabin that we put our waste and reuse it in the (Formal) Garden."
Faura's team works year round with their focus changing with varying activities and seasons.
"Late spring is primarily mowing, fall is primarily leaf pickup and so on," Faura said. "It also depends on what types of activities are going on around campus … We support all the activities from drive-in movies or Afterdark, by either supplying garbage cans or fencing and cleaning up after the event."
Green is definitely good
Campus images are prominently displayed on all of Miami's promotional materials, and become a factor in attracting students. Miami Admission Counselor Chrissy Ormond said that most colleges and universities often use pictures of their campus in the winter for their brochures. Miami is unique in the sense that the university's brochures show pictures of the campus year round.
For junior Alana Gerson, the green provided an appeal over the more urban colleges she visited.
"The campus is much more inviting than most city campuses and the buildings are nicely laid out and are very similar, providing a constant look," Gerson said.
The campus is one of the main reasons Emily Day, currently a senior at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, is considering attending Miami next year.
"I really liked the feel of the campus and its scenery when I visited," Day said. "I liked how it wasn't just all concrete and buildings like some of the other colleges, and I feel that both the campus and the students present a very put together image."
The campus doesn't just attract students though, according to Ormond, the upkeep of the campus is a great motivator for students to do well and stay here.
"It is obvious we are known for having a gorgeous campus that people just rave about," Ormond said. "Academically, we are a great school-Miami is all one great big package. If you are in a place that physically makes you happy, you will in turn be a happy, and successful person."
Chair of the department of architecture and interior design, John Weigand, genuinely appreciates campus aesthetics and feels the students share his view.
"I think this campus works very hard to keep the campus well groomed and I do think students really, really appreciate it," Weigand said.
Ormond, who is a Miami alumna, said the aesthetics of the campus impacted her time here.
"I would always find myself smiling while on my way to class because it was such a pretty place," she said.
Bricks can be bland
Faura feels it is beneficial to students to have a myriad landscape.
"When someone draws a painting, you don't just use red," Faura said. "So in a landscape environment, you also don't use just red-you need balance. That's when you add yellows, blues, oranges and purples. That is what we do at Miami. We add color to an already beautiful campus."
Jack Keegan, a professor in the department of botany and a greenhouse manager at Miami, said he uses the landscaping of the campus as a point of study in some of his classes.
"From my standpoint, I teach a course in botanical principles of landscaping, so we use the campus certainly as both our laboratory and to look at specimens," Keegan said.
"Other departments use the diversity that is on campus for various aspects of that: We suggest species of things we would like to see and (the university has) always been really good about working with us to increase diversity."
One example of this is the palm trees on campus.
"There was a professor named Dr. David Franko who was working on hardy palms and other plants," Keegan said. "That is why we have a number of them around campus."
Damage control
Outside of the leafy palms, it may be worth checking out one of the 11,000 ash trees on campus-they may not be around much longer.
"We are all very worried about the emerald ash borer," Keegan said. "It is an insect that has been found near here. I know that maintenance has been cutting down trees that are weakened because that attracts them. So they are taking steps, but maybe 10 to 20 percent of the trees are ash trees and this could cause a huge change if we get the bore."
According to Faura, the tiny beetle is all ready in the area.
"About a month ago it was discovered in Butler County, eventually it will kill all the ash trees," Faura said. "We have six or seven different species of ash, it wont kill them all at once but eventually it will, unless science comes up with a cure."
As much as students appreciate the campus, there are many ways they harm it and make Faura's job more challenging.
"By not walking on the sidewalk you'll compact the soil and that can cause damage, of course it will kill the grass and can hurt tree roots," Keegan said. "When people lock their bikes against a tree you can take away the bark, and if it loses its bark you can kill the entire tree … Not chaining bikes to a tree and spending more time on the sidewalk are probably the two major things (to prevent destruction)."
Junior Laura Woodson feels that students' respect for the campus prevents them from leaving trash around campus.
"I think the students respect how much hard work goes into the upkeep of the landscape and it is very rare that you ever see litter," Woodson said.
With the 500 employees, hours of maintenance work and countless numbers of green thumbs, keeping Miami thriving is not a simple task.
But because American poet Robert Frost once declared Miami to be the "prettiest campus that ever was," it seems students and staff are working to keep it that way.
The upkeep and maintenance of Miami's campus helps project the university's image, one that takes more than 500 employees to maintain-flowers don't grow naturally in the shape of an "M" after all. Campus Services Director Art Faura keeps his entire staff busy year round. It is Miami's department of physical facilities that is largely responsible for keeping the campus in tip-top shape and Faura is in charge of everything from landscaping, mowing, weeding, and fertilizing, to leaf and snow cleanup. And it is a job includes both man and horsepower.
"We have some very large mowers that cut as much as 14 feet in one swatch, specialized vacuums for leaf pickup in the fall, (and) a huge sweeper a big bucket truck to trim trees and hang up banners," Faura said. "Most of the students may not know when we trim or prune shrubs or pick up the leaves we have a compost site out behind the Dewitt Cabin that we put our waste and reuse it in the (Formal) Garden."
Faura's team works year round with their focus changing with varying activities and seasons.
"Late spring is primarily mowing, fall is primarily leaf pickup and so on," Faura said. "It also depends on what types of activities are going on around campus … We support all the activities from drive-in movies or Afterdark, by either supplying garbage cans or fencing and cleaning up after the event."
Green is definitely good
Campus images are prominently displayed on all of Miami's promotional materials, and become a factor in attracting students. Miami Admission Counselor Chrissy Ormond said that most colleges and universities often use pictures of their campus in the winter for their brochures. Miami is unique in the sense that the university's brochures show pictures of the campus year round.
For junior Alana Gerson, the green provided an appeal over the more urban colleges she visited.
"The campus is much more inviting than most city campuses and the buildings are nicely laid out and are very similar, providing a constant look," Gerson said.
The campus is one of the main reasons Emily Day, currently a senior at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, is considering attending Miami next year.
"I really liked the feel of the campus and its scenery when I visited," Day said. "I liked how it wasn't just all concrete and buildings like some of the other colleges, and I feel that both the campus and the students present a very put together image."
The campus doesn't just attract students though, according to Ormond, the upkeep of the campus is a great motivator for students to do well and stay here.
"It is obvious we are known for having a gorgeous campus that people just rave about," Ormond said. "Academically, we are a great school-Miami is all one great big package. If you are in a place that physically makes you happy, you will in turn be a happy, and successful person."
Chair of the department of architecture and interior design, John Weigand, genuinely appreciates campus aesthetics and feels the students share his view.
"I think this campus works very hard to keep the campus well groomed and I do think students really, really appreciate it," Weigand said.
Ormond, who is a Miami alumna, said the aesthetics of the campus impacted her time here.
"I would always find myself smiling while on my way to class because it was such a pretty place," she said.
Bricks can be bland
Faura feels it is beneficial to students to have a myriad landscape.
"When someone draws a painting, you don't just use red," Faura said. "So in a landscape environment, you also don't use just red-you need balance. That's when you add yellows, blues, oranges and purples. That is what we do at Miami. We add color to an already beautiful campus."
Jack Keegan, a professor in the department of botany and a greenhouse manager at Miami, said he uses the landscaping of the campus as a point of study in some of his classes.
"From my standpoint, I teach a course in botanical principles of landscaping, so we use the campus certainly as both our laboratory and to look at specimens," Keegan said.
"Other departments use the diversity that is on campus for various aspects of that: We suggest species of things we would like to see and (the university has) always been really good about working with us to increase diversity."
One example of this is the palm trees on campus.
"There was a professor named Dr. David Franko who was working on hardy palms and other plants," Keegan said. "That is why we have a number of them around campus."
Damage control
Outside of the leafy palms, it may be worth checking out one of the 11,000 ash trees on campus-they may not be around much longer.
"We are all very worried about the emerald ash borer," Keegan said. "It is an insect that has been found near here. I know that maintenance has been cutting down trees that are weakened because that attracts them. So they are taking steps, but maybe 10 to 20 percent of the trees are ash trees and this could cause a huge change if we get the bore."
According to Faura, the tiny beetle is all ready in the area.
"About a month ago it was discovered in Butler County, eventually it will kill all the ash trees," Faura said. "We have six or seven different species of ash, it wont kill them all at once but eventually it will, unless science comes up with a cure."
As much as students appreciate the campus, there are many ways they harm it and make Faura's job more challenging.
"By not walking on the sidewalk you'll compact the soil and that can cause damage, of course it will kill the grass and can hurt tree roots," Keegan said. "When people lock their bikes against a tree you can take away the bark, and if it loses its bark you can kill the entire tree … Not chaining bikes to a tree and spending more time on the sidewalk are probably the two major things (to prevent destruction)."
Junior Laura Woodson feels that students' respect for the campus prevents them from leaving trash around campus.
"I think the students respect how much hard work goes into the upkeep of the landscape and it is very rare that you ever see litter," Woodson said.
With the 500 employees, hours of maintenance work and countless numbers of green thumbs, keeping Miami thriving is not a simple task.
But because American poet Robert Frost once declared Miami to be the "prettiest campus that ever was," it seems students and staff are working to keep it that way.
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