Keeping Kean Beautiful

Members of Kean University's Greek Senate met in the University Center on Friday March 26, 2010, to participate in the annual Spring clean-up of campus. The cooler temperatures and the windy conditions of the morning did not stop the Greek members from walking out with their shovels, gloves and picks, to the selected areas of clean-up around the campus. These areas included the green house located in the back of the University Center where flowers were planted, in front of the University Center, in front of Hutchinson Hall, near the parking lot by Vaughn-Eames and in front of the Harwood arena. Activities for the clean-up included planting flowers, taking out old mulch and putting in new mulch around trees for flowers and other plants to be planted. Participants also picked up trash from around the various areas.

"I love it, I did it last year," stated Ashley Cere, a senior majoring in art education and member of Nu Sigma Tau Sorority, "It's a great way of uniting the Greeks." The clean-up event also signifies the start the Greek Olympics a weeklong celebration of Greek unity, in which members of the Greek Senate, participate in activities such as volleyball, basketball and ping-pong. The members of the Greek community worked alongside the facilities and maintenance staff at Kean University, in a larger than expected turnout of students, considering the conditions of the day. "We're helping make the campus nice," said Charlton Stanton, a senior majoring in marketing and member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

More than 600 pounds of mulch was used in the clean-up according to the facilities and maintenance staff, and music was played in some areas of the clean-up for the participants to listen to and jam to as they helped out. "It's great helping out on campus," said Steve Sendano, a junior majoring in history education and member of Nu Sigma Phi Fraternity Incorporated. "Kean University has a big Greek community," Sendano stated. Alex Louis, assistant director of the center for leadership and service, and coordinator of Greek affairs, helped to coordinate the clean-up and stated, "This is a wonderful time, Greeks giving back to Kean. It's better to start at home, [and] then branch out towards larger areas." If you want to help with cleaning up the campus, there will be another opportunity to do so during Earth Week, the week of April 19 to 23. The Greek Senate will also be having another clean-up in the fall.