Beating the weather to beautify Loras

By Brigid Flaherty

Loras College looks beautiful in any season: dotted with spring flowers, sizzling in the summer heat, draped in fall foliage, or blanketed in several inches of snow. However, it is not easy to keep the campus looking lovely. The maintenance personnel work throughout the year to upkeep Loras’ grounds and buildings, but once a year it’s time for the students to give back and lend a hand.

Dozens of Duhawks descended on Wahlert Hall Sunday morning of May 5 at 9 a.m. The building was filled with students representing numerous organizations across campus, but also simply wishing to make a difference on an individual level. Many of the Loras students donned green ‘Du-Earth Week’ shirts, made of recycled polyester and organic cotton as they set out to beautify the campus. The main tasks of the day were delivering and spreading mulch, as well as picking up trash after such a long and cold winter. In fact, Beautify Loras had been scheduled for April 28, but heavy snowfall late in the season made for a change of plans.

Senior Ervin Yahr III said, “Beautify Loras is an opportunity for the students to give back to the campus community and say thank you to the maintenance. Every year we are able to come together and get done in three hours what would take at least a few days for maintenance to do. They are even helpful to us during the event, so it’s important that we thank them in some way.” The weather was much better and brighter on May 5, as the sun beat down and the temperature began to pass 70 degrees. Groups of students were seen around campus in baseball caps and sunglasses- a little sunburn is a small price to pay to make a difference.