The Sargent Coalition met for the first time this Saturday to discuss possible solutions and alternatives to Boston University’s decision to close the Sargent Center for Outdoor Education this August, including possibly using the 700 acres as a green job training center.
According to a Jan. 28 BU press release, the 77 year-old center is closing due to ‘budgetary concerns.’ Coalition members, including several BU professors, said although they are aware that SCOE is not currently run in an economically sustainable way, this will not deter them from looking to improve its operation, along with finding other revenue-generating uses for the center, in order to save it.
‘This is not a sustainable operation,’ BU Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology Director Tom Kunz said in reference to SCOE’s financial situation. ‘We cannot live hand to mouth every year.’
Kunz, who has been conducting research at the SCOE for nearly 38 years, addressed the reality of SCOE’s financial situation, including the $200,000 annual deficit the center generates.
Kunz also said SCOE had also been cited for failing to align with BU’s strategic plan.
‘The fiscal issue is one matter, and the strategic plan is another,’ he said. ‘If you read the strategic plan, ‘urban’ is about every other word.’
David Platt, who ran a summer camp at SCOE for five years and was the school program coordinator, said he also recognized the need for change in SCOE’s infrastructure in order to sustain the Center.
‘I wouldn’t continue with the same operation that has not been successful so far,’ Platt said. ‘There’s an alternative plan out there.’
School of Education professor Doug Zook said BU should instead look to save money in other areas of the school’s operations, such as energy expenditure in dorms.
Turning off lights after leaving a room and keeping windows closed to improve the heating efficiency in buildings would help BU save money, Zook said.
‘It’s something we felt should be mandated for the university,’ Zook said. ‘With that, $200,000 could easily be saved in a year.’
Coalition members suggested using SCOE as a green jobs training center, which would not only be a good investment for BU, but a profitable solutions for future students, they said.
Nathan Phillips, a geography and environment professor, said BU and SCOE should explore external resources, such as the Green Jobs Initiative proposed by New Hampshire Governor John Lynch in his inaugural address on Jan. 8.
‘A lot of other schools have green stimulus plans,’ Phillips said.
There are 652 members in the Sargent Coalition Facebook group at press time.
One benefit of a similar green education initiative for SCOE would be that organizations would see this as an investment opportunity, Platt said.
‘ ‘There are a lot of organizations, even in this tough economic time, who would be willing to invest in this sort of green education,’ Platt said.
BU should be facilitating stronger bonds between students and the camp, Platt said.
‘I know that the staff feels like they’re just starting to get the ball rolling – participation from BU students has increased in the past five years,’ Greg Freed, founder of the Sargent Coalition, said.
Kunz said he had been told BU wants to keep the 700 acres of land that accompany SCOE because it thinks it is worth more than the present market value, $1.5 million.
‘ ‘The bulk of that land is wetlands, so it’s not valuable to a real estate developer,’ Kunz said.
Kunz said with the country’s new president and federal government, there is hope for programs like those at SCOE.
‘I think we can expect increased funding that we haven’t seen in the past 8 years,’ Kunz said. ‘There’s money out there that we can get our hands on.’
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