About 30 Boston University students attended the second annual Greening of the Dorms hosted by Marsh Chapel on Friday afternoon. The secular event was held on Marsh Plaza as a finale to the first week of classes.
At the event, students had the opportunity to paint small terracotta pots and plant basil seeds, which they then took back to their residences to care for throughout the year.
Jessica Chicka, the university chaplain for international students and a co-organizer of the event, said the gathering was intended to provide students with a live plant that would comfort them through the coming winter months.
“We know that some students are moving from far away and they’ve never experienced a Boston winter before,” Chicka said before the activities started. “We want them to have something green in their dorm to give them a bit of hope, something to take care of outside of themselves.”
Marsh Chapel held its first Greening of the Dorms last year after testing other activities that brought students together over live plants, such as an Ash Wednesday seed planting in 2015 and annual Earth Week events. Chicka said Marsh Chapel often includes plants in their activities because it symbolizes ideas of growth and rebirth.
“There’s a lot of theological tie-ins to planting seeds and watering them and letting them grow, so it’s kind of a metaphor for how we hope the students start their year out,” Chicka said. “A few years ago, for our Ash Wednesday service, it was centered around the idea of growth and rebirth, and so we had seed planting as a part of the service.”
Lawrence Whitney, the university chaplain for community life and the other organizer of the Greening of the Dorms, said the event also contributes to the fellowship and community building ministries of March Chapel because it brings students together over a common theme.
“It was successful last year and we had leftover plants, pots and paints,” Whitney said of the decision to make it an annual event. He added that they would continue to run the event as long as students continue to show up.
Several BU students said they heard about the event through Facebook and attended because they enjoy both keeping plants and the distraction they provide from their studies.
Sarah Spiker, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, said she came to the event in hopes of filling her dorm room with plants.
“I have about five plants in my dorm, and I’m trying to get more,” Spiker said.
The sophomore also said she enjoys having plants because they allow her to “be environmentally conscious while living in the city.”
Briana Cortez, a junior in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said she likes keeping plants in her apartment because they’re “a source of stress relief, a way to be green and have fun.”
Zachary Thompson, a senior in the College of Engineering, said he enjoyed the Greening of the Dorms because quality plants can sometimes be very expensive to buy.
He added he likes keeping plants because they provide him with an excuse to take regular study breaks.
“I had a plant over the summer and really liked it, so now I want another,” Thompson said. “It’s something to take care of, taking care of a living being gives you happiness.”
