Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) and 22 student organizations recently endorsed a letter to the Board of Trustees encouraging Macalester to make environmentalism a higher priority.

The Talloires Declaration, which Macalester signed in 2000, is an agreement among colleges and universities around the world to make environmental education, conservation and commitment to sustainability a top priority.

In signing the Talloires Declaration, schools agree to establish educational programs to make all graduates environmentally literate; to set an example for the community by creating programs for recycling, waste reduction and resource conservation; to establish a curriculum that supports a sustainable future, and work with community officials to find solutions to environmental problems, among other things.

With the Environmental Studies program facing an unknown future and the Director of College Environmental Affairs position unfilled many students believe the college is not as committed to the Talloires Declaration as it could be.

Macalester Democrats chair DannySchwartzman ’04 and MCSG Student Services Commission Chair Tyler Samples ’06 along with representatives from other student organizations, drafted a letter to the Board of Trustees. They hope to encourage President Rosenberg to uphold the Talloires Declaration and make environmentalism a campus-wide priority. Strengthening the Environmental Studies program is also a part of this priority, they said.

“This letter presents a united front, illustrating that the student body thinks this is an important issue,” Samples said.

The Board has influence over how quickly the administration addresses particular concerns and it offers advice based on the direction it thinks the college should take.

“The Board members seemed to agree that following the Talloires was something we said we would do and that it is important for Macalester to maintain respectability by keeping its promises,” Samples said. “I’m glad the Board thinks this is a serious issue.”

A previous appeal to the Board of Trustees accelerated the new student lounge establishment on campus. The current letter-writers are hopeful that their appeal will be as fruitful. “If you have them as an ally, it’s a streamlined way of getting things done,” Samples said.

Though President Rosenberg has yet to make a position statement on the Talloires Declaration and the Environmental Studies program, he will soon announce his goals for the school. “I think it will just be a matter of how high the President places Environmental Studies in his priorities,” Samples said. “I think this letter shows how committed the student body is to this issue.”