University Day showers sprout hearty volunteers

 

Pouring rain and cooler temperatures didn’t stop volunteers from participating Thursday in University Day, the campus-wide beautification project that occurs each year.

Started in 1905 to improve the grounds before commencement, the day has evolved to celebrate and preserve the natural beauty of the campus.

More than 2,000 UO students, staff and faculty volunteered to weed, rake and mulch on Thursday. Among them were UO Baseball Club members Sam Gutman, a junior, Michael Finneran, a sophomore, and Fraser Shindruk, a freshman, who worked together near Dad’s Gate.

“It’s our responsibility to give back,” said Gutman.

Senior Stephanie Chow, who worked outside Villard Hall, said, “It just feels good to give back to the campus that’s been amazing to me for the last four years.”

Chow will graduate next month with a degree in economics and move home to Southern California.

Nancy Cook, an analyst programmer who’s worked at the UO for 15 years, said she’s never participated in University Day before but has always meant to. “I love how beautiful our campus is,” she said. “By doing this, I get to be a part of it.”

Volunteers who completed at least one hour of volunteer time received a commemorative t-shirt.

- by Aria Seligmann, UO Office of Strategic Communications