UA Little Rock Student Groups to Clean Campus Creek
Several University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are participating in the Great Arkansas Cleanup on a hyperlocal level: cleaning the creek that runs through their campus.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) will clean Coleman Creek from 12-5 p.m. Friday, October 16, while Kappa Sigma Theta and several partners will do their cleaning beginning at 5 p.m. Oct. 21.
“I love that we can contribute to the school, create stronger bonds between us, and help our community,” said Michael Watts, Kappa Sigma Theta treasurer in charge of philanthropy and charity. “I love volunteering, and it has helped — the creek is cleaner than it used to be.”
Now a junior majoring in business management, Watts began volunteering with creek cleanup as a freshman, and Kappa Sigma Theta has been involved with creek cleanup for several years. They clean in fall and spring, and Watts — along with others — is actually hoping to expand their cleaning this fall or spring to other spots in Little Rock.
The cleanup began as a way for Kappa Sigma to contribute to the campus community while caring for a treasured campus resource, Coleman Creek, that all Trojans can take pride in, said Adam Wilson, a catalyst for the cleanup effort as a student who has remained involved as a graduate student and alumni adviser for Kappa Sigma. “We’re fortunate to have a waterway running through our campus, both for the natural beauty it brings and for the opportunities it offers for education.”
The creek cleanup is a hands-on way to take responsibility for a shared resource and provides volunteers a chance to see how much difference they can make in just an hour or two “while building a habit of service I hope stays with them beyond college,” Wilson said. “As a geologist, I also appreciate that a creek connects what happens on campus to the environment beyond it.”
“Seeing my brothers, fellow students, and members of the wider community continue to show up and take pride in caring for Coleman Creek means a lot to me,” added Wilson. “My hope is this remains a lasting tradition for our chapter and the campus community.”
The NPHC chose the creek cleanup as one of its service projects in order to give back to the university and surrounding community, said Sydni Hood, vice president of programs for NPHC at UA Little Rock. “Through this initiative, we hope to promote environmental responsibility, encourage community engagement, and demonstrate the Divine Nine’s commitment to service beyond the campus.”
The NPHC has organized a similar cleanup in the past, and, despite rainy conditions, volunteers persevered, a spirit of service Hood hopes carries through this year’s effort.
“We anticipate participation from All NPHC organizations and around 25 other volunteers who are interested in supporting the effort,” Hood said. “We look forward to bringing members of the campus community together to make a positive impact on our environment and continue the NPHC’s tradition of community service.”
Kappa Sigma Theta co-hosts the cleanup with the geology and natural sciences club. Other partners include the Sustainability Club, Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Keep Little Rock Beautiful, the Friends of Fourche Creek, and faculty members Dr. Heather Black and Reed Green.
“People need to think about their trash, because they’d be surprised where it goes,” harming not only the creek itself, but wildlife, Watts said. “We’ve collected a lot of strange things (from the creek, including) a car tire and pipes.”
Volunteers in every Arkansas county are teaming up to clean the state through the end of this month, an effort that started Sept. 12. The Great Arkansas Cleanup is an initiative from Keep Arkansas Beautiful, a community-driven effort to preserve and restore Arkansas’ natural beauty through eco-restoration, education, volunteerism, cleanups, recycling, coalition-building, and advocacy.