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Peacock’s behavior disappointing |
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Thursday, 15 February 2007 |
by JULIA MERCHANT
Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon with Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, the topic of which was sustainable and environmental issues on campus. Only a select few people were invited, and the attendees represented a variety of environmentally dedicated groups around campus – the Renewable Energy Initiative, the Student Government Association’s Environmental Affairs Committee, the Solar Club, United Students Against Sweatshops and Outdoor Programs, among others.
This could have been an opportunity for Peacock to bring his knowledge of campus environmental issues to the table (literally) and brainstorm ways to make the campus more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Notice I said, “could have” – in reality, it didn’t turn out that way.
I absolutely adore Peacock. I think he is great for the university and
genuinely cares about our school – his fervor for the institution he
runs was evident to anyone who watched him on television during our
football team’s national championship.
This time though, he let me down.
Peacock’s behavior at the luncheon was disappointing, to say the least.
The excitement of the 10 or so attendees was palpable. It was obvious
that for many of them, this was going to be a fantastic opportunity to
let the Chancellor know their thoughts and feelings about a very
important issue that all of them are passionate about. I, for one, was
excited to hear what Peacock had to say.
As it turns out, that wasn’t much.
Peacock appeared to be uninformed about almost every environmental
issue that was discussed. Because of this, he was unable to offer
opinions and any hope of a “brainstorming” session was out the window
from early on.
It’s not that there wasn’t anything interesting or relevant being
discussed – the R.E.I. is doing some amazing work with solar energy on
campus, the SGA Environmental Affairs Committee is heading a huge
recycling initiative, and there have been talks of having an EcoDorm (a
zero energy residential building) constructed on the campus.
Since Peacock appeared to know nothing or very little about almost all
the issues that were brought to the table, the conversation turned out
to be extremely one-sided.
That is, until Peacock went off on a 20-minute tangent. The tangent was
sparked when Peacock was proposed a possible solution to the perpetual
housing shortage in the area – having more on-campus living space for
students. It appeared that since the housing problem was one of the few
things the Chancellor actually was informed about (among the topics
discussed at the luncheon) he grabbed the conversation piece like a
lifeline and used it to take up the rest of the time.
In fact, he quickly diverged from the housing issue and started talking
about various properties the university is in the process of
purchasing, including some sort of access road that will lead from the
Broyhill Inn & Conference Center to Highway 105.
Access road? Real-estate purchases? Excuse me? Did this really
necessitate a 20-minute explanation, which was far longer than the time
any other question or topic received?
Peacock, I know you are busy. I know you don’t have time to study every
single issue that comes to your attention in depth. But it would have
been nice to have studied up a little bit before a luncheon that
students were so looking forward to.
Since you obviously care so deeply for Appalachian State University,
please don’t let the unique opportunity we have – for us to be a true
leader and role model in the fields of sustainability and the
environment as well as a national-championship winning school - pass
you by.
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