The Associated Students decided Friday some of the committee being absent to delay the vote on the definition of “sustainability”. The definition of “sustainability” has been a controversial issue recently as there has been mixed reactions about the right “definition” for the term “sustainability.”
The committee has been researching the definition of the term for weeks.
Jamie Hammond, secretary for AS, explained why the vote was delayed.
“The Definition Committee was originally split on the issue. It seemed the delay was due to the back and forth dialogue and the time it took for the Academic Commission to fully research the definition,” she said.
Hammond felt the delay was a good idea.
“All in all, I think the delay was necessary because it allowed for good discussion and time for the comprehensive research done to be presented.”
During the meeting, Nolan Pack talked about the AS definition committee meeting, in which the motion was passed 4-1 to recognize the definition which was presented by Jason Herbert, AS vice president for academic affairs.
Pack, who is part of the sustainability committee, summarized what happened during the
previous definition committee meeting.
“During the last [Definition Committee meeting,] Brian Abadia [AS student Trustee], the sole opponent of the true definition, tried desperately to push his own made-up definition, which was nothing more than his own opinion, with absolutely no academic or real-world sources to support his claims,” Pack said.
Herbert proposed his definition during the meeting.
Herbert thought delaying the vote was the best choice. “The AS board decided to table the definition of sustainability as vital members of the board were missing, he said.
“We thought it would be best if they were all present during the final vote, thus to receive their input.”
Hammond explained why she thinks the term needs to be defined.
“The Sustainability Committee has been established to promote a “greener” campus and curriculum and a higher awareness of sustainable practices for the students. Overall, these changes will improve PCC’s current environmental impact as an institution while helping to improve the financial situation as well.” she added.
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