Beer cans, broken glass bottles, and a half eaten grease covered slice of pepperoni pizza are what you might find on the lawns of Castleton residents’ homes after a weekend of   “extracurricular activities”.
Residents of the town say they do not find these attractions too desirable and it has actually caused tension between the students and community members living outside the college.
In attempts to create community sustainability as well as mend some tension between students and members living outside the college Castleton’s Chemistry professor Andrew Vermilyea and Assistant Dean for Campus Life Victoria Angis established the “Adopt A Street” program through First-Year-Seminar.
“I think it’s a good idea because college kids make such a mess from parties,” said FYS leader Allie Dwinell.
Out of the 20 groups comprising FYS, four were selected at random. The FYS leaders, who are also students, were in charge of taking their individual groups around the town to assigned streets where they picked up any trash along the road or on lawns.
“Castleton isn’t always seen in the best eye of the community, so it’s good to give back” said senior FYS leader Josh Fosgate.
To engage more with the community they also went door-to-door asking residents if there was any work that they could help them with. Students would also leave them contact information in their mailboxes in case they weren’t home or had work the students could later on do.
Aug. 24 was the first trial run in which students said they enjoyed it but claimed there wasn’t much trash to pick up. The second and final attempt of the semester will be sometime in Nov.
“Wasn’t much to pick up, but was still cool,” said freshman Isaiah Pearson.
Though they didn’t have much work to do the students involved had no complaints.
“They liked it better than going around the school getting all the recycling,” said Dwinell.
The future of the program could continue to grow. However, there are some obstacles they must overcome, including developing a relationship and communication lines with the town, Vermilyea said.