The environmental sustainability office has been in complete disarray for a while and Keene State College is not doing enough to fix it.
Linsey Edmunds, the previous sustainability coordinator, announced she would resign at the end of the semester in January. She agreed to work remotely from January to May after moving to California. The college has had ample time to look for another, but has shown disregard in the area.
The editors of The Equinox are displeased with Keene State’s lack of integrity in the terms of refilling the role. Not only is there an empty space in the role, but the students at Keene State College are left with empty promises as well.
The college pushes the agenda that they are a green campus, but their actions are not necessarily matching their words. There are no excuses for treating the empty role as if it is nothing. Keene State knew that Edmunds would be gone for a while now and they are still playing coy with the idea of a replacement. While the position is posted there is not much work being done to fill the role.
We see this as a major transgression against the trust of the students who hold faith the school is doing all they can to be green. The sustainability office also has interns working in the office with no one to report to. It is deeply offensive to them to be left in the dark about who their coordinator is.
There is no legitimate reason why this problem has not been solved yet. We believe the salary the college offers for this crucial role is far too low. In 2022 Edmunds was paid $55,810. For a role requiring a lot of experience that is important to keep the school green, they should be offering a higher salary. Other schools are going to offer a higher salary for a similar position and we do not blame people for choosing to take their expertise somewhere else.
We find it deeply concerning that the college has not filled the role already. If this continues, who knows how long it will take to put someone in charge? It is unfair to the students who care about the environment.
With the goal of having Keene State College be a green school, the higher ups need to take action. The school should not keep cutting corners when it comes to their statements on caring for the environment. They can either get someone to fill the role, renounce their goals of being more green or be called out as hypocrites.
Although our words may be harsh, we make these statements with the utmost care for Keene State College. We love the college and want to see it sustain its integrity. Students do not appreciate being led on, which is what is happening when not enough attention is paid to filling the role. The sustainability office needs to have a coordinator or else students who actually care about the environment might look less favorably towards the school.
Students need to be told the truth. We don’t want a mass exodus of environmentalist students who do not feel listened to. We want what is best for Keene State College, which is filling the role of coordinator for the sustainability office as soon as possible.
