COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is considering moving several student-run sustainability programs out of their current community space to make room for the university's human resources department.
The off-campus lease for the UCCS human resources department is almost done. To save money, the university is looking to move the department on campus, and the Sustainability Demonstration House looked the most promising.
"We needed a big enough space for HR to be here, but also for new employees to park relatively close and be able to come in and meet with somebody," interim Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Stephanie Hanenberg said.
She says this plan has been in the works since the fall, knowing that there could be some cost savings. Hanenberg says there were other options besides the sustainability demonstration house including Main Hall or Dwire Hall.
"Unfortunately, we could not make it work based on the operations that were in certain spaces. This gives us opportunities we probably haven't explored before," Hanenberg said.
She also says they do not plan on taking out any sustainable features the demonstration house currently has. But renovations might be in order.
“If any changes are made, it will be to make it operational. So maybe they'll need to put in more doors so that there's more privacy for more offices, putting in some cubicles," Hanenberg said, "The big changes that we have at the demonstration house we can replicate over at the Farm. Like we have recycled carpet that we could replicate over in the farmhouse. We have a lot of stuff that's outdoors and so we're trying to preserve as many things as we can and then look for opportunities to expand what we're doing, not just in one location but across campus.”
However, students tell News5 they aren't so certain. The current Sustainability Demonstration House has many key features that make it fully sustainable such as compost, solar panels, carpets made of recycled fish nets, and a high efficiency toilet that saves around 40% to 60% of water.
"I know that changes will be made to the house, and it is unfortunate to see because a lot of students have put in years of work to make it in the way it is, and there's a lot of community history here, especially for students," outreach specialist for Green Action Fund, Campbell Curcio, said, "Talks of putting AC in the house or even removing certain features is going to be disheartening to see. At the end of the day will not be a demonstration house, because if you remove these features... I mean, that's what makes the house sustainable.”
If the plans are finalized next week, over a dozen clubs will need to pack up their things once the spring semester is over and move to a much smaller house next door called the Farm.
Isabella Polombo, UCCS student body vice president, started Clyde's Clothing Corner in 2022. Since then, she has been able to donate thousands of clothes to students in need.
"We might just have to unfortunately stop accepting donations and stop like being able to proactively like support students the way that we have," Polombo said.
She is concerned about the size of the Farm. Currently, she puts donated clothes in the basement of the Sustainability Demonstration House. But if she and her program were to move into the Farm, there would be no spot to put overloads of donations.
"There's no real like validation or assurance that their space will stay that same way either. So it's possible my closet will be moved around after I'm gone, which for context, I'm graduating in May, which is why this is so stressful for me," Polombo said.
The demonstration house is also home to the Green Action Fund. Outreach specialist Campbell Curcio said the program has given over $180,000 in grants to people in the UCCS community this year alone.
"I feel like by removing that, it's going to remove a big pillar of what we do because that space is so helpful," Curcio said.
The program raises hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.
"We've actually funded a lot out of the sustainability house. We funded things such as the solar panels in the house and just a lot of work that's gone into it," Curcio said.
As a student employee, she said she didn't find out about the potential move until attending a student forum in early April.
“Being told from the chancellor to just 'stay curious' for this new opportunity is disappointing because even from the chancellor I don't have a solid answer of what's happening or how sustainability is going to look in five years from," said Curcio.
She said this is not only a key pillar for students, but it is also a key pillar the university talks about during prospective student tours. One of the stops being the Sustainability Demonstration House.
The decision has students worried about the growth of all the sustainability initiatives currently in the demonstration house.
"It's unreasonable to expect any department really to be able to hold themselves to a high standard of quality work when they don't have the resources for it," Polombo said.
But Hanenberg said this will give more chances for growth.
"I think that there's opportunities for us that will actually have more students involved in this than we currently have because of our expansion that we're looking at,” said Hanenberg.
Or it could spread out the many groups involved at the building. Which some students say could make operations more difficult.
“There's just no guarantee that every single person that works here in this building will move next door, which is why upper administration has communicated that they have considered moving different employees or staff from this department into different buildings across the campus,” said Polombo.
The plan will be finalized next week and people in the Sustainability Demonstration Home will need to move out once the Spring semester is over in mid-May.
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