Grass is greener on the other side of the sidewalk

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The St. Thomas Physical Plant’s grounds department has posted signs on the Lower Quad to help keep the spring grass greener, but some students continue to blaze their own trails.

Grounds Supervisor Bob Reed said that even with strategically placed sidewalks in the renovated quad, students are still walking on the grass.

“What’s happening is people are cutting across, straight across from one building to the other, and they are creating horrendous cattle paths; and it destroys the grass,” Reed said.

Senior Dan Erickson doesn’t think the signs will be enough to keep students off the grass.

“I just think when people are walking through the quad, even if they saw them, they wouldn’t pay much attention because I see kids walking on the grass without giving any adherence to any sign; and I think regardless of a sign people are going to walk on the grass,” Erickson said.

Freshman Stephanie Cao saw the signs but didn’t let them change her usual walking path.

“Do I listen to them (the signs)? No,” Cao said.

Freshman Brooke Hill had a similar attitude toward walking on the grass.

“Having the signs up actually makes me want to walk on the grass more than if they weren’t there,” Hill said. “It’s like a challenge.”

Reed said signs with a similar message were posted last fall to stop students from walking on the new sod on the Lower Quad.

“We are hoping it will get everybody’s attention. In the fall, when we were laying the sod, we had the signs all over to keep them (students) off because it was new sod,” Reed said.

Senior Tony Mergens said he believes the signs are working but more are necessary.

“I think they could use a few more around campus. Just looking around, I don’t see too many of them right now,” Mergens said.

Reed said that if the signs do not help cut down on grass traffic, his department may have to look into other sidewalk designs. Reed also said landscape repairs are costly.

“Otherwise, we have to think about how we’re gonna have to change the landscape around the areas to keep people off of them and help save some money,” Reed said.

Jake Swansson and Baihly Warfield contributed to this report.

Caroline Rode can be reached at rode8318@stthomas.edu.

8 Replies to “Grass is greener on the other side of the sidewalk”

  1. I feel as if there are prominent places that people are walking on the grass and they are paving those paths into the ground, so why not add sidewalks where those paths are, obviously people are walking there so wouldnt it be a good idea to add a sidewalk there rather than have a dirt path there that makes the grass and green area look bad. 

  2. I am amazed that students need to walk on the grass with the amazing new re-designed sidewalks in the lower quad!  With UST’s great movement to keep sign makers employed, I also think that we should hire elderly people to sit at every corner and yell “get off my grass!”

  3. I would recommend the crews do something creative instead of blaming the students for their poorly designed sidewalks. Perhaps a bench where the path starts? Or a garden? Students have enough respect not to tromp over a bunch of plants, and it would add much more to the quad than those signs. The simple fact its okay to put those signs all around campus boggles me…they’re an eyesore and the wording is kinda whiny. 

  6. Let’s save the green for a garden and give students some fun and activity by building some tennis courts on the Quad. If you like a lot of green grass; play golf, go to a park or visit a garden. All these signs and neighbors interference (with what UST does with it’s land) just shows the deficiency of virtue and wisdom. While we are waiting please take the long path to your end.

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