Finding a quiet patch of nature among the concrete buildings in St. Paul can be rare. Ever since a student made a petition to preserve the green space on South Campus began circulating over the past week, it has become clear that the St. Thomas community does not take this small dose of nature for granted.

When senior Marnie Sciamanda, an environmental science major, heard of the possibility of the St. Thomas master plan developing over the Stewardship Garden, she was determined to have student and community voices heard.

“We weren’t sure what the status of it was,” Sciamanda said. “We wanted to just show that we had support, and that people liked the green space, and people were behind it.”

Sciamanda, who volunteered and worked on a research grant in the garden, believes this particular green space is special.

“There is a lot of green spaces on campus, but this one is kind of unique because not only do we use it for projects — the garden — but there are a lot of trees,” Sciamanda said. “It’s a really popular area for the community, and it’s also by the river which has a lot of implications on wildlife and water quality.”

Adam Kay, environmental science professor and faculty leader of the Stewardship Garden, knew how important the green space was for the community and students. While there was a forum to voice opinions for the master plan, he knew that it was difficult for students to make it with busy schedules. To him, a petition was the perfect option.

Within 24 hours, there were over 500 signatures on the petition, which was filled with comments from students and community members who have had positive experiences in the space. The number of supporters astounded Kay.

“It caught on and was really popular. People were sharing it all over the place,” Kay said.

Shortly after the petition caught on, St. Thomas officials contacted Kay to assure him that the master plan had no intentions of developing over the green space on South Campus.

“In a way the petition wasn’t necessary because it wasn’t on the master plan, but we didn’t know that,” Kay said. “That wasn’t what it was about. It was about trying to show the level of enthusiasm and support that exists in the neighborhood for that space as it is.”

Since it was planted behind the Brady Educational Center in 2011, the Stewardship Garden has served both students and the community. A variety of classes use the space, including biology, geology and theology. Some of the produce has been donated to food shelves, sold at food stands in lower income neighborhoods and used for student outreach projects, bringing students and the community together.

“The neighbors really care about these students and get to know them,” Kay said. “They get a really positive image of what St. Thomas students are, and that’s made a huge difference.”

Seeing students show such passion and enthusiasm for the green space is something that Kay feels has been missing from campus.

“I thought it was just so great on this campus to see students get galvanized,” Kay said. “I find in general that there’s not a lot of student activism on this campus, for whatever reason, and I think that when we see students really engage passionately on an issue they care about … That’s really exciting to see.”

Kay hopes that this display of activism has planted the seed for students to speak up about changes they want to see in the future.

“We should look for all sorts of different avenues where they can express their passion and let their voices be known,” Kay said. “I think they will realize that they are the ones that hold the power here, that students can shape the way this university develops. They are not passive voices here.”

Mary Brickner can be reached at bric0029@stthomas.edu.