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English classes reduce reliance on paper

Written by Emily Toman, The Shorthorn staff

Monday, 26 November 2007 09:30 PM

It’s the first day of class and the instructor gives students a five-page syllabus, along with other handouts describing class expectations and upcoming projects. Students take a quick glance and stuff them in their backpacks where they will fall into the abyss of discarded papers.

Five architecture students set out to change that routine last week in their letter to the English department chair, addressing the need for the campus to go paperless.

“I just don’t think a lot of students know how much paper UTA uses,” architecture senior Tan Nguyen said.

The 5,000 students enrolled in English courses write about 60 pages each semester, producing 600,000 sheets each year. This paper occupies landfills, emits methane gas and wastes countless gallons of water used to produce it, Nguyen said.

Three English professors have participated in the effort, having students use e-mail to submit essays and creating Web blogs to conduct class assignments with written responses. Graduate teaching assistant Justin Lerberg has gone 80 percent paperless and plans to increase to 100 percent by next semester.

Architecture senior Chris Medina said the process promotes more class interaction, making it easier for students who have trouble talking in class.

The idea came when the students decided to turn a class project for their sustainability course into a campuswide effort, architecture senior Berekat Petros said.

“For something like that to happen, the student body has to show interest,” he said. “It depends on how many people get psyched about it. The sooner, the better.”

They interviewed students on campus, asking their opinions about the issue. Medina said most students reacted positively, saying that it’s more convenient, saves time and money, and it helps them to be more organized.

Unlike other major environmental initiatives, students don’t have to make any lifestyle changes for the process to work, Nguyen said.

“I don’t think you need to be tech-savy to use less paper,” he said. “Just checking your e-mail can save trees.”

Petros said the proposal could affect the whole campus in conjunction with the university’s master plan to go green by 2010.

The English classes that have already begun the process will show if it can work and other departments will learn from their experience, he said.

“When you propose something new to people, there’s always fears,” he said. “It has to start somewhere.”

Jeff Howard, co-chair of the president’s sustainability committee, has been a sounding board for the students, helping them understand the issue on a broader level, he said.

“Waste reduction is clearly a major challenge for UT-Arlington,” he said. “There’s a lot to be done. I’m heartened that this is a student initiative.”

Petros said the process is too easy not to participate.

“It’s not going to kill anyone to go paperless,” he said. “As a matter of fact, it will save them.”

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