For many students, a typical walk to class consists of a sigh of remorse and the comfort of sweet melodies seeping through some Apple headphones. With eyes locked on the pavement below, students make their walk in straight lines, firm in their mission to avoid confrontation by any means possible.
What could be a very beautiful transition between two areas on campus has turned into a robotic march of solitude. Eyes that are too transfixed on tiny digital screens ignore the sights and sounds of an incredibly environmental university.
UF offers more than 10 natural areas on campus — most of which lie next to typical routes taken by students. These areas, which can easily go unnoticed while on a distracted stroll through campus, offer much-needed tranquility from an always-energetic Student Body.
From the Jennings Creek on the East side of campus to the Law School Woods bordering Village Drive, UF’s natural areas offer a quiet escape for student’s to free their busy minds. It is without question these natural areas are currently underused and underappreciated.
A group of students in the UF Global Change Ecology and Sustainability course recently conducted a survey about students’ feelings toward campus natural areas. While over 94 percent of the 53 surveyed students said they felt relaxed while in a natural area, 71 percent of the same sample admitted they rarely take time to visit them.
Additionally, the study showed an overwhelming disapproval toward the urban development of campus natural areas. Eighty-seven percent of the students surveyed said they have a negative attitude toward the conversion of these ecological spaces into new infrastructure.
Until recently, a forest bordered the western side of Hume Hall on Museum Road. But with the latest development of a new Greek housing project, another campus natural area has fallen to the expansion of university infrastructure. With the recent addition, it seems natural areas on campus are by no means permanent.
It is imperative that students devote a fraction of their week, if not a fraction of their day, to the vast natural spaces around them. Their mental health and vitality can only benefit from these calm and refreshing areas.
UF is, by nature, “committed to developing and maintaining an environment that enriches health and wellbeing of University and surrounding community,” according to UF Planning, Design and Construction. These natural areas are treasured on a national scale, and students should aim to visit them on a frequent basis.
Perhaps once or twice a week, consider taking the scenic route to class. Pass by a campus creek or a covered woodland, and enjoy all of the natural spaces UF has to offer.
Grab a friend or two and take a hike through the Bartram-Carr Woods or sit together and chat by the Gator Pond. Who knows? In 10 years there may be no natural spaces left to be enjoyed. Make it your goal to turn an everyday walk on campus into an uplifting ecological experience.
Max Chesnes is an Alligator staff photographer.
