Investment Reflection
Strengths
Financial- growing student body, increasing revenue
Human- loyal workers
Natural- area with lots of local farming/food production
Social- liberal student body, support for sustainability projects
Intellectual- professors that support/research in the area
Weaknesses
F- incredibly high cost for heating/expensive school requires higher end facilities
H- high number of commuters
N- cold winters require high heating costs
S- separated from community, geographically and in world views
I-
Opportunities
F- local grants, partnerships w/ small businesses, community support and fundraising
H- community outreach could be really effective
N- location is great for work in the environment as maine is mostly rural
S- the people of maine tend to listen to environmental issues as they are directly effected by them, the “environment” is our backyard, compared to a person at Northeastern who is surrounded by streets and buildings
I- local partnerships, community experts/speakers
Threats
F- increasing cost of living in the state
H- people are choosing other universities over UNE
N- sea level rise and natural disasters could cause severe damage/ isolated campus might deter perspective students
S- students sharing their bad experiences on social media/in reviews
Aesthetics Reflection
At UNE we have a lot of very beautiful spaces. Things that are pleasing to the eye to look at and make a big impression on possible students. Arguably these could be some of the most important attributes of the spaces because they draw people to the university, and without that the spaces would be pointless. But in terms of fostering ideas and innovation I would argue that many of our spaces are not optimal.
Excluding some newer spaces, most of our academic buildings are long, narrow hallways, and most of the decorating is done by posters for events, information, and reminders. While this is helpful, it is not conducive to lots of great ideas. In contrast, there are a few places at UNE that do support connectivity and spark ideas. For me the first one that comes to mind is the commons. The majority of each floor is one large open space with tables or chairs or, if you’re lucky, extra large couches! There are not a lot of single seated tables or spaces, and even where there are individual chairs, they are situated in a way that faces each other. The easy access to food and drinks allows people to stay in the area for longer periods of time, interact with many people, and there’s even a space for recreation when you need a break!
One memory from my younger years comes to mind when thinking about this topic. I had a weather events crossword puzzle to finish for homework one night, I was 12 or 13, and there was one question that neither my mom or I could come up with. We were both frustrated and after about an hour of work from the both of us we decided to go grab a late-night snack. On our drive to Dairy Queen we heard a popular song at the time that mentioned a “cyclone”. We both had that eureka moment as we realized that that was the last weather event we couldn’t come up with! That was probably the best blizzard I have ever eaten, and similar to what Steven Johnson states in the Ted Talk, what we needed was a little bit of “innovation time”, instead of just sitting to think.
I think that the newer spaces on our campus do foster that kind of thinking, and I hope that more spaces become like the commons. The greenery, the interesting photographs as decorations, and many other features of the building create a space for collaboration and innovation.
I would absolutely support a “legal canvas”. I think it is incredibly important to have a place for students to create art and display it without have to get an “A” first or be chosen for a mural. The college campus should reflect college students, and while we are studying to be doctors and scientists, we are still learning about ourselves and the world around us. I think it is important to have an unfiltered, unregulated space to share how we feel.
I imagine that the greenery within working spaces, like the common room, is appealing to everyone. Most people, not just environmental students, have some connection with nature. Whether they hike, run or garden, nature is universally relaxing and a catalyst for ideas and creativity. Also, many sustainable products and items can have an appealing aesthetic simply for their design. Sustainable product producers are keen to the fact that people buy things they like the look of. So if their sustainable products are also the most beautiful, people will buy them regardless of what they are made of or how they are processed.
