Swig adopts pilot program
By Brittany Benjamin
As I stepped off the elevator onto the seventh floor of Swig, a passing resident cast a side glance at me as if I had just jumped into the Benson fountain naked.
I immediately understood my mistake: I took the elevator.
As members of SLURP, short for the Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project, Swig Residence Hall's seventh-floor residents earn university credit by integrating sustainability into their lives on campus -- including simple sustainable actions such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Under the direction of English professor John Farnsworth, the Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project is in its pilot year in the Cyphi Residential Learning Community. Residents, or SLURPers, will propose research ideas to test and improve sustainability on campus. In the process, they will earn university credit and build community.
"The community on seventh floor is better than a fraternity," Farnsworth said.
SLURP is composed of 32 residents of all classes, freshmen to seniors, who expressed interest in participating in the project last spring to Farnsworth.
Before winter break, SLURPers will propose their ideas to Farnsworth for their research projects to be carried out in winter quarter. These ideas include testing the ability to drink campus tap water and improving the environmental footprint of Bon Appetit. Students will complete a research paper during spring that summarizes their research and findings.
"What I'm getting now are real rough-draft ideas," Farnsworth said. "It takes a lot of studying just to make a proposal."
Known by some as the underclassmen party dorm, Farnsworth initially thought it would be a problem to convince upperclassmen to return to Swig, but he believed giving upperclassmen single rooms would make living in Swig more appealing. Twelve upperclassmen do live in singles.
"I think it makes it an incredibly unique community," said senior Tommy Jewell, community facilitator on the floor. "The older group of people mentor the younger ones. The younger ones still have that passion at being new at college, which inspires the older ones."
SLURPers have formed this tight-knit community through shared interests and weekly dinners where all residents gather in the seventh floor lounge to prepare and eat dinner together.
"Everyone calls SLURP home," sophomore Liza Dadiomov said. "When we see each other, we'll say, 'See you at home.' "
SLURPers, who call themselves a sustainable family, partake in simple acts that help them live more sustainable and healthy lifestyles. This includes recycling, cooking their own food, taking the stairs and participating in meditative exercises.
"The people are down to earth," said sophomore Courtney Blann. "They're really motivated. We feed off of each other."
Two students even lead Tai Chi exercises every morning.
"We lead by example," said sophomore Rochelle Stowe, who believes SLURP is a way to apply education to her real life. "This is what an RLC is supposed to be like."
SLURPers said that all students could live a more sustainable lifestyle even without living in their community, by encouraging recycling, turning lights off after leaving a room, avoiding to-go boxes at Benson and attending local farmer's markets.
Jewell said SLURPers are still developing ideas for the projects and anyone is welcome to help them come up with ideas and help them with their projects. SLURP's current success may influence its continuation into the future.
Based on the extent of their research and their involvement in the program, each participant will earn four lower-division credits or five upper-division credits spring quarter.
"We are just pinching ourselves right now," said Farnsworth, who believes SLURP fits well into the Cyphi community. "I see this going for years as a long-range program."
Contact Brittany Benjamin at (408) 551-1918 or brbenjamin@scu.edu