Cleanup gives Northern a clean sweep

This year, the campus cleanup at Montana State University-Northern was planned to fall on Earth Day to celebrate the students' effort to keep the campus clean and to do their part to protect the environment

Denise Brewer, the director of student activities, said Campus Cleanup is a long-standing tradition at Northern.

This year, the Sustainability Club is putting on the cleanup, she said.

"The fact that it has been going on for over 30 years says that it's a generational endeavor," Chancellor James Limbaugh said.

Aside from general chores like raking leaves, sweeping pathways, picking up trash and so on, students signed up for the day were also challenged to pick up as many cigarette butts as they could.

The team or person who collected the largest weight of cigarette butts received a $75 gift certificate to the university bookstore.

This competition was decided upon as an extension of the student senate's consideration of the policy change to a tobacco-free campus. The tobacco policy change was on the student senate ballot, but not enough people voted and the results were too close for the senate to propose the policy change.

Students passing through the Student Union Building were also asked to sign their name on either of two sheets of paper; one for a tobacco-free campus and one to keep the current policy.

At the end of the noon to 4 p.m. cleanup, too few people had signed them for them to be substantial enough to consider.

Michael Schulteis, a student at Northern, said this was his fourth year participating in Campus Cleanup.

"I do it because I like to get involved with my campus," Schulteis said. "I want a clean campus when I walk to class and it makes the university look good. It's all about image."

Read and see more about the Northern Campus Cleanup in Friday's issue of the Havre Daily News, in the Hi-Line Living section.