By JENESSA MATIS
Copy Editor
When Meaghan Hurley first had the opportunity to become president of the Environmental Club at Saint Rose, she was a bit hesitant. “I’ve never been president of anything, so I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to handle it and if I would have time to do it at all,” she said.
Hurley is in her junior year and is a double major, studying elementary and special education with a concentration in history. Taking a total of 17 credits this semester, she has a busy schedule (and that is without the extracurricular activities she participates in).
Before becoming president of the Environmental Club, Hurley was a member for one year. She joined the club when she was a sophomore, and took on her role as president starting in the fall of 2013. She said,
“I was really involved last year and I liked doing it. Nobody ran for president, so I said ‘Yes.’” As President of the Environmental Club, she mostly organizes the club’s events. She reserves locations, buys anything the event might call for, and delegates different jobs for the other officers. She also has to attend Student Association meetings in order to represent the Environmental Club. She said these meetings are “boring,” and they are her least favorite part about being president. She also said that she dislikes the Student Association rules and regulations over the club.
Some of the most popular events that Hurley organizes for the Environmental Club include fi eld trips, a “green” fashion show, and Do it in the Dark. The fashion show, called the Green Pageant, showcases dresses that students make out of reused and recyclable materials. Do it in the Dark is an event that takes place in the dark in order to raise awareness about saving energy. Hurley plans to have board games, wind-up flash lights, a bicycle-powered light bulb, bike raffles, and arts and crafts at the event. This year, Do it in the Dark will take place Thursday, March 13, from 7-9 p.m. in the Main Lounge.
According to Hurley, she was born in Long Island, but her family moved to Westerly Rhode Island when she was 3. “Taylor Swift’s house is there,” she mused. Her parents divorced when she was a child, but she said her dad is about to remarry. She has a younger brother and a stepsister. Most of her family is Irish, and she is in the process of getting her Irish citizenship. She said most of her family lives in New York, but some still live in Ireland.
Gearing up for Earth Week, which is April 21-25, she has been busy planning events for the Environmental Club. She said the club will show the fi lm Tapped, sell Camelbak water bottles, have bike raffles, and bring in local children to plant flowers in the college garden. On Earth Day, there will be a green vendor fair, where local “green” businesses come to visit and talk about what they do and make.
Aside from the Environmental Club, Hurley is also a professional development co-chair for The College of Saint Rose’s chapter of Council for Exceptional Children. This national club’s mission is “to be the voice and vision for special education.” Through the Council for Exceptional Children, Hurley spends 4 hours a week tutoring a girl with multiple disabilities. When she is not busy with schoolwork and after school activities, Hurley prefers to read for pleasure. She said she likes “historical fiction” the most, but she also likes to read articles online.
She mentioned that she enjoys arts and crafts, but she said she doesn’t have a lot of time for that anymore with her busy schedule. She further added that she considers herself a “coffee shop explorer,” and likes to visit local coffee shops to see what they have to offer. In reference to the involvement level of the Saint Rose community with the Environmental Club Hurley said, “I don’t think a lot of people care about helping out… especially the younger class.”
She did add that she would like to have a few more devoted members in the club. Hurley said the best part about being president of the Environmental Club is that she gets to be involved more on campus and meet new people. “Any little thing [the club does for the environment] helps,” she noted.
Hopefully Hurley will continue her efforts to make Saint Rose a more environmentally-friendly school.
