Student Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford College due to construction in the surrounding area, but the representatives did not decide on a new location. Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Clay Dickerson, Council president and third-year College student, spoke on the mass shooting that took place at Florida State University Thursday, which left two students dead and six injured.
The resolution to protect the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford College was sponsored by first-year College Rep. Patrick Jo. As one of three residential colleges on Grounds, Hereford College acts as both a dormitory and community designed to provide a culturally diverse environment and engaging programs for the students who apply to live there.
Hereford is designed with a focus on environmental sustainability and teaches student sustainable practices through a series of courses and an annual retreat partnering with the Contemplative Sciences Center. Hereford has the largest outdoors space of any residence on Grounds, including an orchard tended to by the residents and a basketball hoop donated in memory of Class of 2000 alumnus Humayun Khan, a Purple Heart recipient and past resident of Hereford.
According to Jo, the University sent an email to Hereford residents Friday announcing that these two areas right off of Hereford Drive will undergo construction to clear space for dumpsters. Jo noted the University has had these construction plans for over a year but students were just recently given notice of these plans. His resolution aimed to halt the construction that began Monday and place the dumpsters elsewhere.
Since the University’s notification, a petition to end this construction in order to protect the orchard and basketball hoop was started by residents. It states that these areas must be preserved due to historical significance as well as the view the orchard provides to passerbys.
“Hereford’s orchard has been around since circa 2007 as part of our sustainability garden,” the petition reads. “Instead of the site of abundant trees being the first thing people see when coming to Hereford — a residential college known for its sustainability — they would see two gaudy dumpsters obstructing their view.”
Second-year College representatives Brian Ng and Ian Travis both spoke to this legislation, arguing that Student Council should instead amend the resolution to build an orchard elsewhere since construction has already begun. Jo responded by saying it is important to support the Hereford residents and urged the adoption of his original resolution regardless of the construction having started Monday.
“[Hereford residents] are resilient and are fighting to protect what they cherish,” Jo said. “It’s our job to support them so, with that, I urge a ‘yes’ vote on this resolution.”
However, after further discussion of the infeasibility of getting the University to be receptive to halting construction, the representatives amended Jo’s resolution to say the orchard and basketball hoop — rather than the dumpsters — would be relocated, with a new location to be determined. This amended resolution passed unanimously among representatives.
The Council also heard from Dickerson at Tuesday’s meeting regarding the fatal mass shooting that took place on the FSU campus Thursday evening. Dickerson noted that Thursday’s shooting can raise many feelings for University students who were here during the Nov. 13, 2022 shooting on Grounds that left three football players dead, and he reminded Council members of resources on Grounds to support students through this time.
“[FSU is] a member of the ACC,” Dickerson said. “Our athletes compete against them, but they are a friend of ours … I just wanted to remind everybody … to be there for each other.”
Tuesday’s meeting additionally featured an update from Dickerson and Micah Andrews, chief of Support and Access Services and second-year College student, regarding a recent fundraising initiative.
During big-little matching across University sororities which took place between Feb. 4 and the end of March, older sorority members receive a member of the newest pledge class as their “little sister” and many choose to surprise their littles with gifts before revealing their identities. Bigs were given the opportunity to purchase a $10 ticket through the Hullabahoo Instagram to have their little serenaded by a Hullabahoo member with all proceeds going to the Council’s Mutual Aid.
Dickerson and Andrews said a collaboration with the Hullabahoo a capella group raised a total of $715 for U.Va. Mutual Aid — a program providing grants to students in an effort to build a more equitable University.
Student Council will reconvene for the final general body meeting of the Spring 2025 semester Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
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