Course catalogs hardly sustainable

By Editorial

In the past few years, "sustainability" has made its way into the pantheon of Santa Clara buzzwords. From plans to reduce university emissions to eco-friendly to-go containers and Barefoot Coffee, the university is doing its part to reduce its global footprint. Or at least they're trying, anyway.

"We want to stop killing trees," said Registrar Monica Augustin last week in defense of the once-impending move to paperless course catalogs.

It seems logical enough, right? A completely paperless registration doesn't seem particularly extraordinary; after all, we're halfway there.

Hopes of paperless registration, however, were quickly squashed by an Associated Students resolution to reinstate magazine-style course catalogs so popular among students.

It is precisely this popularity of the catalog that students can mark up as they desire that AS Vice President Bobby Philbrook cited as the primary reason for saving it from its ultimate doom. If there is a demand from students, Philbrook reasoned, course catalogs are worth being saved. As Philbrook said, "plastic is bad, too, but that doesn't mean we should get rid of the forks in Benson."

While Philbrook is absolutely right in his determination that student opinion should be considered in the formation of policy, he misses the sustainability boat entirely when he uses wide use to justify the continued promotion of non-environmentally friendly products.

Santa Clara students should be grateful to attend a university that has taken the green route, even when it is costly or, heaven forbid, a little less convenient. We as students must support the university's endeavors to make Santa Clara sustainable. In the meantime, those who want to mark up their catalogs can print them at home and highlight to their hearts' content.