Woke up to sad frustrating news about the environmental college I graduated from and loved. They’re selling the campus and turning to distance Ed & hybrid learning PERMANENTLY, and fired some vital [amazing] professors. 😭🤬😭 Went on a neighborhood walk to clear my mind and get outta this funk I’m feeling. Alumni are going OFF on Facebook. Mike and I met at that college. I was “weird” in HS for caring about recycling and being fascinated by snakes and for touching bugs. But then I went to that college and everyone else was the same. I found my people there. Students chose Unity in Maine BECAUSE of how unique and special the HANDS ON education and in-the-field learning opportunities were. It’s all about community, small class sizes, connecting with other like-minded nature nerds, and networking with the best most knowledgable environmental professors. I get that during corona they need to be online. But to do so permanently and get rid of the campus and the animals on-site and obliterate the town businesses all at once?! I helped Maine State Black Bear biologists do den surveys. Our marine bio lab took vans of students to the coast to do tidepool research. I went to a professors yard to learn how to mistnet and band songbirds. We had a trail system on campus and an outdoor gear rental shop. Our orientation was a week long trip (Mike and I transferred in chose to backpack part of the 100 mile wilderness on the AT, but in different directions). A coral propagation room and a sustainable farm and an off the grid Eco dorm (etc) were all added soon after we graduated in 2011. YOU CAN’T GET THAT KIND OF EDUCATION ONLINE. This should not be permanent! But I digress. It’s happening. I can no longer dream of going back with Mike to where we first officially met. Or having my future kids, if they wanted an environmental career, also attend Unity and get the same hands on unique education we got. I had wanted to post some college memories instead of this Cali lake, but I can’t look through those albums right now. I feel for the current students enrolled and for the faculty trying to navigate this change, and the boards decision. 💔 #ScrewCorona (at Jenkinson Lake) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDcaDnlgN68/?igshid=e55jjzctrvyu
