Nov 19, 2015 By Anthony Conn managing Editor 3 min read

As Waynesburg University’s student governing body, the Student Senate has been proven to have influence on various campus matters throughout the years. This year, a part of the Senate’s focus has turned to improving the appearance of Waynesburg’s campus.

While the implementation of a garden outside of Buhl Hall has been ongoing for several months, the focus of campus beautification has shifted to the wintertime.

During a meeting on Nov. 12, the Student Senate voted in favor of purchasing lights for a Christmas tree on campus. The vote tallied nine members of Senate in favor of purchasing lights and four opposed. The Senate previously voted in favor of allocating up to $300 toward the purchase of a Christmas tree in late October.The Christmas tree is expected to be about nine feet tall and will be revealed to students and faculty on Dec. 1. 

“This is something the students wanted and I’m glad to see it coming to life,” said Shon Meade, sophomore senator and member of the Senate Beautification Committee. “I feel like the addition of the tree will bring bright things to campus. I hope that the tree will bring people together.”

Last year, Student Senate Secretary Ryan Schwertfeger passed around a petition on campus, collecting signatures of students that thought Christmas lights and a Christmas tree would be a worthwhile investment on campus.

Schwertfeger collected over 150 student signatures in 24 hours.

“I was extremely enthusiastic and excited to see both the tree bill and the Christmas lights bill pass the Senate, but even more pleased that students will see something they told me they wanted loudly and clearly,” said Schwertfeger. “It is not very often you can get a lot of people to agree on something in a short period of time, especially on a college campus. It was then I knew that this was an issue that students were passionate about and supportive of and that Student Senate could make a positive difference for the campus community.”

Schwertfeger thought of the idea during his freshman year at Waynesburg. After coming from a public high school, Schwertfeger was initially excited to see how Christmas was celebrated at a Christian university, but was surprised to not find a Christmas tree or many lights on campus. 

Schwertfeger feels that the addition of a tree and lights at Waynesburg figuratively and literally reinforces the university’s motto of “Fiat Lux,” or “Let there be light.”

The passing of the bill saw some opposition because of the cost. Student Senate allocated up to $300 for the Christmas tree and up to $250 for lights and a star tree topper. As discussed at the Nov. 12 Senate meeting, the plan was to purchase slightly more expensive lights in hopes they will last longer. The fact that the tree will continue to grow also raises the concern of how many lights will be needed long term. These are all issues Student Senate is working on before the grand reveal.

A “Light Up Night” is scheduled for Dec. 1 to introduce the Christmas tree to everyone on campus. Schwertfeger and the rest of Student Senate invite all students and faculty to attend and commemorate this momentous occasion at Waynesburg University.