RW Soul: FAMU Students Encourage Other Students to “Keep off the Grass”

Florida A&M University students met on the quadrangle to instill pride in the campus community—one strand of grass at a time.

“Students, especially, should do their part to take care of their campus,” said D’Andra Escuffery, an 18-year old freshmen nursing student from Ft. Lauderdale. “We’ve been out here for an hour trying to explain to students that keeping off the grass and taking pride in the university’s appearance is just the beginning.”

The students are a part of Jeffery Mills’ African-American history class, and decided to take the matters of instilling school pride and spirit into their peers in their own hands after a class lecture.

“My class is currently studying about an era in which there was a boom of black-owned businesses and the pride surrounding them,” said Mills. “I noticed that lately the university has been doing a great deal to keep the institution looking it’s best. Encouraging students to keep off the grass is just one way to promote that same pride and ownership, as well as cultivate an attitude for what the university stands for.”

According to Mills, this is just the beginning. Mills and his students plan to continue their efforts to “keep the campus green.” He also noted that each student earns extra credit for

participating and they will be on the quad for the remainder of the week.

Keontra Campbell, a 19-year-old freshmen history education student from Pensacola, stated if those benefiting directly from FAMU [students] do not act as though the institution has any significance, then outsiders would not see its significance either.

“It’s up to us to see that others learn about FAMU’s history and take part in preserving it,” he said. “Encouraging students to avoid walking on the grass is the least we can do.”

FAMU President James H. Ammons made his way to the quad to greet and congratulate the students for their effort.

“The effort made by these students symbolizes so much more than what meets the eye,” said Ammons. “By encouraging their peers to keep off the grass, students are not only encouraging other students to preserve the appearance of the institution, they are, in turn, instilling a sense of pride in students.”