Every day thousands of students, faculty and visitors walk, run, bike and even stroll through the IU campus. Rich with tradition and aesthetic beauty, IU's campus has been critically acclaimed for decades.\n \n In 1991 Thomas Gaines compiled a list of 100 campuses and evaluated them for urban space, the quality of architecture, landscaping and overall visual and physical appeal. IU was fifth on the list only after Stanford, Princeton, Wellsley and Colorado universities.\n IU Vice President Terry Clapacs knows the importance of keeping the University's campus beauty up to its historical standard.\n "We spend a lot of time thinking about the character and tradition of IU's campus," Clapacs said. "Our goal is to always uphold the standards that the students, faculty, staff and public have come to hold us to."\n But IU's campus has not always looked the way it does today. \nAccording to Clapacs, when the land for Dunn Woods was acquired for $40,000 in 1883 from Moses F. Dunn, it was all farmland. Throughout the course of history the campus has traditionally spread north and west, encompassing various acreage from Bloomington estates and the Dunn family. The areas that are now seen as dense greenery and towering trees were once open fields with sparsely placed trees and shrubs. Looking back in the IU archives, one can find photos dating back to 1948 that show Woodlawn Field covered with trailers inhabited by G.I.s during the post-World War II era.\n \n Since then the campus has grown tremendously, both in size and in the maturity of the landscaping.\n Today the IU campus spans more than 2,000 acres, with a crew of 35-45 groundskeepers concentrating on a central 300 acres that have become one of IU's many claims to fame. According to Clapacs, the groundskeeping crews of the past consisted of around 60 people. With such a dramatic decrease in manpower, covering a large amount of acreage makes for a rather difficult task.\n Dave Hurst, manager of the Campus Division of Groundskeeping, acknowledges the difficulty and hard work that goes into the maintainence of the Bloomington campus.\n "Every year we change and plant flowers three separate times," he said. "In the early fall, approximately 7,000 to 8,000 mums are planted. With late fall comes the planting of tulip bulbs, and currently we are undertaking the major task of planting about 40,000 to 50,000 annuals."\n But the job of an IU campus groundskeeper does not stop there. \n Mowing, trimming and the general upkeep of the campus are spring through fall activities. With the winter season comes the obvious threat of snow and ice, and for the IU groundskeepers, a headache.\n "Snow removal is the least fun part of the job," Hurst said. "We just try to cope."\n Snow is not the only headache for IU groundskeepers. Since the campus is densely populated with towering trees and lush vegetation, fallen leaves pose a definite problem.\n \n "We spend all winter trying to get leaves up," Hurst said. "There are many areas that we cannot access until Christmas and spring break."\n Hurst added that the groundskeepers also have to prepare University grounds for special events.\n "The Sample Gates are a major focal point, and many ceremonies are held there each year. We also try to concentrate on the Assembly Hall area during the months leading up to Commencement."\n But even though the work can be strenuous and trying at times, groundskeepers such as Bill Thomas enjoy the work they do.\n "The most rewarding part of my job is just getting to be outside," Thomas said.\n The upkeep of campus -- being such a large area requiring so much attention and maintenance -- is very costly. \n \n "A lot of what we spend the IU Foundation helps us with. We also have a flower and bulb fund now so most of the flowers and bulbs come from specified areas," Clapacs said. "(But) our budget has been cut dramatically so it gets harder and harder to keep the campus looking the way it does."\n Groundskeepers are now working on making sure the areas surrounding Wright Quad, Read Center, Forest Quad and central campus are prepared for the upcoming freshman orientation. Hurst said the knowledge that the beauty of IU draws much support from alumni, students, faculty and the community as a whole is a driving factor in IU's annual planning.\n \n "The faculty and students of IU have come to expect seeing those flowers outside of their buildings, classrooms and offices," Hurst said. "Indiana University is one of the few campuses that will try their best not to cut down trees and landscaping in order to make room for new parking lots or buildings."\n But sometimes for the greater good, a new building must be erected in order to make room for more classrooms and research facilities. But the task in designing that building is not taken lightly.
According to Clapacs, one of the main things that makes IU so unique is the consistency of the building and landscaping.\n There has been a general conformity throughout time of the buildings and the landscaping that surrounds those buildings. This is done to make the visual appearance and feel of IU as pleasing as possible, since, as Hurst put it, "the beauty of IU is, in a many cases, why students choose to come here."\n IU business major Mike Zuckerman, a senior, said IU's landscape was a big part of his choice to attend.\n \n Columbus resident Sarah Seigmann and her nephew Zac Haffey take a Sunday afternoon stroll through Dunn's Woods. Seigmann said they enjoy appreciating nature.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n \n "When I came to visit this school, the visual appearance was definitely one of the determining factors in my decision to come here," Zuckerman said. "Comparing it to other universities the beauty was far superior."\n Transfer student Chris Kulla, a junior, agreed.\n "I was extremely impressed with the overall look of the campus compared to that of other large universities that I had visited," Kulla said. "It gave the school a more homey feel to it and it made me more comfortable in coming here. It just felt like a big backyard."\n The administration recognizes this trend and has come to adopt the principle that when a person's surroundings are pleasant and enjoyable to be in, they work harder. It has also long been felt that the beauty of the campus helps to educate the students to the value of life, said Clapacs.\n "We believe there is a strong tie between academic excellence and aesthetic quality of the surroundings," Clapacs said. "The students perform better, the faculty want to be here and new students want to come here." \n There seems to be a mutual respect for the picturesque surroundings of IU since there have been few occurrences of vandalism and damages to the landscaping itself. But there always seem to be a few bad apples in the bunch, and Pamela Freeman, assistant dean of students and director of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs, deals with such offenders.\n "Each condition is taken on a case-by-case basis. Punishment could range anywhere from verbal reprimand and could conceivably go as far as expulsion," she said. "The sanction is determined by what would best educate the student."\n \n In an effort to further protect the rich tradition of beauty and prestige of specific parts of the campus, some areas -- now referred to as "green areas" -- are protected by University policy.\n These areas consist of Dunn Woods, Arboretum Center, Woodlawn Field, Bryan House grounds and Dunn Meadow. According to the Indiana University Policies Web site, the sites deemed green areas "shall be protected from activities that would alter their essential character." The site says "restricted activities include encroachment by new construction of facilities or site development except where necessary for health, safety, maintenance, or governmental compliance."\n This policy even goes for the removal of fallen trees in a landmark that is on the National Historic Registry, Dunn Woods. According to Clapacs, the fallen tree might be moved from the path, but the actual tree must remain in the woods. \n Clapacs also commented that the Dunn Cemetery, which last saw a burial in 1986, is also a landmark that cannot be moved or groomed in any way by the University. Along with Beck Chapel, which during the summer can see up to eight weddings per day, this area is one of the many points of interest for campus visits and tours.\n But the landscaping of IU's campus is not preserved merely for its beauty, said IU's Director of Media Relations Susan Dillman.\n \n "There are areas on campus such as Griffy Woods and some areas near Bradford Woods that were recently dedicated and set aside as a teaching preserve," Dillman said. "There are still large portions of parcels adjacent to those areas that could at some point be developed in the same manner if the Trustees of IU chose to do so."\n According to Clapacs, these areas are available to the science departments for research, projects and the heightening of the learning process.\n The serene beauty of IU is both a valuable classroom for hands-on learning and a relaxing retreat for students, faculty and the public. Overall there has been a tremendous effort by administrations of the past and present to maintain the honor and prestige of the IU surroundings. Herman B Wells, former President and Chancellor of IU, made a great deal of effort in preserving the beauty and tradition of the campus, said Dave Hurst.\n "One of Dr. Wells' many legacies was the preservation of the beauty of the campus," he said. "It makes people happy, and that makes us happy"
