Volunteers to help keep campus clean Sunday

A school of little brown minnows darts through the legs of two young girls standing in the Jordan River by the Indiana Memorial Union trying to catch the slippery fish in a paper cup. The water around them is crisp and clear. Graduate student Amanda Robbins wants it to stay that way.\nRobbins is leading a group of volunteers in giving the Jordan River a good scrubbing this Sunday. \n"This campus is so amazingly beautiful and it's a shame that we aren't taking good care of the river system by clogging it with useless trash," Robbins said.\nA hundred feet or so behind Woodburn Hall, the top half of a Chic-Fil-A paper cup nests in a group of branches trapped by the bank.\n"I keep walking by it and when I was in classes last semester, it was really dirty, really dingy, and I just felt like I should do something," Robbins said.\nAt points in the Jordan River in front of the Delta Gamma house, one has to wonder if the river is receiving money for the advertising it is dishing out. A Doritos bag there. A Pop Tart wrapper here. A Coca-Cola bottle somewhere else.\n"Every time I walked by the Delta Gamma house, it just made me cringe," Robbins said.\nThe group will begin their clean-up in front of the Delta Gamma house at 3 p.m. Sunday and make its way to the end of Dunn Meadow. Robbins said she expects it to last about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how many people show up. She said she hopes at least 20 come.\n"I think she'll get a half-decent turnout," said graduate student Brad Muise, an employee with the IU Department of Environmental Health & Safety.\nThe department will be providing gloves and goggles for students who wish to use them. Robbins will be providing the garbage bags and bagels. Starbucks will provide coffee. Robbins said she expects to spend between $10 and $20.\n"We're assisting with the clean-up, providing nitrile (rubber) gloves to the students," Muise said. "We've advised them in certain ways. If they have open sores, it may not be a smart thing to go in."\nMuise said the water is clean, though.\n"I think it's great," Muise said. "The pH level is perfect. I've tested it several times."\nA Target plastic bag hides behind some foliage -- an inviting mark for the group Sunday.\n"It's not just about me cleaning the river; it's about getting people together to enjoy a Sunday afternoon," Robbins said.\nA Nestea bottle looks as if it is holding up three rocks. Someone had to have wedged it in there.\n"If people show up and have a great time and feel that their being there has made a difference, then this will be a success," Robbins said.\nAn IU parking ticket on the bank. Not far from there, an all-natural granola bar wrapper also lies on the bank. An unfortunate mistake perhaps.\n"The river isn't cleaned on a regular basis per se," Muise said. "If there is something that gets in the river, Physical Plant is called and they can remove debris. But if there is something found that is a chemical concern, they would call us and we would check it out."\nA giant berry lies still while fish occasionally take a bite out of it -- even Mother Nature has a littering problem. The fish already have finished off the crumbs that once inhabited the empty Ruffles bag floating on the river. \n"I'm a graduate student and felt I needed to get involved while I was still at IU," Robbins said.\nNot far from the girls trying to catch fish, a young boy pulls a Starburst out of his pocket, unwraps it and places the candy in his mouth. He then proceeds to stuff the wrapper back into his pocket. At least that's one less thing for Robbins to pick up Sunday.\nFor more information on how you can help, call Robbins at 339-4315 or e-mail her at amjrobbi@indiana.edu.