The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Sustainability moved from Student Affairs to Facilities on April 1, 2022, and since then student workers have had no transparency from administration about the future of the office.

On April 12, 2022, student workers found out that their jobs were being put on “pause” starting May 13, 2022 with no guarantee that they would ever return to work.

In response to this message, student workers advocated to meet with the administrators involved in making this decision. However, administrators responded with unwillingness, insincerity, misunderstandings, and overall no real answers.

It is clear that administrators did not feel that students should be involved in this process or that they should be stakeholders in these decisions.

These positions and the Office of Sustainability are essential to meeting the university’s sustainability goals and becoming a leader in sustainability in our community.

Additionally, this petition highlights the inequity that exists within UNO surrounding transparency towards students.

Students pay for this university to exist, and yet students are not included in the process, pushed out of the decisions that directly affect them, and are invalidated when they bring up concerns that impact their education, wellbeing, and future.

Administration has made it clear that they do not prioritize a green campus. Students continue to lead efforts in sustainability at UNO, but without a properly funded office and student workers to support that office, sustainability initiatives will cease. Student-led initiatives include: composting in housing and dining halls, community garden, providing students with free produce, peer to peer sustainability education, free bus rides for UNO students, enhancing engagement, forming partnerships with different local businesses, and more.

All of these initiatives and more could cease to exist if the Office of Sustainability is not supported and prioritized by the university.

Please sign this petition!