Lastly, a community of scholars needs more than just fast elevators and shuttle buses; it needs green spaces that can improve the health and well-being of its students. One glaring difference between Baruch and the ideal college we imagined is the lack of greenery, and this cannot be ignored. The advantages that greenery provides students are vast. Studies done by Classroom in Nature, reveal that learning outdoors increases students’ cognitive and comprehension abilities due to the utilization of senses. The outdoor environment allows for more practical conversations and changes the students’ perspectives of their teachers. Furthermore, the students become engaged when they aren’t confined by the classroom. If we employed green spaces on campus, we would facilitate a more productive learning environment for all students at Baruch College. The benefits do not end there;  studies done by mental health experts at the University of Exeter Medical School show that greenery lowers stress levels and improves long term mental health. There are multiple options to choose from when incorporating greenery. One way is to plant trees around the campus, which could have a major impact on students during times of high stress. We can follow City College’s example and bring greenery to Baruch by getting volunteers from “Million Trees NYC” to come down to our campus. Another alternative would be a roof-top garden on either the Mason Hall building or the Vertical Campus. Adding a garden would be simple, only requiring a small renovation. Once again, we can look to CCNY’s new green building as an example for this project.

Professional organizations and groups are not the only places from which we can get help. Student organizations and clubs can help integrate greenery as well. One method to get students involved is to offer them community service hours in exchange for their time and efforts. You can utilize the community you have created in Baruch, and allow it to come together and help the school grow.

We leave here in hopes of change. We hope you will keep our speech in mind as you consider how to make this school—our school—even better. It is time to renovate, build community, and increase access, to make Baruch home- everybody’s home. We could say it’s impossible to make such an ideal vision of a campus community at Baruch, but we know that the impossible is only a series of smaller possibilities. Before the renovations of the Newman Vertical Campus, think how many said it was impossible for Baruch to secure a place as a graduating four year institution let alone a prominent place in the lower east side skyline. But now Baruch is in the sky and student loyalty has skyrocketed, with the first year student retention rate currently standing at 91%. If the same is done for the Lawrence and Eris Building, we think Baruch could soar. We can achieve these changes; if we did it once- we can do it again. For the students. For us. For Baruch.