Brownwood News – The upkeep of Howard Payne University’s campus is a year-round job. The university’s grounds and facilities personnel take pride in keeping the campus looking beautiful and operating efficiently. However, the summer months provide opportunities for larger projects to be completed so the campus will be ready for the fall semester.
This summer’s projects include the remodel of Room 123 in the Winebrenner Hall of Science, installation of new air conditioning and heating equipment in the Jennings Hall men’s residence facility, removal of flooring and installation of new carpet in the Veda Hodge Hall women’s residence facility and work on the Central Plant chiller.
“The Office of University Facilities and Planning spends a vast portion of the summer repairing student housing in preparation for the fall semester,” said Terry Pritchett, assistant vice president for facilities and planning. “All these improvements will aid in either the living or teaching of students by providing basic necessities such as air conditioning, improved teaching space and improved living spaces.”
Beyond the appearance of campus, care for the environment on campus is very important to the university personnel. Michael Rodgers, chief financial officer and vice president for finance and administration, said that the campus grounds are a vital feature of the university.
“When parents or new students walk on our campus, we want them to understand that we care about our campus and how it looks,” he said. “As a Christian, I feel very strongly that we need to take care of what God has entrusted to us for His glory and honor. That was part of the mandate in the Garden of Eden, to take care of God’s creation the best way that we can.”
In an effort to fulfill this mandate, HPU uses organic products on the campus grounds. Pritchett and Bret Martin, grounds supervisor, said that the use of organic products had been a goal of theirs for the university because of the many benefits.
“The positives of going organic are that the soil gets much healthier and beneficial microbes increase quite a bit,” said Pritchett. “Our team applies fertilizer only in amounts needed by the soil, which allows us to save time and money. In addition, proper application rates prevent the fertilizer from being washed into the streams during heavy rain events.”
Applications are still being accepted for the fall 2018 semester at Howard Payne University (www.hputx.edu/apply). HPU offers a variety of financial aid options, including scholarships for students from Brown County and surrounding counties. For more information about HPU, contact HPU’s Office of Admission at 325-649-8020 or by e-mail at enroll@hputx.edu.
