Community creates arboretum petition

What began as a conversation among students has turned into a formal petition urging Troy University administrators to pave the front entrance of the campus arboretum. 

Organizers said the unpaved entrance has developed significant potholes that pose safety and accessibility concerns for students, faculty and visitors. 

“I have worked in the Arboretum for the past year, and in that year we’ve started to see a degradation in the driveway, particularly the front entrance of the driveway before it gets to the paved section,” said Fisher Parrish, an environmental and biological sciences graduate student from Dothan, Alabama, and one of the organizers of the petition. 

The entrance to the arboretum remains unpaved. (Austin Horne photo)

Parrish is worried about visitors of the arboretum potentially damaging their vehicles. He said the growing size of the potholes could leave someone with a low-clearance vehicle stuck and discourage visitors from returning. 

“It’s kind of your first impression of the Arboretum,” Parrish said. “If you come down that driveway, it’s rough and it doesn’t really make you want to come back.” 

According to its website, the arboretum is a facility that supports research and education while also being an accessible place for the public to enjoy nature. It is a place Victoria Martin, a biomedical sciences graduate student from Birmingham, Alabama, and another organizer of the petition, believes is important for staff and students alike.  

“A lot of people don’t know about the arboretum, which is crazy to me,” Martin said. “It’s a really beautiful place.  

“It’s a big thing that Troy could be using better. It's big for our students, but also our faculty who conduct research out there.” 

She said research is often an overlooked aspect in the university, and in the science field it is often difficult to receive funding.  

“I wanted to try and raise more attention to the science department because I feel like not a lot of people really pay attention to the research side of things,” Martin said. “You might not think paving the road is part of research, but it really is.” 

Martin believes the university’s response to the petition will be vital in the willingness for students to advocate for issues important to them in the future.  

“Being able to speak out about what we want changed and hopefully getting a response from that would truly show that Troy listens to the students,” Martin said. 

While some organizers view the petition as a test of student advocacy, others believe it to be more rooted in accessibility and inclusion. Sydney Bernard, an environmental sciences graduate student from Richmond, Virginia, helped circulate the petition on social media and said her involvement is motivated by concerns of accessibility.  

“For people with mobility challenges, specifically people who use a wheelchair, it’s hard for them to get over surfaces that aren’t paved,” Bernard said. “If that dirt becomes wet, their chairs can get stuck easily.”  

Bernard believes addressing the issue would make it more accessible for everyone, benefiting students, the university and the broader community. She is passionate about this concern due to her experience with a family member that faces mobility challenges. 

“My twin sister has cerebral palsy,” Bernard said. “Growing up with someone who is a wheelchair user and seeing that they don’t have as much access to things, and thinking about her or somebody else with mobility challenges being able to use the space made me want to get involved.” 

Some community members online shared concerns over the funding of this project. Bernard said organizers are not asking the community for money but hope the university will recognize the issue and address it.  

“We’re not asking people in Pike County to fund this,” Bernard said. “We’re just trying to get the university to recognize the problem and commit to fixing it.” 

Organizers said they plan to continue collecting signatures in hopes of increasing awareness about accessibility and maintenance concerns at the arboretum. 

Students interested in signing the petition can find flyers posted around campus or contact Fisher Parrish at fparrish@troy.edu.