Sustainability: Enriching Students' Lives and Raising Awareness

As a student in Policy, Planning, and Development, one of the most exciting and interesting things I learned about in the past is sustainability. Nothing in particular, just any sustainable effort of any sorts, whether applied to real estate or not is exciting and interesting. Perhaps part of my interest in trying to help the world heal itself stems from the fact that I am a surfer, and I immerse myself in an ocean which seems to become more polluted every day, not to mention that my surf spots might disappear as the water level rises in the future.

It is no secret that Global Warming is already taking effect on the world. Rain patterns have shifted, unseasonably warm temperatures are occurring in certain states, and certain islands have already become submerged underwater. It is because of this that I believe the university, specifically the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California needs to do more to educate their students by offering a class which teaches about sustainable efforts and Global Warming. The class should not be mandatory for all students, but I believe the university should strongly urge students in the College to take the class. The class should have rotating professors to keep the course relevant and fresh, as well as provide different perspectives. For example, USC Policy, Planning and Development Professor and Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo, could explain the efforts of urbanization and sprawl and its’ effects on the environment as well as what can be done in the future to build more wisely. Another week could have geologists come in and explain how the Earth is changing. The opportunities for professors in all walks of life to come teach for a week are myriad.

As a supplement to the class, I believe students enrolled in the class should have a final project which is done as a class to incorporate more sustainable elements into our campus. Perhaps we can dedicate one vacant area on campus to grow corn for Ethanol production for alternative fuel. Although it has already been done before at USC, students enrolled in the class should also plant grass on top of each building (if possible) to add more green to our campus, although it may not be visible to people on the surface level.

The university itself should consider sustainable development when building new dorms, housing or research faculties. Should the university have to renovate outdated buildings, sustainable efforts must be on the agenda.

Though these are small steps, they are steps needed to be taken. Many small steps still can travel a great distance. The neighborhood in which USC resides does not have sustainable efforts put into place. Perhaps a raised awareness of sustainability will eventually spread throughout the community. This is why I urge the University of Southern California’s College of Letters, Arts, and Science dedicate a class to raising awareness to sustainability.

Donald Trump: Doctor of Humane Letters Nominee

When thinking of someone who should receive an honorary degree in the field of Real Estate Development, it is really hard to pin point names. It is a field of work which takes many people to make deals go through, and usually very difficult to find one name in particular to give any credit to. However, my nomination did not take too much thought. I attend the University of Southern California, a university which I have always held an extremely high regard for even before getting accepted. I believe that if anyone receives any sort of recognition from my university, that person has to be pretty special.

Donald Trump is my nomination for the University of Southern California’s Doctor of Humane Letters, an award for Outstanding Citizens. At first glance one might think, “Donald Trump? Isn’t he the guy from ‘The Apprentice’, the television show?” While yes, he was the man on “The Apprentice” let us not forget his profession: Real Estate Development. Donald Trump is not the type of man I admire because of his Sustainable efforts, which I believe are fairly non existent in his planning, but because of his tenacity and creativity. In my field, one should not aspire to greatness thinking only terms of the number of houses and buildings one has built. Rather, take a deeper look into role models. Donald Trump is a very public figure in both Real Estate and Show Business. It is pretty safe to say in more recent times, his celebrity has probably outweighed his reputation as a homebuilder.

As a builder, Donald Trump has not always been the most successful person. Trump has been in bankruptcy and has previously held a lot of debt, one of the bigger figures reported at two billion dollars of debt. But I do not wish to focus on his past failures. Instead, I really want to commend him on his creativity and tenacity. In business, it is often too easy to file for bankruptcy and call it a day. Donald Trump did not settle for the easy way. Trump kept working at it, doing whatever he could to pay off his debts. In the mean time, he has done plenty to promote other businesses which bear his name. Whether its Trump Vodka, or “The Apprentice”, I admire his willingness and ability to promote himself and his name at all costs. It is this kind of raw business savvy which holds no regard for anyone else’s opinion but his own which really strikes me as admirable. Donald Trump is a man who marches to the beat of his own drum and that is something which we all need to admire in this world where complacency and “fitting in” seem to become more and more of the norm.

Donald Trump is not only a great nominee because of his achievements in life, but also because politically it is a good move to nominate and award people who are of high status or wealth. It is no secret that many universities nominate and hand out awards because there is usually a hefty donation made thereafter. With a man like Trump who has a lot of money, it certainly would not hurt any university to honor him with an award. For my university in particular, Real Estate Development is part of the School of Policy, Planning and Development, which is a rather small portion of the university. With a man like Trump who specializes in everything that we learn, his presence and donations would go a long way in the promotion of my major and School of Policy, Planning and Development.