Student activism to save a university farm: toward a grounded theory of community-valued places

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Youth, Place, and Environmental Citizenship

Abstract

This presentation recounts the story of student activism to save the campus farm at our flagship state university. This story speaks to land use challenges on university campuses as land becomes more valuable/desirable and/or limited. We use grounded theory to consider conceptions of campus places that play an outsize role in fostering community and changing students’ lives across multiple dimensions. We also consider ways to protect agricultural/gardening spaces on higher education campuses from encroachment and power. We hope that this work can assist campus communities in recognizing and honoring places of particular emotional, cultural, and social value so that campus planning decisions can better reflect community values.

Author

• Sarah Stapleton, University of Oregon