Photo provided by Tabitha Giacalone
By Victoria Durgin, Editor in Chief
The new assistant director of sustainability, Tabitha Giacalone, has only been at Susquehanna for roughly two months, but she already has plans for the Office of Sustainability.
Giacalone filled a position that remained empty for the fall semester after former head Derek Martin left the university in August.
“A lot of good work has already happened here, and I’m just excited to come in and learn about that work and then continue to push forward,” said Giacalone.
Giacalone’s interest in sustainability began when she was completing her undergraduate work at Slippery Rock University, where she credits her time on Slippery Rock’s student government committee for sustainability with charting a course for her future.
“I started going to these meetings, completely in over my head, but then I ended up realizing I liked the work and I could do it as a career.”
After completing her bachelor of science in environmental studies and sustainability, she returned to Slippery Rock to complete two master’s degrees- one in student affairs and the other in environmental education.
From there she went to Lycoming College, where she worked as part of the residence life staff to assist students and monitor a residence hall.
This time left a mark on Giacalone, as she said the experience showed her how much the COVID-19 pandemic affected students and their college experience.
“What may have worked for students before [COVID-19] may not work now, and we need to be aware of that and work with that fact.”
Giacalone said she wants to keep this in mind as she and her staff begin to plan events and outreach campaigns to get more students interested in sustainability.
At Susquehanna, Giacalone supervises a staff of six students who work on various projects within the office. he said that she hopes to provide each employee with an experience that teaches them something useful.
“I want an employment experience to be something that provides skills for the future,” Giacalone said.
First-year Leah Eisenhauer started work with the office this semester and runs the Terracycling program, which works to recycle certain materials that traditional recycling plants cannot accept for disposal..
“I am just as new as Tabitha is with the [office] so it is nice that I am not alone in this new journey of my college career,” Eisenhauer said. “She is very friendly and determined to improve the recognition for this committee.”
Giacalone said each student worker within the office collectively assists with programming and outreach efforts across campus. One of the office’s goals for this semester and future years is to increase the “visibility” of the program across campus.
She also wants to form and strengthen relationships between Susquehanna and the broader Selinsgrove community to aid in environmental outreach and education for local residents.
Giacalone said she wants to develop relationships with faculty, staff and students in all departments to show how sustainability can intersect with any line of work or study.
“Sustainability touches everything and affects everyone, and I want to share how the work can touch specific departments and programs around Susquehanna and beyond,” Giacalone said.
She also wants students to know that she is available at any time for anyone with questions or ideas about Susquehanna’s sustainability initiatives.
Giacalone’s office is in the lower level of the Degenstein Campus Center in the Johnson Center for Civic Engagement across from the WQSU studio. She can also be reached at giacalonet@susqu.edu.
