Students gather to protest housing project set to demolish Guilford Woods
Student organizers march across Mckeldin Mall at the “Save Guilford Woods” protest with a banner signed by attendees (Kayla Nazaire/The Black Explosion)
Jan-Micheal Archer, a doctoral student and protest organizer, stepped up to a podium in front of McKeldin Library on Friday to make one thing clear: the interest of wanting affordable graduate student housing was not mutually exclusive with opposing the destruction of Guilford Woods.
“We refuse to choose between housing and the environment,” Archer said. “We want both!”
Hundreds of students, professors and community residents flocked to McKeldin Library on Friday afternoon to “speak for the trees” which are being threatened by a graduate student housing project.
The crowd gathered to oppose the Western Gateway project that the University approved in 2019. The project would allow the Gilbane Development Company to build private townhomes on university-owned land in exchange for developing 300 units of affordable graduate housing priced below market value. However, over one thousand trees would be cleared in the process.
Guilford Woods is a patch of forest spanning about 15 acres on the southern end of the University of Maryland campus. The woods are home to hundreds of animal species, hiking trails and a stream that runs to the Anacostia River.
A protestor holds up a sign at the Administration building during the “Save Guilford Woods“ protest (Kayla Nazaire/The Black Explosion)
While Archer and several student activists delivered speeches, protestors made signs on the steps of McKeldin Library. One sign read “nothing fearless in business as usual” – a reference to UMD’s fearless ideas campaign that encourages students to meet global issues with daring solutions.
Throughout the rally, protestors alluded to how the project went against the environmental sustainability values of the university.
Vera Gonzales, a computer science major with a concentration in biology, delivered a speech on biodiversity.
“I find it deeply and tragically ironic that the same institution arming me with the skills to perform this scientific analysis has done absolutely nothing to evaluate the worth of this land for themselves,” Gonzales said.
Before departing from McKeldin Library, protestors heard from Maryland Senator Paul Pinsky. Pinsky said that he believes sometimes a couple of trees do have to get knocked down to get things done and he sees the need for graduate student housing. Still, he conveyed to President Pines that he is against the clearing of Guilford Woods.
“I sent a letter to President Pines, respectfully, that I basically said: In this case, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” Pinsky said.
Maryland Senator Paul Pinsky gives a speech at the Save Guilford Woods protest on the steps of McKeldin Library on Oct. 15, 2021 (Kayla Nazaire/The Black Explosion)
Afterward, students marched, with signs and tree branches from the woods, to the administration building where they were addressed by Riya Sharma. Sharma is the co-president of 17 for Peace and Justice, an environmental justice group responsible for planning the rally with the Student Government Association.
Sharma pointed out that Guilford Woods was stolen from the Piscataway tribe and questioned the university’s authority to destroy it.
Sharma also warned about the effects this project would have on Black and brown communities that live along the Anacostia River who she says will be most impacted by the flooding caused by deforestation. Sharma says the project would only increase the contaminants like raw sewage, heavy metals and pesticides that already run down stream to their neighborhoods.
A protestor holds up a sign on the steps of the administration building (Kayla Nazaire/The Black Explosion)
Sharma asked, “Why should innocent Black and brown communities bear the cost of this construction and suffer while corporations like Gilbane sit back and reap the benefits?”
According to the University administration website, the Western Gateway Project would result in an increase of 1.5 acres in forested land. They also pledged to replant every tree lost to construction in addition to their commitment to planting 100 trees per year. Dr. Amy Sapkota, an environmental health sciences professor, doesn't think that would fix the problem.
“These saplings, which won’t mature for another 40 to 50 years, will not protect our campus and surrounding community, here and now, from the brunt of climate change-related extreme heat events. If the woods are clear cut, the health of our community will suffer,” Sapkota said.
Student activist Marilyn Yang said their main goal in protesting was to encourage the university to seek a better alternative that is more sustainable and equitable. Yang offered two solutions: the University rebuilding Old Leonardtown with more units or considering alternatives like the EcoGrads project on route one. Both solutions involve the university finding a new location.
Sign that reads “The Eyes Of Future Generations Are Upon Us” on the steps of McKeldin Library (Kayla Nazaire/The Black Explosion)
Stuart Adams, a College Park resident, and community leader said there is a compromise that can be reached. Adams thinks if the university explores alternatives, they could strike a better deal that would build even more than the proposed 300 units.
“There is a win-win situation that we can get,” Adams said. “The win is affordable housing, more of it...the win is also saving Guilford Woods.”