By Doris Thompson
While leaves litter the trails cutting across the campus grass, white chain fences sprout as growing evidence of an intensifying battle between students and grounds keepers.
In one corner, nearly 30,000 students walk to and from class every day on the sidewalks and the grass.
In the other corner, 41 full-time and more than 150 part-time employees struggle to keep the masses off the grass, repair the damage and beautify campus.
Students have strong opinions about walking on the grass.
'The school is so crowded that we do have sidewalks, but you can''t walk on them,' said Darcie Yarbrough, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., majoring in psychology. 'If you have to go around the grass, it''ll take longer, but if you cut diagonally, it''ll shave some time. Seriously. It''s so crowded. There''s like 30,000 people that go to this school. We can''t all fit on the sidewalks.'
Another student agreed and even brought in a gospel aspect.
'It wouldn''t be against my religion to walk on the grass,' said Clark Wright, a senior from Salt Lake City, majoring in marriage, family and human development.
The grounds workers have a different opinion.
'The sidewalks are definitely wide enough for campus use,' said Will Terris, gardening maintenance supervisor.
They bring the gospel into the grass as well.
'The artwork of God the Father and His son is on this earth,' said Roy Peterman, director of grounds maintenance. 'To have a disrespect for his artwork and living things seems to be the highest form of disrespect.'
Another student was confused by the grounds maintenance officials'' endearment with the grass.
'I can understand how in big cities or in certain areas or different cultures ... they respect it more, and they cherish it more, but we have so much grass around here, so I don''t know,' said Ryan Lindsay, a senior from Provo, majoring in physiology and developmental biology.
The conflict continues over more misunderstandings, including the installation of the fences around the edges of the walkways.
'I''m just saying, when they put the stupid little poles up and the ''Don''t walk on the grass'' signs, it''s like, who cares?' Yarbrough said.
Students also take aesthetic value into account when it comes to the chain fence battle.
'When they put the chains up, it''s ugly, I think, when they don''t want people to walk on the grass,' Lindsay said. 'So I think they should figure out the fastest ways across campus and then pave those.'
Peterman said the grounds crew put the fences up reluctantly. Terris agrees that the chains are not attractive, but said they are necessary.
'It''s a natural landscape and we tried to make it beautiful and peaceful, and I think anytime you put signs up that say do not walk on the grass or you put up chain or fencing it just takes away from the natural landscaping,' Terris said. 'That''s why I just wish people would be more understanding that we''re not trying to keep them out, its just to keep the population off.'
Another student gave her idea for a new paving pattern
'Just look at where there''s big brown trails and make sidewalks,' said Kirstin Cornett, a junior from Sammammish, Wash., majoring in pre-music dance theater.
The grounds crew thought of extra paving and killed the idea.
'People say, ''well why don''t you put sidewalks there?''' Terris said. 'Well, you can''t put cement all over the place.'
The cutting corners practice extends to other areas of life, Peterman said.
'It is an issue in our education. If we cut corners on our education, that''s what we''ll get,' Peterman said. 'If we cut corners on the papers that we get, we might buffalo the professor. When it comes down to living life, who suffers? It is the person.'
Students don''t see it on such a large scale.
'If you can sit on the grass and lay on the grass and do all that, then why can''t we just walk on it?' Yarbrough said. 'I mean, I have to walk over it to lay on it, so why can''t I just walk on it? So just deal with it.'
Terris realized this aspect of the conflict.
'I think it''s more of not understanding,' he said. 'If you talk to people who aren''t in the landscape industry they''ll say, ''What''s grass for if you can''t walk on it?'' If you walk across the grass, it''s not a problem. If I walk across the grass, it''s not a problem. It''s not just one person, it''s got to take several to make a path.'
The conflicting groups hope they can come to a truce someday.
'I can understand you kill it, but it regrows,' Yarbrough said. 'And I''m not saying I''m not an environmentalist or anything, but it''ll grow back. I swear it will.'
The grass may grow back, but Terris, Peterman and their hardworking grounds crew workers beg students to help.
'This campus is way too big for us to do it by ourselves,' Terris said. 'We try hard, but without the population helping, we can''t do it.'