In early fall 2002, President Shumaker toured several campus buildings and indicated that his first impression of them all was that the hallways were cluttered. As one of the means of clutter reduction, Vice President for Operations Phil Scheurer had the large round rolling recycling containers removed from the hallways to loading docks, and the result was a significant decline in recycling. Provost Loren Crabtree appointed a recycling task force, composed of students, faculty, and administrators. The group was cochaired by Sarah Surak, student president of SPEAK, and Dr. Jack Barkenbus, director of the Energy, Environment, and Resources Center.
The task force recommended a three-phase program, with the first initiative to be installation of recycling containers that were aesthetically pleasing and that provided the opportunity to recycle paper, plastics, and glass in clearly marked sections. The task force also recommended the employment of a full-time recycling coordinator, installation of outdoor recycling bins, and provision of desk-side bins for dorms and academic and administrative offices. They additionally recommended a campus awareness campaign. Cost of implementation of the full program was estimated to be $280,000 for the first year and $60,000 annually after that.