Then: Grass, weeds and trees (with huggers). Now: Pavement, some yellow paint and a full parking lot of cars.

Last week marked the one year anniversary of the Redbud Eight's occupation of former President Jeffery S. Lehman '77's Day Hall office. Given that there is now a parking lot where once stood angry protesters chained together in the path of a bulldozer, much has changed over the course of the year. It looks as if the University tore up and then paved over the Redbuddies' concerns.

Or has it?

The chief complaint among protesters was a demonstrated lack of commitment to sustainability on the part of the University. In response to such hypocrisy - last April was deemed "sustainability month" by the Cornell administration - student activists demanded that Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III sign an agreement to take further steps toward protecting the environment.

Looking back over the last year, we are impressed by the University's progress in its commetiment to sustainability.

The first clause in the agreement provided every new student, including all freshmen, transfers, professional and graduate students, with a free bus pass. This section was the brainchild of the protesters. Redbuddies believed that if they instituted this bit of behavior modification at the start of a Cornellian's career, it might continue throughout their academic tenure. We have said before that we are not entirely sure that this solution fully addresses the complaint: upperclassmen lose their parking and, in reparations, freshman get free bus passes?

Regardless of the reasoning, however, the fact that new students have increased TCAT ridership by 34 percent indicates that a class' worth of car-independent students may have hit The Hill this year.

Another section of the agreement provided for the creation of a Cornell Neighborhood Council, comprised of representatives from the areas adjacent to campus. The council has convened monthly since its first meeting in October. Members believe that it has improved town-gown relations by facilitating communication and providing a more direct route to C.U. decision makers with the power to influence their lives.

Rawlings promised in the agreement that the Executive Vice President would hire a sustainability intern. The purpose of this new position is to provide additional focus and attention on future environmental concerns.

This section of the contract has been fulfilled in the hiring of University sustainability coordinator Dean Koyanagi '90. Over the last year, Koyanagi has consulted on the environmental efficiency of the campus security Blue Lights, the potential "sustainable cafeteria" renovation of the Green Dragon Cafe and a student campaign against on-campus driving. Though no individual can fully serve as a one-man check on the University's practices, Koyanagi acts as a continual reminder that the administration should be cognizant of its commitment to sustainability.

Finally, with the signing of the agreement on Monday, July 18, President Rawlings consented to speak with authorities about the pending charges related to the April Day Hall sit-in. Rawlings also said he would recommend to the campus judicial administrator that the violations be forgiven.

It took 51 weeks from the time of the incident, but last week, the J.A. officially forgave the Redbud Eight and Sun Columnist Danny Pearlstein '05 finally received his diploma.

Indeed, a lot has changed over the last year. But looks can be deceiving.

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