Outside the entrance to Elliott Hall, a modest cluster of yellow and purple pansies trembles slightly in a spring breeze. These plants require replacement every two years.

Subtle and delightful diversions like this may go unnoticed, but they require oversight and forethought, which begins with the Oakland University grounds department and its Campus Beautification projects.

“There’s money set aside each year for sprucing up the landscape,” Constance Jones, the university’s newly hired grounds manager, said.

That reserve fund is used during the July first to June 30 fiscal year for planting flowers and trees, replacing dead vegetation, installing outdoor furniture and repairing irrigation systems.

“We have been averaging about $125,000 over the last four years and $100,000 this year for Campus Beautification,” John Beaghan, OU’s vice president of finance and administration, said.

Over the past four years, the Grounds

Department has been busy working across campus.

Beaghan said funding went to landscaping and shrub replacement near the Oakland Center as well as Hamlin, Hill and Hannah Halls, the installation of flower beds, benches and trash bins, the planting of 500 new trees and the removal of 600 dead ones, irrigation repair around Bear Lake, the main-entrance island, as well as Walden and both Foundation Halls, and finally fence repair was also completed.

Andrew Olexa, a 25-year-old journalism graduate and OU alumni, said these projects are, “effective and necessary.”

“The campus always looks good and, honestly, what kind of public image would a campus present if it didn’t put effort into this?” he said.

According to Jones, the grounds department has only a few projects remaining on its closing schedule for July 2010/June 2011.

“We’ll be getting some trees to plant some time next month (May),” she said, “planting several flower beds and repairing damaged irrigation systems.”

These planting projects are planned to coincide with the delicate life cycles of the to-be-planted flora.

“Certain trees fare better when planted in the spring, so we’ll plant them now,” Jones said. “Or grasses might grow better in the summer so we’ll have to plan for that.”

The grounds’ itinerary, last updated in October 2010, lists seven planting projects that are currently finished. According to Jones, unfavorable weather has delayed completion.

She assures that she is confident that the remaining items from 2010/2011’s checklist will be completed.

“We don’t have an itinerary with set instructions such as ‘We’ll plant flowers today and trees tomorrow,’ but between now until the end of June, we’ll be planting those trees and flowers, and working to renovate the irrigation systems.”

A full rundown of completed and remaining Campus Beautification projects, as well as photographs of what the matured plants will look like, are available at the grounds department tab on the university website.