Building community with garbage

As a hall director in Broadway, Chris Carter does his part to promote sustainable living and community in his student housing building.

A senior and business finance major, Carter has been a hall director in the Broadway Housing Building for over a year and a half.

Carter started at Portland State as an engineering major, but later found his niche outside of his engineering studies and within the PSU resident community.

“It is such a great mix of people. I love my floor and the leadership experience I am gaining through this position,” he said.

Carter has been involved in many events with Residence Life, including helping organize “You Are What You Eat,” a workshop session about food production and transportation.

“The growing gap of knowledge between where our food is coming from, and how it got here, is unbelievable,” he said.

In addition to planning workshops, Carter creates hall clean-up competitions for his residents. He said this not only helps the residents keep the buildings in good condition, but it also gives them a chance to socialize and get to know each other.

“I am working on a competition now between Ondine and Broadway residents to see which building can recycle the most. The one who wins will be placed in the raffle for a prize,” he said.

His plans for his hall don’t stop there. Another event Carter is working on, tentatively scheduled for around finals, is a recycling triathlon. This would include activities such as a newspaper toss.

After graduating this June, Carter, who is also president of the PSU AIESEC student group, which helps students work abroad through exchange programs, wants to intern for a finance company in Eastern Europe or Japan.

Carter sees Portland State as an integral part in helping him achieve his future career goals.

“One of the things I like best about PSU is the ability to interact with businesses in the area, because eventually, these are the people I am going to be working with.”