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New sculpture unveiled at Laurentian University

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It was a celebratory scene at Laurentian University on Wednesday as officials unveiled the latest sculpture that will stand permanently on school grounds.

Student-led and student-purchased, the sculpture sits on the north side of Fraser Auditorium as a reminder of the school's ongoing environmental restoration efforts.

"After the hardship Laurentian has gone through and the students have suffered, to see this really hopeful day was wonderful and for them to step up and say what they wanted," said John Gunn, director of the Vale Living with Lakes Centre.

"They want to be part of a global university, they want to keep the regreening, environmental work going and they paid for a beautiful sculpture themselves … It'll be a famous spot in Sudbury."

The sculpture is symbolic of a white pine growing through the rocks, a sight visible in many places across the region, including Killarney and the Georgian Bay.

"When you see that tree pushing its way up through a rock … it's something that we're all familiar with and we always say 'wow, how does it do that,'" Gunn said.

"I think the students are saying 'wow how can we do that and make the change to be part of a more sustainable world.'"

"We look at today as a day of renewal, it represents the resiliency of the university and we're looking forward to having Laurentian focused on environmental health and sustainability," said Anastacia Chartrand, a masters student and chair of the environmental sustainability committee.

The school's work in environmental restoration has earned them fans from across the country, including Canadian author Margaret Atwood.

"I'm more than happy to lend my voice in support of Laurentian's newest project, under the wing of the Vale Living with Lakes institute, the Climate Science parkette which I'm sure we all hope will help people better understand the actual challenges facing us," said Atwood.

"It's a fresh start and I like that people haven't given up and that they're going to move forward, especially the student body," said Ward 9 city councillor Deb McIntosh.

The sculpture will be part of a parkette that will see architecture students build a new pavilion overlooking Ramsey Lake, with help from famed architect Bruce Mau.

"I thought it was pretty cool, it's nice that we're commemorating something like the re-greening of Sudbury," said Earth Sciences student Jacob Fralick.

"We lost a lot of that capacity at Laurentian because of the CCAA and I think that this is a strong statement and dedication that we are going to build on that legacy when we talk about Laurentian's future," said researcher Nadia Mykytczuk. 

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