Keeping up with the Joneses has a different meaning on the UAF campus, where the brisk walks of the chancellor and his wife have prompted changes to everything from aesthetics to ski trails to garbage collection on campus.

Just like every other day, Steve and Judy Jones prepared for a walk outside on a recent cold evening. The chancellor wore a coat and gloves, while his wife donned a long parka with a fur lined hood to make the temperature that hovered at around zero bearable.

They have been taking walks together throughout their marriage. It's a way for them to spend time together, get exercise, and, lately, to keep an eye on campus.

As they walked past the Moore-Bartlett-Skarland Complex, the chancellor spotted a piece of trash in the parking lot. He bent down to pick up an empty can of Keystone Light. Judy pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket. They are both disgusted by the litter that has accumulated on campus.

"It's really slowing down our walks [to pick up trash]," Steve Jones said.

His wife agreed.

"We don't get nearly the aerobic exercise," Judy Jones said.

The two full grocery bags of trash collected between MBS and the Natural Sciences Building definitely slowed down the walk.

The trash has become a big concern for Chancellor Jones. In an op-ed in the Sun Star about a month ago, Jones wrote, "This past weekend Ms. Jones and I covered a lot of campus on foot. Unfortunately, trash is now a dominant distraction, drawing the eye away from structured plantings, managed landscaping and attractive woodlots."

Trash is not the only thing the Joneses have noticed on their walks. Judy Jones pointed out a flowerbed that she noticed growing weeds. When they alerted Facilities Services, it was cleaned up immediately.

"I think it looks much better now," she said.

Jenny Barrett, public information officer for Facility Services, said it is the department's duty to ensure that the campus is as clean as possible.

But when the chancellor or anyone else makes a mention of something, they "respond immediately," she said.

Since the chancellor's letter, more trash receptacles have been added behind MBS to alleviate the trash problem.

As they went by the greenhouses on West Ridge, Judy Jones pointed one out. She plans on using a picture of the frozen greenhouse with poinsettias inside for the 1,208 Christmas cards she will send out, as part of her unofficial duties.

Then they walked towards the ski hut and on a perimeter ski trail. A skier with a headlamp passed by.

The Joneses recalled how they have been yelled at several times for walking on the ski trails. The chancellor considered their presence on the ski trails as "no harm, no foul" on the days that skiers had expressed their vocal disapproval of the walking pair in the past.

Kari Lovett, 22, a mechanical engineering major and skiing enthusiast explains why some skiers get upset when they see people walking on the ski trails.

"Because skier trails are so limited, I feel it is almost disrespectful to walk on trails groomed for skiers." She explained that when the snow is soft, walkers can really "chew up the trails."

"We were off to the side, and the snow was so compacted that our feet were not even making imprints," he said.

Their feet may not be making imprints, but their reaction to being reprimanded by skiers certainly has. In the past, the North Campus Plan "languished with little progress," according to an agenda for a subcommittee of the Master Planning Committee says.

But when the Joneses were yelled at while walking on the trails last year, the issue was put in the spotlight, the agenda says. Now there's a plan to add walking trails to accommodate walkers like the Joneses.

Chancellor Jones keeps track of the time they walk everyday.

They try to walk an average of 30 minutes a day and if they don't get the time in, they make it up on the weekends.

"I think he feels like he needs to be outside," Judy Jones said. "It is his natural resource background."

Chancellor Jones worked in the forest products industry for 12 years and has been a member of forestry faculty both at UAF and Pennsylvania State. "After being inside all day, he needs his time outdoors."

When asked if they were striving for distance in their time, the chancellor chuckled, "no we're too old for that."

They are both 55. Judy is two months older.

"And much more mature," she said.

As they rounded a wooded corner, Chancellor Jones looked at the sky and pointed at the moon shining brightly above.

"People always mention how dark it is around here," Steve Jones said, "but a lot of times it's still light enough to see." Steve Jones keeps track of the time they walk everyday. They try to walk an average of 30 minutes a day and if they don't get the time in, they make it up on the weekends.

"I think he feels like he needs to be outside," Judy Jones said. "It is his natural resource background."

Steve Jones worked in the forest products industry for 12 years and has been a member of forestry faculty at Pennsylvania State.

"After being inside all day, he needs his time outdoors," Judy Jones said.

When asked if they were striving for distance in their time, the chancellor chuckled, "no we're too old for that."

They are both 55. Judy is two months older.

"And much more mature," she said.

As they rounded a wooded corner, Steve Jones looked at the sky.

"People always mention how dark it is around here," Steve Jones said, "but a lot of times it's still light enough to see he says as he points out the moon shining brightly above."