Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.83
Liaison Hannah Spirrison
Submission Date March 29, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Antioch College
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Nikos Boutis
Director
Glen Helen Ecology Instituter
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

We have two examples: 1) Antioch Math and Physics Assistant Professor Barbara Sanborn has served on the Yellow Springs Village Climate Action Planning group; 2) Fall 2014, when the college needed municipal approval to site a 1 MW solar array on campus. Students and staff attended planning commission meetings and council meetings to advocate for the solar project, which was ultimately approved and constructed.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Antioch embraces activism on the part of its staff, faculty, and students, whether under the auspices of a class, or in a response to pressing societal or ecological needs. Current examples include: Anthropologist Emily Steinmetz coordinates Antioch's Prison Justice Initiative. The college will hosting a national exhibition called States of Incarceration at the Herndon Gallery in March 29-June 2. Her students contributed to this national exhibition. While the exhibit is on campus, we will be coordinating public dialogues about critical incarceration issues, such as parole; aging, dying, health care, and hospice in prisons; and restorative justice as an alternative to imprisonment. The parole panel will include 2-3 formerly incarcerated people who have received parole, an attorney, 1-2 faculty from Ohio State University. Members of the parole board have been invited as well. Through this effort, we are trying to shift public perceptions and facilitate difficult conversations. Professor Steinmetz also taught a course (Summer 2016, ANTH 110: Culture Conflict) about Natural Resource Conflicts. Students looked at global resource conflicts over energy (coal, oil, and gas) and water, as well as the related social and environmental damage. The course culminated in a field trip to Kayford Mountain, WV, where the students talked with anti-mountaintop removal activists, saw the devastation caused by mountaintop removal, and toured a site that had been through the reclamation process. Back on campus, students launched some awareness campaigns about energy use and mountaintop removal. They produced videos, organized a speaker event, and hung notices about energy use in the classrooms and other buildings on campus.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

In the wake of the decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Accord on Climate Change, the Antioch College President signed a commitment to move ahead towards climate change solutions (see https://www.wearestillin.com/we-are-still-declaration). When the Department of Homeland Security announced that they would be phasing out DACA, the Antioch College President released a message communicating that the College will do everything legally possible to support all of our students regardless of citizenship status, along with FAQ documents and resources related to the DACA decision.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
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A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Data provided by staff and faculty members who engaged in advocacy efforts


Data provided by staff and faculty members who engaged in advocacy efforts

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.