Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Olivia Herron
Submission Date May 30, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Austin Peay State University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Alexandra Wills
Director
Service Learning & Community Engagement
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

Two Organizations with specific purpose of sustainability are The APSU Subunit of the American Fisheries Society and the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society at Austin Peay. Additionally, 14 student organizations identify common goals of a promise to service, contribute to society, economic empowerment, community impact and / or contributing to a global network of responsible citizens.


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
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Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

APSU Agriculture Department Farm and Environmental Education Center is composed of 440 acres of land that affords a bounty of environmental habitats and supplies immeasurable support to academic programs at Austin Peay.
The Farm is approximately 50 percent in natural cover and forest with the other half serving as a demonstration area and for the production of farm commodities. In addition to wildlife, cattle raised on the Farm provide hands-on experience for agriculture students. The Farm has as its major goal the support of the academic programs at the University. Available for study through the Farm are livestock, crops, forests, wildlife and land formations. A state of the art $1-million Animal Science teaching facility is now operational and available for classes, labs and other agriculture activities.
     The Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement has two Victory garden locations with spring, summer, and fall seasonal gardens beds to benefit the campus food pantry. Currently 13 Victory chickens provide fresh eggs for our pantry users. The Victory Garden near York Street offers a raised bed space to members of the community who want to practice gardening. The APSU Victory Garden will provide the garden plot, water, compost, and garden information.


The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
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Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
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Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
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Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
No

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
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The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
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Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:

Stacy Levy is a sculptor whose work
links the worlds of art and science.
She uses the language of landscape and art to tell the
ecological story of site. Her projects reveal the
sometimes hidden natural world in the urban
environment. Stacy works closely with landscape
architects, engineers, horticulturalists and hydrologists
to create artworks that allow natural systems like the
infiltration of rainwater, to function and thrive.
PlantBot Genetics is a parody
biotech corporation satirically
engaged in the research,
development and marketing of
transgenic products. By
imitating actual corporate practices in the biotech sector, PlantBot Genetics highlights
the potential consequences of the global corporatization of agriculture. PlantBot
Genetics responds to the lack of transparency in food production and distribution as well
as the real costs of modern farming practices through robot-plant hybrids,
non-destructive pollinator surveys and interactive public events supporting ecological
literacy.


The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

Leave No Trace workshops, training and trips are run through the outdoor recreation department.


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
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Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Weekly Wisdom Walks organized through the Student Life & Engagement department have presented sustainability life skills discussions on at least 3 occasions.


The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

Student employment positions are available at the Agriculture Dept. Farm and Environmental Education Center caring for livestock and habitat, Student employment position available through Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement tending community garden and chickens.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
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Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledges:
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
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Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
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A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
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Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.