Black Hills State University
EN-3: Student Life

BHSU Residence Life offers several Living Learning Communities (LLCs) in the residence halls. The “Sustainable Living” LLC is an interest-based LLC that offers students from all majors and classifications who share an interest in learning more about sustainability globally and how to live a more sustainable lifestyle now and in the future. Students, working with BHSU staff and faculty, explore ways to live a more sustainable life in college and after. This LLC has a capacity for 22 students.
Eco-Reps are student representatives in dorms on campus that are trained through team meetings to become environmental change agents. These students educate other residents in their resident halls about environmental issues and encourage them to live in a more eco friendly way. Goals of the program include: leadership training, enhancing students’ knowledge and skills to successfully communicate sustainability to their peers, increasing overall student awareness of environmental actions and ways to affect change on campus, and institutionalizing environmental stewardship within the student body.
COLP – The collegiate outdoor leadership program is focused on providing opportunities for sustainable outdoor recreation. Examples include outdoor activity workshops with a focus on Leave No Trace Principals, as well as service activities such as Adopt a Trail.
AISES - American Indian Science and Engineering Society - a national non-profit organization which nurtures building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional native values. The ultimate goal of AISES is to be a catalyst for the advancement of American Indians and Native Alaskans as they seek to become self-reliant members of society. This program provides many students with valuable scholarships for college.

The BHSU campus garden, located south of the Yellow Jacket Apartments, was established in 2008 by students living in the residence halls. Since then, the garden has grown through the volunteer efforts of faculty and staff, student organizations, and community groups. We've estimated that the garden requires 550+ hours of planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and ground preparation each year. Volunteers can take home produce.

Students at BHSU have started a Free Store on campus in the student union.
This was initiated by students who saw a need on campus for this. One student applied for and received a scholarship to start the Free Store; now several students run the store - taking in items, displaying them, and taking care of general upkeep of the space and items in it. This serves as a space for students to donate and obtain clothes, cookware, graduation gowns, professional attire, books, feminine products, etc. The Free Store also houses a small portion of food pantry items.

Ecological Representatives host programs on various sustainability topics in the residence halls. Eco-explorers camp is a single day camp hosted every summer by BHSU sustainability to share environmental and sustainability education with campers. Over the summer months, workshops are held at the campus community garden that are focused around educating students, faculty and the community on sustainable food systems. In April several sustainability events are held to honor Earth and Arbor Day on campus often including documentary viewing parties, speakers, tree planting workshops, sustainability crafts, and other similar activities.

Outdoor technical skills classes (rock climbing, canoeing, fly fishing, cross country skiing, orienteering, and outdoor skills) discuss Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics and how to limit recreational impact on outdoor resources. Also, the student group on campus, the collegiate outdoor leadership program (COLP) hosts a one-hour long Leave No Trace Awareness Workshop which teaches the 7 principles of Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics.

Ecological Representatives - We are here to uphold the student code and educational mission of Black Hills State University while teaching sustainable living practices, encouraging environmentally responsible behavior and raise awareness about ecological issues. We will have sustainability educator programs other events and activities.

Student workers are employed to aid recycling collection, increase sustainability presence at sporting and campus events, compile annual greenhouse gas emission reports, help with large gardening initiatives, our bike to campus initiatives, education, outreach, event coordination, Eco-rep program development, and other sustainability-related projects.