Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.50
Liaison Elaine Durr
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Elon University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Cole Moore
Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life
Director of Student Life Asssessment and Planning
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Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

Elon has a number of student groups that work on sustainability issues. See the website URL provided. Elon students can search student organizations by keyword through an online system to find a student group that fits their interests.
One of these, the Elon University Sierra Club, is dedicated to sustainable causes and service in the name of sustainability. The Sierra Club's mission is to:
Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth.
Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources.
Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Elon's Sierra Club is run by a student leadership team and is open to the entire student body. The Club programs actively and collaborates with other like-minded organizations on campus.

A second group is the Kappa Alpha Omicron Environmental Professional Society. This organization is student run and is focused on student involvement in local environmental service projects, educational speakers, and peer-to-peer engagement.


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
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:

The Elon Community Garden was initiated by an environmental ethics course to foster education, spirituality, service, community discussion and sustainability and was fully established by a student as part of a senior thesis project. It is a place for Elon students, faculty, staff, children and community to come together. It is now used as a laboratory for courses and volunteer location for any interested student. Organic practices are utilized in the garden, and gardening tasks are coordinated by student managers.
In 2012, the Elon Community Garden was designated a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Article/62382

Elon University also maintains the Loy Farm. The Loy Farm fuses sustainable agricultural, responsible architectural design, opportunities for academic research and community service. Garden plots at the Loy Farm and a greenhouse serve as resources for food production related courses. The farm itself is a critical component of the university’s Peace Corps Prep Program. It also offers learning opportunities for community groups and programs such as the Elon Academy, whose students visit the property each summer to discover opportunities for starting their own gardens.
https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/arts-and-sciences/center-for-environmental-studies/environmental-center-at-loy-farm/


The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

There is a student organization specifically designed for students to be able to invest. The Elon Microfinance Initiative (EMI) works locally and internationally to promote sustainable giving by providing support to small business owners. On a local scale, EMI provides creative work and networking assistance to small business owners, while international impact is made through loans to developing countries and businesses via Kiva.
https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/business/student-organizations/


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

Elon holds a number of events throughout the year related to sustainability including speakers, panel sessions, film screenings, exhibits and themed meals among others. Earth Week takes place each year and is a week-long Earth Day celebration with a number of different events, including a speaker. Students are the primary audience for these events.

Speakers in 2016-17 included John Replogle and Robert Bullard.


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
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:

The Art & Art History department (and others) host cultural arts events related to sustainability for the entire campus.
Throughout spring 2017 semester, Eco-Art students created a series of art installations open to the entire Elon community. They were presented in both the Living Studio, Eco-Art’s exhibition space, and in various public spaces around campus. Projects explored various topics connected to sustainability.


The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
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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:

Elon Outdoors allows students several opportunities to experience nature each semester. Program offerings include canoeing, climbing, kayaking, backpacking, indoor climbing, white water rafting and sailing. Camping equipment is available for weekend rental for those wishing to explore the vast array of outdoor pursuits available throughout the region. The Elon Outdoors Resource Room is a great place to obtain information about outdoor adventure.
Elon Outdoors implements Leave No Trace principles on Outdoor Trip experiences.


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:

Consistent with the Elon University mission of nurturing a rich intellectual community, the Elon Common Reading Program (ECRP) challenges students, faculty and staff to examine themselves and the local and global worlds they inhabit through reading. The readings and related discussions aim not only to encourage critical reflection about important issues but also to invite personal consideration of how our individual actions affect these issues.
The ECRP will:
-Offer diverse perspectives and commentary on key issues affecting our lives;
-Provide forums to question and discuss these perspectives in depth;
-Encourage integration of these ideas and perspectives in other aspects of the Elon experience;
-Foster critical thinking by offering multiple opportunities to examine and reflect upon the reading throughout the year.
Recent common readings have been sustainability related:
Fall 2015 - Why We Can't Wait by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fall 2016 - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Fall 2017 - Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capo Crucet


The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
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:

Elon has a Sustainable Living Learning Community (SLLC) on campus that brings together students from any major who are interested in learning how to personally live in a manner that supports ecologically, socially and economically healthy environments and communities. The SLLC is a space for students to formally and informally examine sustainability topics and the roles that individuals can play in addressing sustainability.


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

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

The Office of Sustainability hires Elon students as interns for the summer and academic year.
The Office also hires Elon students as Eco-Reps and Don't Trash It! Coordinators.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
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?:
No

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.