Emory University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

All Resident Advisors (RAs) and Sophomore Advisors (SAs) receive sustainability training during RA/SA Training in August. RAs and SAs incorporate this sustainability knowledge into hall programming throughout the year. For example, in Spring 2016, RAs in Emory’s third- and fourth-year housing hosted an “Ask anything about sustainability” night open to all residents. RAs worked with residents in second-year housing to pilot the reorganization and labeling of composting and recycling bins in the café in their hall to increase landfill diversion. Since Fall 2015, the Residence Life Fellow, RAs and SAs have hosted weekly cooking nights during most of Fall and part of Spring when the Oxford Farm community-supported agriculture deliveries are made. All residents are invited to cook together, talk to each other, and learn from an Environmental Sciences professor. Throughout the year, the Programs Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability Initiatives hosts office hours in the Living Green themed residence hall to assist student staff and residents with their programming, research and academic goals.

Resident Advisor (RA) and Sophomore Advisor (SA) applicants apply online and participate in an interview with professional staff and student staff, as well as a group process activity. Based on their applications, recommendations and performance in the interview process, they are selected for the position.

All Resident Advisors (RAs) and Sophomore Advisors (SAs) receive sustainability training by Office of Sustainability (OSI) staff during RA/SA Training in August. RAs and SAs incorporate this sustainability knowledge into hall programming throughout the year. Throughout the year, the Programs Coordinator for OSI hosts office hours in the Living Green themed residence hall to assist student staff and residents with their programming, research and academic goals. Additionally, RAs are required to complete an RA class, during which they spend three hours learning from a sustainability curriculum developed in partnership between OSI and Residence Life. The class focuses on sustainability literacy, tools for assessing individual impact, and tips and resources for planning sustainable events.

Resident Advisors (RAs) and Sophomore Advisors (SAs) receive staff support from the Office of Residence Life & Housing. All RAs receive a stipend in addition to free room and board.

The Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI) offers between 9 and 12 student internships positions each semester and summer. Any Emory undergraduate or graduate student can apply to be a Sustainability Intern, each receiving hourly wages and training on sustainability. Interns work directly with the OSI, Emory students, and staff committees and individuals as relevant to their internship position. Interns research, propose, and implement a variety of important projects on Emory’s campus and are Emory’s “experts” on sustainability. Interns create and implement outreach campaigns around waste and recycling, help manage the Farmers Market, plan and execute Emory’s annual Earth Day festival, manage the Residence Hall Association Sustainability Chairs program, create and manage the Zero Landfill Waste Ambassadors Program, run the Green Lab and Green Office programs, develop Procurement policies, serve as docents at the Water Hub, and support Emory’s Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory, among many other things. They take knowledge and skills learned in the internship and through peer-to-peer learning teach and empower other Emory students to engage in sustainability efforts. They help the task forces in making recommendations in these areas across education, research, and practice. They also assist with student outreach and communications, including developing communications campaigns, managing social media accounts, and updating the OSI website. The Emory Sustainability Interns are an extension of the OSI staff, and the program is prestigious and highly competitive. http://sustainability.emory.edu/page/1034/Internship-Opportunities http://sustainability.emory.edu/page/1060/Our-Staff

Internships are open to all Emory undergraduate and graduate students and the positions are advertised to all students through the student job posting sites, the OSI newsletter, the OSI website, OSI social media accounts, and through partner and friendly department communications. Students apply to become Sustainability Interns by submitting a resume and cover letter to OSI. Staff interview the students and then select the most qualified students ensuring that the complement of interns represent a mix of diverse perspectives.

Students receive formal training on sustainability research, education, and practice at Emory, as well as the overarching principles of sustainability. After the introductory training, students receive weekly individual and group mentorship and all come together monthly to report on projects, present a project of their choosing, and brainstorm collaborations and progress on projects.

The Emory OSI provides each intern with an hourly wage. Sustainability Interns work with one or more full-time OSI staff members, who serves as mentors and project managers.

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) works to promote the goals and purposes of the University as related to residential living, as well as to serve as the student voice. RHA Sustainability Chairs promote sustainability through several mediums. One student serves as an Executive RHA Sustainability Chair, who advocates for RHA-wide sustainable practices and commitments and seeks funding for sustainability-related programming and conferences for the hall Chairs. Each individual residence hall has its own RHA Sustainability Chair, whose job it is to develop his or her own initiatives and support the Executive Chair. Additionally, they all work to make every hall and campus-wide RHA event zero-waste and sustainably certified. This structure allows RHA to reach all Emory students in an efficient manner and spread sustainability efforts campus-wide. In Fall 2016, RHA Sustainability Chairs have coordinated no power hour events during which residents are asked to turn off their lights and unplug electronics and appliances and then play capture the flag together. In Fall 2014, the Chairs hosted a table at a weekly student engagement event called Wonderful Wednesday and used the solar oven to cook s’mores for students, while they answered sustainability trivia. These numbers double count students served by the RA/SA peer educator program, so they are not included in the total.

The Executive RHA Sustainability Chair is appointed following an interview process by the RHA President and Vice President in late spring. Each hall's RHA Sustainability Chair submits an application, interviews with their Hall President and then is appointed in the fall of each year.

The Office of Sustainability conducts a half-day training for all RHA Sustainability Chairs at the beginning of the fall semester. In this training, chairs learn details about Emory's sustainability initiatives and effective methods for inspiring and creating behavior change in their peers and fellow residents. Throughout the year, a graduate intern of the Office of Sustainability Initiatives convenes monthly meetings to keep the Chairs informed of events and resources and to assist individuals and the group with their programming needs. The graduate intern also coordinates educational activities and visits for the Chairs and other hall residents to campus features, such as the Emory Recycling Center, the WaterHub, and a green roof on one of the residence halls.

The Residence Hall Association provides funding for the Sustainability Chairs' programming. The Office of Sustainability supplements this budget, as needed. A paid graduate intern with the Office of Sustainability oversees the program, manages the training, and provides organizational support.

Each fall, students in a 1-credit anthropology course put on a Sustainable Food Fair, in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability Initiatives and Emory Dining. This lively midday event features music and roughly 40 stands of locally grown fresh food for sale, chefs offering delectable samples, stores featuring sustainably grown foods and other products, and nonprofits in the Emory area that are part of the sustainable food movement. Interested students enroll in this class, until it reaches the maximum of 40 students. They learn in classes three times a week leading up the the Food Fair about the food system. During the Fair, they then become the educators of other students, faculty and staff on the importance of sustainable and local food production. These 40 students interact with the estimated 1,000 students, faculty and staff that pass through the Fair during the two and half hour event. We are unable to isolate the number of students from this event, though we know undergraduates and graduates from across campus attend. These students are not included in the count. The six to eight interns hired by the Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI) must submit their resume and cover letter, as well as interview in-person wth the OSI staff. Once selected, the graduate and undergraduate students go through an orientation, during which they learn about the work of the university and healthcare system in the areas of climate action, sustainable commute options, energy and water conservation, greenspace and green buildings, healthcare, waste reduction and diversion, and sustainable and local food. These interns then host tables at over 30 different tabling engagement events, reaching between 100 and 1000 students, faculty and staff each event. The largest event is the Fall Student Activities Fair at the beginning of the year, during which the students share with over 1,000 interested, enrolled undergraduate and graduate students about sustainability practices and lifestyles. Though we consider these interns to be peer educators, the students they reach are not included in the total count because of AASHE's definition of eligible peer-to-peer education programs. Each semester, two or three graduate and undergraduate students apply to and are selected by the OSI staff to serve as student docents for the WaterHub at Emory tour program. These docents undergo two weeks of in-person training, materials review, and practice tours to become familiar with the purpose of, technology utilized within, and the impact of this water reclamation facility. The students currently lead two scheduled tours a week and cover one-off requests as needed. Student docents are then expected to follow up with the tour attendees to answer any additional questions, set up any subsequent visits, and to request evaluation of the program. These students become leaders on campus and the face of the facility to other students, faculty and staff. Between January 2016 when the program began and August 2016 when the reporting period ended, at least 60 students, 265 staff and faculty and 130 community members toured the facility. The 60 student visitors are included in the total count for this credit.

Data entered for AY 2015-2016. http://www.osls.emory.edu/programs/orientation/leaders.html https://www.emory.edu/HOUSING/ABOUTUS/rha.html http://sustainability.emory.edu/page/1035/Student-Groups http://emap.fmd.emory.edu/website/WHSchedule/