Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 77.06
Liaison Laura Bain
Submission Date June 22, 2021

STARS v2.2

Furman University
OP-16: Commute Modal Split

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.94 / 5.00 Laura Bain
Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment
David E. Shi Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total full-time equivalent student enrollment:
2,728

Full-time equivalent of employees:
940

Has the institution gathered data about student commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of students that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
75.71

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about student commuting:

The entire student body was surveyed about their commuting habits. The assessment was administered as part of Furman’s Sustainability Survey which has been administered to students, faculty, and staff, every third year since 2008. The 2020 survey was administered through the Qualtrics survey platform and distributed via an individual e-mail with one follow-up reminder email to unfinished respondents. Each participant was asked where they live and/or how far their residence is from campus. Then, each participant was asked how many trips by each mode of transportation were made in a typical week. Data were analyzed to determine: % of total trips by mode, average # of 1-way trips/week, average miles per one-way trip by mode, % of commuters that use a sustainable option as their primary (most frequent) mode of transportation.

COVID Note: When the survey was completed (fall 2020), the majority of students were on campus and most classes were in person.


Has the institution gathered data about employee commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of employees that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
9.62

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about employee commuting:

All employees were surveyed about their commuting habits. The assessment was administered as part of Furman’s Sustainability Survey which has been administered to students, faculty, and staff, every third year since 2008. The 2020 survey was administered through the Qualtrics survey platform and distributed via an individual e-mail with one follow-up reminder email to unfinished respondents. Each participant was asked where they live and/or how far their residence is from campus. Then, each participant was asked how many trips by each mode of transportation were made in a typical week. Data were analyzed to determine: % of total trips by mode, average # of 1-way trips/week, average miles per one-way trip by mode, % of commuters that use a sustainable option as their primary (most frequent) mode of transportation.

COVID Note: When the survey was completed (fall 2020), the majority of students were on campus and most classes were in person.


Percentage of students and employees that use the following as their primary mode of transportation:
Percentage of students (0-100) Percentage of employees (0-100)
Single-occupancy vehicle 24.30 ---
Zero-emissions vehicle --- ---
Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode 71.84 ---
Vanpool or carpool 2.86 0
Public transport or campus shuttle 0.20 0
Motorcycle, motorized scooter/bike, or moped 0 0
Distance education / telecommute 0.82 0

Website URL where information about student or employee commuting is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

702 students, faculty, and staff took the survey and answered questions on transportation habits and choices.
207 faculty and staff responded to the survey and 495 students responded.


702 students, faculty, and staff took the survey and answered questions on transportation habits and choices.
207 faculty and staff responded to the survey and 495 students responded.

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.