Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.18
Liaison James Biesecker
Submission Date March 7, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Gettysburg College
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Gretchen Natter
Director of Center for Public Service
Center for Public Service
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution coordinate one or more ongoing student, peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

Number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
2,438

Name of the student educators program (1st program):
Recycling Interns

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
2,438

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):
Recycling interns work to educate the campus how they should recycle, implement and sustain sustainability programs, and work as a liaison between the student body and facilities services in matters pertaining to sustainability. A few things they consistantly do are coordinate with and support other sustainability leaders on campus at monthly meetings, and give a presentation at new student orientation.

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
Recycling Interns are hired by Facilities Services in the spring to work for the summer and following school year. They are selected by an application and interview process.

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
Recycling Interns are charged with completing the GHG Inventory for the previous year; training is mostly on-the-job, although interns are usually familiar with the components of the GHG Inventory after taking courses in the ES Department, or through a personal interest in campus sustainability.

A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
The recycling interns are paid by Facilities to improve recycling on campus during the year and coordinate outreach and other educational events for students. They report to the Director of Facilities on a regular basis.

Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Center for Public Service Sustainability Program Coordinator

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
2,438

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
The CPS Sustainability Program Coordinator devises and implements ways for Gettysburg College students to engage in the local community around issues of environmental sustainability. Recently this consists specifically of organizing volunteer opportunities for college students to facilitate after-school hands-on learning curriculum about the relationship between food, land and people with local schools. They also work with the campus Sustainability Committee and student-initiated groups such as GECO, GRASS and Farmhouse.

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
The CPS Sustainability Program Coordinator is hired through an application and interview process that all students working for CPS must go through. The Sustainability PC position is typically given to the student that has demonstrated a strong interest and commitment to campus sustainability initiatives.

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
All students working for CPS go through a rigorous training period to introduce them to the social justice issues that they are confronting, and prepare them to coordinate and facilitate their various outreach programs in the community. Although the Sustainability PC does not work with one specific partner program in the community, they assume specific responsibilities on campus and receive training relevant to those roles through weekly advisor meetings.

A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
The Sustainability PC is a paid position and the student reports to the Director of CPS on a weekly basis.

Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Painted Turtle Farm Interns

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
2,438

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
PTF Interns work daily on the farm to cultivate crops for their c.s.a. program. They also work with and educate community volunteers that come to the farm and local hispanic families that have their own plot on the community garden portion of the farm.

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
Painted Turtle Farm interns are selected and hired through an application and interview process that occurs during the spring, to work during the summer-long position. The interns then continue to work during the academic year as well. The intern position is typically given to students that have demonstrated a strong interest and commitment to organic farming and its techniques, and are also typically majors in Environmental Studies. Two faculty advisors, one from the Environmental Studies department, and one from the Biology Department (the Greenhouse technician), are in charge of the hiring process.

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
Because many students do not have a background in organic agriculture, most of the training for the Inter position occurs on the job, according to the various tasks associated with the current season (planning, planting, growing, harvesting, etc.) Students with prior experience are encouraged to be creative in implementing new techniques or ideas, and the summer interns frequently take field trips to other local farms to learn from professionals in the field.

A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
In order to start the student garden and the Garden Intern program, grant funding was provided by the Mellon Grant for Faculty Student Research, the Center for Public Service, The Environmental Studies Department, Dining Services, and by the student environmental club, GECO. Additionally, some pre-consumer waste from the Dining Hall is composted and given to the student garden.

Name(s) of the student educator program(s) (all other programs):
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by all other student educator programs:
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A brief description of the program(s), including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (all other programs):
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (all other programs):
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (all other programs):
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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (all other programs):
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Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
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The website URL for the peer-to-peer student outreach and education program(s):
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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.