Indiana State University
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program

We developed an Eco-Reps program at Indiana State University. These students were committed to volunteering 3-4 hours a week for the academic year. The students were partially selected to represent different groups on campus including Greek Life, different cultural groups, and residence halls. The students had to develop a personal project to work on throughout the year and participated in our Institute for Community Sustainability programs such as Earth Day, Eco-Cops, and other outreach events.

We had a competitive interview process and received about 60 applications for 10 positions. Each student submitted an essay about why they wanted to be an Eco-Rep and what they brought to the program. We then had a group interview process of approximately 10 people per group where the students participated in group discussions and exercises to see how they worked in teams and dealt with challenging complex issues.

The students met with the Institute for Community Sustainability Assistant Director and our Graduate Student Assistant on a weekly basis for training sessions where they developed presentations skills, learned basics of sustainability, learned about sustainability at ISU, and worked as a community to organize outreach programs.

The students worked with the Institute for Community Sustainability Executive Director, Assistant Director, and Graduate Assistant. They received $500 at the end of their time working as an Eco-Rep.

The Institute for Community Sustainability’s (ICS) Internship Program exists to provide students with experiential learning within their academic interests and facilitates development of professional skillsets. Interns are engaged and empowered to promote change in the local community through a living laboratory approach to identifying and implementing sustainable solutions that help the economic bottom line of local companies, improve the local environment, and increase the quality of life in the Wabash Valley. Intern Positions and Duties Communication Intern a. Draft public relations materials including news releases and media alerts b. Maintain social media accounts and interact with constituents c. Maintain up to date social medial analytics d. Develop talking points as needed e. Perform media research and media tracking f. Establish and carry out public relations plan g. Attend and informally promote ICS events h. Attend weekly team meetings i. Work a minimum of 12 hours weekly j. Meet with Faculty mentor Monthly k. Meet with Staff Mentor monthly l. Other duties as assigned by the ICS Executive Director or Assistant Director Graduate Research Fellow a. Conduct research to develop new sustainability projects and initiatives b. Aid the ICS Director and Assistant Director in development of University policy that promotes sustainable practices c. Provide for assessment of ICS projects via Taskstream d. Present original sustainability research or current sustainability efforts at conferences or other seminars e. Attend and informally promote ICS events f. Attend weekly team meetings g. Work 20 hours weekly during the Fall and Spring semesters and 37 hours weekly during the summer period Grant Writing Intern a. Search for grants or other sources of funding for the ICS or its partners b. Generate proposals and supporting documents for grants c. Track submitted proposals d. Attend and informally promote ICS events e. Attend weekly team meetings f. Work a minimum of 12 hours weekly g. Meet with Faculty mentor monthly h. Meet with Staff Mentor Monthly i. Other duties as assigned by ICS Executive Director or Assistant Director Graphic Design Intern a. Gathers needed information to prepare work b. Designs work as needed including posters, flyers, newsletters, or any other graphic element c. Attend and informally promote ICS events d. Attends weekly team meetings e. Work a minimum of 12 hours weekly f. Meet with Faculty mentor monthly g. Meet with Staff Mentor Monthly h. Other duties as assigned by the ICS Executive Director or Assistant Director Student Engagement Intern a. Plan small events for ICS b. Aide ICS partners in event planning c. Conduct research to develop new sustainability projects and initiatives d. Plan, coordinate, and execute Compete for the Green Competition e. Plan, coordinate, and execute ICS Sustainability Luncheon Speaker Series f. Attend and informally promote ICS events g. Attend weekly team meeting h. Work a minimum of 12 hours weekly i. Meet with Faculty mentor monthly j. Meet with Staff Mentor Monthly k. Other duties as assigned by the ICS Executive Director or Assistant Director Website Content Intern a. Develop, design, and maintain ICS Website b. Aid ICS partners with website development and planning c. Attend and informally promote ICS events d. Attend weekly team meeting e. Work a minimum of 12 hours weekly f. Meet with Faculty mentor monthly g. Meet with Staff Mentor Monthly h. Other duties as assigned by the ICS Executive Director or Assistant Director

Internship positions for the academic year begin in September and end in May. Summer interns begin in May and end in August. All available internship positions are posted on the Applicant Tracking System through Indiana State University’s Student Employment website. Postings will be made to the Applicant Tracking System by the first of August for the academic year and the first of February for the summer session. All completed applications must be submitted including letters of recommendation by the last day of the same month that the position was posted. Candidates whose applications are deemed favorable by the selection committee will be invited to a group interview. The group interview will present the applicants with challenges that will require collaborative efforts to create a solution. This interview will illustrate the applicant’s abilities in areas of critical thinking, leadership, problem solving, and teamwork. Those who pass the group interview will be invited back for a more traditional oral interview with the selection committee. Those who are not offered a position as an intern are automatically considered as a candidate for the Eco-Reps program and will not need to complete a formal interview for the Eco-Reps program. More information on the Eco-Reps program can be found on the ICS webpage at ISUSustainability.org

Academic Development Each intern has an opportunity to work with pay for twelve to twenty hours per week. The intern is partnered with a faculty mentor within their academic discipline. The intern may receive course credit upon completion of all the requirements of the program and with approval of the academic department providing credit. The intern will meet monthly with their faculty mentor to establish a relationship, network with professionals, and use as a resource when completing tasks for the ICS. Personal Development Along with employment and their faculty mentor, each intern is provided with a staff mentor. The intern meets monthly with their staff mentor to establish a relationship, network with professionals, and uses the mentor as a resource when completing tasks for the ICS. Periodical attendance at professional development meetings and events throughout the program is a requirement.

The students worked with the Institute for Community Sustainability Executive Director, Assistant Director, and Graduate Assistant. These were hourly paid internships and the students also had the opportunity to complete course credit for their internship by completing additional work on personal projects.