Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 37.54
Liaison Matthew Shockey
Submission Date Dec. 17, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Indiana University South Bend
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Krista Bailey
Director: Center for a Sustainable Future
Sustainability Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture (i.e. the assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
A subset of the campus community or a sample that may not be representative of the entire community

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Longitudinally to measure change over time

A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
A representative sample of IU South Bend students across all disciplines was surveyed in February 2020. The assessment utilized elements of the Theory of Planned behavior to determine student attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control of sustainable behaviors related to waste reduction, food, transportation, and printing. We also looked at things like convenience, cost, and other variables that may be related to sustainability behavior. Participants were surveyed using Qualtrics via email notices and reminders.

A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Below is a list of behaviors you may or may not engage in. By sliding the button to the right, please indicate the percentage of time you engage in these behaviors during the current academic year (Fall 2019 through Spring 2020). Remember there is no right or wrong answer, so your first answer is probably the most accurate. Please answer even if you don’t engage in any of the listed behaviors by sliding the button to zero. [sliding scale of 0-100%, starting at 0%] • Print double-sided when required to print • Turn off the lights when leaving the room • Eat organic foods • Reuse or recycle items • Choose to walk, bike, or ride the bus instead of driving a car to and from campus Most people who are important to me would approve of (5 point scale, 1= strongly disagree; 2=somewhat disagree; 3=neither agree nor disagree; 4=somewhat agree; • Printing double-sided when required to print • Turning off the lights when leaving a room • Eating organic foods • Reusing or recycling items • Choosing to walk, bike, or ride the bus instead of driving a car to and from campus

A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
A representative sample was reached using Spring 2020 FTE figures provided by the Registrar's Office. 40% of undergraduate and graduate students were sampled, representative of IU South Bend student population.

A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:
IU South Bend administered our first literacy and culture assessment in the spring of 2020. We plan on conducting this survey approximately every three years, hopefully as part of an Indiana University system wide survey to measure change over time. The most common behavior reported was turning off lights, then carrying a reusable water bottle, followed by printing double sided and recycling. Factors that had the strongest correlation to the behavior were the convenience and the peer support to do so. Data in the attached file represents the results of these calculations.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data for this credit was retrieved from the Sustain IU and the Director of the Center for a Sustainable Future. Additional documentation is a draft report of the IU-wide and IU South Bend specific results from the survey.

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.