Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.67
Liaison Julie Newman
Submission Date Sept. 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
EN-2: Student Orientation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 MIT Office of Sustainability
Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Are the following students provided an opportunity to participate in orientation activities and programming that prominently include sustainability?:
Yes or No
First-year students Yes
Transfer students Yes
Entering graduate students Yes

Percentage of all entering students that are provided an opportunity to participate in orientation activities and programming that prominently include sustainability:
100

A brief description of how sustainability is included prominently in new student orientation :
Undergraduate Pre-Orientation Program Descriptions

Other Orientation Programs

In August 2019, there were approximately 1,107 new incoming undergraduate students and 2,068 graduate students. Of the 1,107 new incoming
undergraduate students, approximately 110 are international students, and 20 are transfer students.

All new incoming undergraduates (~1,107 are required to attend a one-week orientation together. International and transfer students are offered more
tailored orientation programming in addition to the required one-week session. There is no orientation requirement for Graduate students, but many choose to
attend to learn more about the Institute and their cohort.

In 2019 the Office of Sustainability, Environmental Solutions Initiative, and JWAFS worked with the Office of the First Year to give away Klean
Kanteen bottles to as many first year students as possible. Each student who received a bottle had to pledge to use the bottle at least 10 times.

Sustainability water bottle distribution

http://sustainability.mit.edu/article/first-year-students-encouraged-reuse-refill-replenish

In addition to the water bottle distribution site in August 2019, the Office of the First Year worked with Waste Watchers after large group meals
to help incoming students properly dispose of their trash and recycle.

The MIT Energy Initiative, through MIT's Office of the First Year offers all incoming undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in
their sustainability related Discover Energy (DE FPOP) Freshman Pre-Orientation Programs. The DE FPOP acquaints entering freshmen with the wide range of
energy-related activities at MIT, introduces them to important topics within the energy and sustainability arena, and helps them to get to know each other
and current MIT students active in energy and sustainability. In addition, the Undergraduate Association, which is the undergraduate governing body, hosts
incoming first year orientation events for all students to learn about campus sustainability activities, how to live sustainably on campus, and how to get
involved. Graduate Student orientation programs offers sustainability-focused activities available to all.

Discover Energy FPOP

Discover Energy is sponsored by the MIT Energy Initiative, the Institute’s hub for energy research, education, and outreach. Through these
three avenues, we develop the technologies and solutions that will deliver clean, affordable, and plentiful sources of energy. Our mission is to create low-
and no-carbon solutions that will efficiently and sustainably meet global energy needs while minimizing environmental impacts, dramatically reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigating climate change.

Participating in DE FPOP will introduce you to some of the ways you can study energy here at MIT and build relationships with others who share your passion.
Specifically, you will learn about the MITEI UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) and the Energy Studies Minor, and meet students in the
popular Energy Club. In 2019 DE FPOP featured tours of local energy sources including the block Island Wind Farm, Shell TechWorks, and the Plasma Science
and Fusion Center.

Graduate Student Orientation Programs

FY20 GSC Sustainability participated in the 2019 Grad Orientation

-Graduate Resource & Activities
Fair in Johnson Rink (purpose: education and recruitment) - recruited new members for the GSC Sustainability Subcommittee. The table included a poster
outlining the group's interests and major initiatives happening in the Fall.

-GSC Open House (purpose: recruitment) – sub-committee members hosted a dinner table at the GSC Open House to recruit new members for the committee.

-There was promotion of the Sustainability Reuse fairs held throughout the year at Stata. There’s was discussion of incorporating from end of Spring Semester Move-out. Reusable items were
collected and stored in rental pods near grad dorms over the Summer to be distributed at an event in conjunction with Orientation programs as either ASA Midway or stand alone
event.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about sustainability in student orientation is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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