| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.15 |
| Liaison | Laura Young |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
Michigan State University
OP-17: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Laura
Young Sustainability Program Coordinator Administration-EVP-Office of Sustainability |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
Yes
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
MSU became one of 15 active Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Universities in 2021. MSU has multiple bike sharing programs, providing daily and longer-term use of a range of bicycles.
The MSU Bikes Service Center – an on-campus, University-operated bike shop – manages a rental fleet of approximately 400 bicycles available for short, medium and long term use. A portion of the fleet is made available through University departments, to provide alternatives to faculty and moving around campus.
The Associated Students of MSU operated a bike share program that provided free, non-vehicular transportation options to students with a low cost, effective bike share service. A fleet of more than 40 bikes was available for use by undergraduate students for up to a full day, for no charge. FY19 data reflected that 3.06 % of the on campus residents used the bikes, 1.22 used w/o knowing it was an ASMSU bike, 72.72% satisfaction rate, .30 % dissatisfied, 24.2 % Neutral Satisfaction.
MSU’s Department of Recreational Sports and Fitness Services has a small fleet of off-road bikes and tandems for recreational use by students at no charge. In addition, the Department has also partnered with the campus Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to offer a fleet of 5 hand-pedal trikes for those unable to pedal with their feet.
The MSU Bikes Service Center – an on-campus, University-operated bike shop – manages a rental fleet of approximately 400 bicycles available for short, medium and long term use. A portion of the fleet is made available through University departments, to provide alternatives to faculty and moving around campus.
The Associated Students of MSU operated a bike share program that provided free, non-vehicular transportation options to students with a low cost, effective bike share service. A fleet of more than 40 bikes was available for use by undergraduate students for up to a full day, for no charge. FY19 data reflected that 3.06 % of the on campus residents used the bikes, 1.22 used w/o knowing it was an ASMSU bike, 72.72% satisfaction rate, .30 % dissatisfied, 24.2 % Neutral Satisfaction.
MSU’s Department of Recreational Sports and Fitness Services has a small fleet of off-road bikes and tandems for recreational use by students at no charge. In addition, the Department has also partnered with the campus Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to offer a fleet of 5 hand-pedal trikes for those unable to pedal with their feet.
Does the institution participate in a car sharing program?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
MSU offers seven Zipcar parking locations on campus. Students 18 years and older, including drivers with an international license, can rent a car to use by the hour or day. We have 5 to 8 zip cars on campus at any given time. Locations include: MSU Parking lot # 15 at 1855 Place, Parking lot #41, Parking lot #50 MSU International Center, and Parking lot #73 South Residential Neighborhood. http://zipcar.com/universities/michigan-state-university
Does the institution offer preferential parking or other incentives for fuel efficient vehicles?:
Yes
A brief description of the incentives for fuel efficient vehicles:
MSU has 13 electric vehicle charging stations around campus. The EV charging stations are located in priority areas that are closer to buildings, curbcuts and sidewalks. In addition, charging is free for electric vehicles until the car is fully charged. Users will have 30 minutes to move their vehicle once fully charged after which a $10 per hour fee will be assessed by the vendor app. In parking garages, there are dedicated compact car only spots, as well as designated parking spots for fuel efficient motorized mopeds and motorcycles.
Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
MSU is encouraging the use of eco-friendly transportation with 13 electric vehicle charging stations around campus: four stations in the south Spartan Stadium parking lot, two stations in the north Spartan Stadium lot, two at the Wharton Center Ramp, two at the Conrad Hall lot, two at in Parking Ramp 5 off Trowbridge Rd, and one in the Kellogg Center Ramp. https//na.chargepoint.com/charge_point
The electric vehicle charging station at the Kellogg Center is part of the Lansing Board of Water and Light’s Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Project. To make it easier for drivers to find stations, websites and cell-phone applications such as Plug Share, Recargo, CarStations and ChargePointwill tell users where a station is, if a station is available and when their vehicle is done charging.
In addition, MSU has been testing an electric autonomous bus on campus that is charged at the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education. The bus is scheduled to start service spring 2022. https://mobility.msu.edu/events/MSU%20Autonomous%20Bus.html
The electric vehicle charging station at the Kellogg Center is part of the Lansing Board of Water and Light’s Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Project. To make it easier for drivers to find stations, websites and cell-phone applications such as Plug Share, Recargo, CarStations and ChargePointwill tell users where a station is, if a station is available and when their vehicle is done charging.
In addition, MSU has been testing an electric autonomous bus on campus that is charged at the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education. The bus is scheduled to start service spring 2022. https://mobility.msu.edu/events/MSU%20Autonomous%20Bus.html
Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
Employee Home Ownership Program (EHOP)was implemented in July of 2008 by the Capital Area Housing Partnership. MSU has participated in this long-running program for many years. This program was designed to provide a forgivable loan through an employee home ownership program. Offered to regular full time employees who planned to purchase a primary residence within a specified target area near MSU campus. Interest and payment free loans of up to $5000 could be used for down payment, pre-paid reserves and for closing expenses. The loan was forgiven at a rate of 20 percent each year, so if they remained in the residence for at least 5 years, the loan was considered paid in full as long as they had met all requirements of EHOP including not using the home as a rental property. https://www.capitalareahousing.org/forms-and-resources
In addition, MSU has guest housing options that are conveniently located on campus and designed to support both short- and long-term housing needs for faculty, staff and visiting scholars as well as their families. Staff and faculty relocating to the East Lansing area or experiencing life events who require temporary housing are invited to stay at either Spartan Village apartments, the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center or 1855 Place Apartments. https://worklife.msu.edu/relocation-community/housing
In addition, MSU has guest housing options that are conveniently located on campus and designed to support both short- and long-term housing needs for faculty, staff and visiting scholars as well as their families. Staff and faculty relocating to the East Lansing area or experiencing life events who require temporary housing are invited to stay at either Spartan Village apartments, the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center or 1855 Place Apartments. https://worklife.msu.edu/relocation-community/housing
Does the institution have other programs or initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation and/or reduce the impact of student and employee commuting?:
Yes
A brief description of other programs or initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation and/or reduce the impact of student and employee commuting:
MSU transitioned to offering fare-free bus rides for on-campus routes starting in fiscal year 2019, which resulted in roughly 40% increase in ridership. The partnership with the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) continues to be supported by the university. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2019/agreement-with-cata-means-free-on-campus-bus-rides
MSU also brought e-scooters to campus starting in 2019. Currently, MSU contracts with Spin for this service and is using this partnership as a means to continue efforts in using the campus as a living lab for ongoing research in mobility. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2021/new-partnership-brings%20e-scooters-back-to-campus.
MSU has also made significant enhancements to visitor parking. Instead of going to the parking office to buy a one-day or half-day visitor pass to display from the rearview mirror, anyone can now purchase hourly or daily parking at kiosks and online. The switch from monthly/annual parking rate structures to hourly/daily parking can be a strong incentive for people to walk, ride or take transit on days when those are viable because they are saving money. This new structure allows students and employees that may not need to be on campus every day or who primarily use sustainable transportation methods to commute a flexible and affordable option to park on campus when needed. Visitor parking has also been enhanced by the release of the MSU Spot On app which allows individuals to pay on the go and receive reminders when a parking session is about to end. https://spoton.msu.edu/.
In addition, MSU offers a reduced parking fee for individuals that park in commuter lots or those that carpool. https://police.msu.edu/parking-services/permits/
An additional tool launched by the university to encourage walking on campus was the Wayfinding Walking Map Service. Several years ago, the Wayfinding team from MSU’s Infrastructure and Planning and Facilities (IPF) contacted the Registrar’s Office regarding the potential use of campus maps with walking routes in conjunction with course scheduling. That collaboration resulted in a “walking map” service. Working together, both units refined and enhanced the Schedule of Courses map to include many features in support of student success:
•Display/hide each day’s route (useful when routes or meeting locations overlap)
•Identify construction zones
•Calculate accessible route/entrances
•Zoom to building (click on any building or numbered point, then “Zoom to”)
•Exact room location and detailed floor plan of buildings (click on numbered point, then “Show floorplan”)
•Walking distance and time per day (click on route line)
•Current location (click in upper left corner of map to pinpoint the user’s current location)
https://wayfinding.msu.edu/
MSU also brought e-scooters to campus starting in 2019. Currently, MSU contracts with Spin for this service and is using this partnership as a means to continue efforts in using the campus as a living lab for ongoing research in mobility. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2021/new-partnership-brings%20e-scooters-back-to-campus.
MSU has also made significant enhancements to visitor parking. Instead of going to the parking office to buy a one-day or half-day visitor pass to display from the rearview mirror, anyone can now purchase hourly or daily parking at kiosks and online. The switch from monthly/annual parking rate structures to hourly/daily parking can be a strong incentive for people to walk, ride or take transit on days when those are viable because they are saving money. This new structure allows students and employees that may not need to be on campus every day or who primarily use sustainable transportation methods to commute a flexible and affordable option to park on campus when needed. Visitor parking has also been enhanced by the release of the MSU Spot On app which allows individuals to pay on the go and receive reminders when a parking session is about to end. https://spoton.msu.edu/.
In addition, MSU offers a reduced parking fee for individuals that park in commuter lots or those that carpool. https://police.msu.edu/parking-services/permits/
An additional tool launched by the university to encourage walking on campus was the Wayfinding Walking Map Service. Several years ago, the Wayfinding team from MSU’s Infrastructure and Planning and Facilities (IPF) contacted the Registrar’s Office regarding the potential use of campus maps with walking routes in conjunction with course scheduling. That collaboration resulted in a “walking map” service. Working together, both units refined and enhanced the Schedule of Courses map to include many features in support of student success:
•Display/hide each day’s route (useful when routes or meeting locations overlap)
•Identify construction zones
•Calculate accessible route/entrances
•Zoom to building (click on any building or numbered point, then “Zoom to”)
•Exact room location and detailed floor plan of buildings (click on numbered point, then “Show floorplan”)
•Walking distance and time per day (click on route line)
•Current location (click in upper left corner of map to pinpoint the user’s current location)
https://wayfinding.msu.edu/
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.