Mills College
EN-3: Student Life

Earth CORPS: The Community Organized to Respect, Protect, and Sustain the Earth. Earth CORPS has a strong legacy at Mills, including an annual Earth Week, successfully leading the effort for the dining hall to go trayless, implementing a compost program in the residence halls, supporting the creation of the Re-Use Depot, and currently working toward the implementation of a campus green fee.

For 6 years, the Mills Community Garden hosted members of the campus and local community in growing healthy, seasonal food while engaging in an inclusive, positive community space. The garden provided opportunities to learn how to plant seeds, water, harvest, manage pests, and more, while remaining in balance with natural cycles and patterns. A couple years ago, the community garden provided the basis for expanding the idea of creating educational experiences in sustainable food systems to create a farm. The last two years, the Urban Farm at Mills College project has been growing (literally)! Students and staff have piloted an on-site compost program, grown several crops of produce, and hosted several harvest dinners. The current vision statement for the direction the farm is taking is: The Urban Farm at Mills College will become a widely known and recognized campus and community meeting place, a place that manifests the values of Mills College—leadership, social justice, and equity—in practical and replicable ways. It will be an active hub for urban farming, employing progressive, financially viable approaches to farm planning, operations, harvesting, and distribution, providing healthy food to Mills College and the surrounding community. It will be a hub of learning, hosting formal and informal education and research opportunities for Mills students, faculty, and the surrounding community. It will be a welcoming hub of community activity, one that invites all neighbors to join in the creation and operation of the farm and to celebrate healthy food together. It is in the overlap of three organizing hubs—the Farm Hub, the Learning Hub, and the Community Hub—that the Urban Farm at Mills College will create a unique experience, a ‘living lab’ for growing healthy food, deepening knowledge and building community solidarity.

In November 2014, a wide coalition of groups brought a discussion to campus called: Intertwining our Journeys: Social Justice and Sustainability. This coalition included the student groups the Black Women's Collective and Earth CORPS; the Mills College Sustainability Center, the Diversity and Social Justice Resource Center, the Institute for Civic Leadership, the Environmental Studies Program, the Environmental Science Program, and the Biology Department. The focus for the discussion was the relationship of African Americans with environmental participation and representation, hosted by Carolyn Finney, author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors, and Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro. Mills College hosts an annual student organized Earth Week in April. Events throughout the week provide students with the opportunity to hear influential speakers, learn about natural design principles, engage in healthy and sustainable food systems, participate in hands-on activities in restoration and gardening, meet community partners actively pushing society to progress, and learning about bicycle culture and care. Every year has a unique flavor and presents a variety of opportunities to engage. The Russell Women in Science Lecture Series: Leadership Beyond the Lab is an annual event started in 2012. This annual lecture series is designed to introduce students to leading female scientists and highlight the career opportunities available to young women in the sciences. Multi-Sector Partnerships: Catalyzing Social Value is the seventh annual conference presented by the Center for Socially Responsible Business at the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business, Mills College. This conference is in collaboration with Lokey Net Impact Graduate and Undergraduate Chapters, and with Sponsors Symantec, Inc. and others. A new generation of multi-sector partnerships is forging measurable progress creating social value while moving well beyond the simpler model of public/private partnerships. These multi-sector partnerships wed the efforts of non-profits, philanthropic firms, civil society organizations, and the private sector to disruptively and productively reimagine: •How organizations can add social value •Ways to bring about community well-being •Techniques for realizing fair profits •Means and methods to demonstrate stewardship for ecosystems

Founded in 1925, the Mills College Art Museum is a forum for exploring art and ideas and a laboratory for contemporary art practices. Through innovative exhibitions, programs, and collections, the museum engages and inspires the intellectual and creative life of the Mills community as well as the diverse audiences of the Bay Area and beyond. Many themes that encompass social justice and sustainability are presented in the art and dance of the museum.

Recreational excursions provide Mills College students with opportunities to take fun trips off campus to experience some of the amazing sites and activities that northern California has to offer. Past excursions include: Hiking and Hotsprings in Calistoga, Monterey Bay Whale Watching and Horseback Riding on the Beach. Students, faculty, staff, alumnae, and guests are welcome to participate on a space-available basis. Leave No Trace principles are included as part of the safety talks before launching. Upcoming Events: Early 2013: Kayaking on the Elkhorn Slew Mid-semester Spring 2013: Rock climbing

In fall 2012 each first-year student resident will participate in one of 13 Living Learning Communities (LLCs). The Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty and the Division of Student Life collaborate to offer two types of LLCs to our first-year residents: Academic Fusion and Scholars in Action. First-year residents who select Academic Fusion LLCs will be automatically enrolled in the listed introductory course and will reside in close proximity to one another. Generally, the professor for this class will also serve as their first-year advisor. The Scholar in Action LLCs live in close proximity together in the Residence Hall and participate in experiences related to their theme. Over the course of the fall term, the professor, students, and residence advisors for all LLCs will attend lectures, films, museum exhibitions, and other activities related to the central theme of their LLC. The themes for the Living Learning Communities include: * Sustainability and Local Food Living Learning Community * Social Justice and Educational Change Living Learning Community * Science Living Learning Community * Leadership and Management Skills Living Learning Community * Adventure Education Living Learning Community * Dog and Cat Lovers Living Learning Community * Ethnic Studies Living Learning Community * Women and Gender Studies Living Learning Community * Sociology Living Learning Community * Psychology Living Learning Community * Philosophy Living Learning Community * Music Living Learning Community * History Living Learning Community

Larsen House is a sustainable co-op in a delightful two-story Victorian house located close to the center of campus. The six women residing in Larsen share house duties and decision making, and work to raise awareness around environmental issues through campus-wide programs and events. Sustainable living skills are developed through collective decision-making, weekly cooking from the items in a CSA box, the opportunity to grow food in raised beds in their yard, the maintenance of a vermi-compost worm bin, and supporting programs such as campus creek restoration and the Urban Farm at Mills College. Residency for Larsen House Co-op is determined through an application and interview process. Mills College is partnering with GRID Alternatives to install a solar panel system on a house in the Oakland community, near campus. This is an awesome opportunity in which students can volunteer to support their community while gaining hands-on experience in solar installation. The first installation was in February 2015, with the idea of further partnership development.

Eco-Reps are work-study students who raise awareness about ecological issues, encourage environmentally responsible behavior in their peers, and plan related events and activities. There are currently three programmatic areas in which students are able to engage deeply and lead, while taking on a supporting role in the activities of their fellow Eco-Reps. These areas include the Creek Restoration Program, the Urban Farm at Mills College, and the Recycling and Compost Programs. There are two Creek Restoration Eco-Reps, one Urban Farm Eco-Rep, and one 3R&C Eco-Rep. The Creek Restoration Eco-Reps lead weekly Creek Care Days, maintaining and enhancing the campus creek restoration sites. They are also in charge of educational presentations and materials to enhance their peers' understanding of restoration and ecosystems. The Urban Farm Eco-Rep also leads weekly work days, which has increased to two work days a week for the spring semester. This includes weeding, propagating, composting, planting, harvesting, and educational outreach and engagement. The 3R&C Eco-Rep is currently coordinating the RecycleMania Competition. Duties also include maintaining the signage for the campus and trainings on sorting. All of the Eco-Reps come together to hold larger events on broader themes of sustainability.

There is an annual Lokey Graduate School of Business Oath, started at Mills College Commencement on 5.17.2014. The Lokey GSB Oath As a reflective leader I recognize my role in society. My purpose is to serve people with integrity and manage resources to create shared economic and social value. My decisions affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my organization, today and tomorrow. Therefore, I promise that: I will manage with loyalty and care, and will not advance my personal interests at the expense of my organization or society. I will act with transparency, diligence, and ethical responsibility to uphold the laws and contracts governing my conduct and that of myorganization I will refrain from corruption, unfair competition, or business practices harmful to society. I will respect the human rights and dignity of all people, and I will oppose discrimination and exploitation. I will safeguard the health of the planet and the needs of future generations. I will report the performance and risks of my organization accurately and honestly. I will invest in developing myself and others, helping the management profession continue to advance and create sustainable and inclusive prosperity. In exercising my professional duties according to these principles, I recognize that my behavior must set an example of integrity, eliciting trust and esteem from those I serve. I will remain accountable to my peers, to myself, and to society for my actions and for upholding these standards. This oath I make freely, and upon my honor