| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.21 |
| Liaison | Brandon Trelstad |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Oregon State University
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Brandon
Trelstad Sustainability Coordinator Sustainability Office |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
30,451
Total number of students enrolled for credit that are served (i.e. directly targeted) by a student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting to the extent feasible):
30,451
Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
100
1st Program
Student Sustainability Initiative
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
30,451
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
The OSU Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) is a student-fee funded, student-coordinated program within the Department of Student Leadership and Involvement that works to advance student efforts to create a culture of sustainability at OSU. This work falls into three general categories: (a) actions and campaigns directly influencing OSU’s sustainability, (b) education on sustainability issues, and (c) empowerment of students to tackle their own vision of a better world.
Examples of outreach activities include planning and implementing educational events (e.g. Cooking workshops, which are educational opportunities to learn about food security and general kitchen skills, and Water Wonderland, a fair dedicated to informing the OSU community about ways of conserving and preserving water resources), hosting work parties at their organic garden, staffing booths at campus events, and advertising SSI programs.
Program info at http://sli.oregonstate.edu/ssi
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) staff are 14 paid positions selected based on a competitive application process and hired by an internal hiring team.
SSI Fee Board members (5 voting students) are selected through a competitive application process by previous Board members. Additionally, 5 non-voting members serve to help inform the process or as ex-officio members. The selection process and the SSI program are advised by several OSU professionals: the Student Sustainability Advisor, the Civic Engagement & Service Coordinator and the Sustainability Officer. Additional support and advising is also received from other faculty and staff.
Staff, and to some extent Board members, are selected based on demonstrated personal commitment to sustainability, experience in the sustainability-related fields, and aptitude of candidates for conducting peer learning activities, campaign building and other related activities.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
SSI staff and board members receive formal training in organizational development, effective campaigning, conflict resolution and non-violent communication, assessment, purchasing, student leadership development, sustainability principles, community organizing and empowerment. Activities include orientation to sustainability at OSU, a 2 hour tour of campus sustainability features and other specific professional development.
Training is conducted by OSU faculty and contracted off-campus professionals and ranges between 3 and 10 days for staff and half day for Board members, plus additional development opportunities throughout the year.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination):
OSU dedicates a minimum of 1.5 FTE of faculty, staff and graduate student time to SSI. Other resources include assistance in purchasing, processing payroll and other logistical support, and additional program assistance from departments like the Sustainability Office, Campus Recycling, the academic colleges and many others.
The SSI budget for FY16 was approximately $349,000, funded from student fees.
If reporting students served by additional peer-to-peer programs, provide:
2nd Program
Residence Hall Eco-Representatives
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
1,529
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
Eco-Representatives (Eco-Reps) are hired students responsible for advancing and institutionalizing a culture of sustainability in the residence halls in which they live. This includes:
- Planning and executing sustainability-focused events (at least one per term)
- Advertising and encouraging involvement in campus-wide sustainability events, including inter-hall recycling and energy competitions
- Educating residents about sustainable lifestyles and resources (common methods included staffing a booth, visiting rooms to talk to residents, hanging or creating posters/signage, Facebook posts, and organizing hall events).
- Coordinating their hall's composting pilot program - recruiting participants, educating and engaging participants, and maintaining compost bins (weighing and tracking data, emptying, and cleaning)
Eco-Reps work 5-8 hours per week and are paid hourly. There were five Eco-Reps during FY16, expanding from previous years.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Candidates were selected following a competitive application process. Students in any residence hall were invited to submit applications. A hiring committee was assembled (made up of the various partners contributing to the Eco-Rep program) to select applicants to interview, conduct interviews, and select three candidates. These top three candidates determined which three halls would have Eco-Reps.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
Early in the academic year, Eco-Reps receive specialized training targeted specifically for the types of tasks expected of them. They attend weekly meetings throughout the year with their supervisor and campus partners and received informal trainings from partners on campus sustainability programs and resources.
A lesson book was created by the Sustainability Office specifically for the Eco-Rep program. It is based on Northwest Earth Institute course material. Content is read and reviewed at each Eco-Rep weekly group meeting with a facilitated discussion led by the OSU Sustainability Coordinator.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):
Four campus entities contributed funds to build a $6,050 budget for FY16 wages:
$3,142 from Campus Recycling
$1,043 from University Housing & Dining Services
$1,043 from the Student Sustainability Initiative
$822 from the Sustainability Office
These same partners offer additional resources, such as printing and supplies, as needed, for Eco-Reps' projects. The Residence Hall Association also provided access to their resource room (which offered computers, printing and office supplies) and the Hall Councils provided funds for event materials when Eco-Reps requested them.
In addition, partners contributed staff time to support Eco-Reps, as needed. In particular, the Sustainability Office supported and supervised the Eco-Reps, providing training, work assignments, admin support, etc.
If reporting students served by three or more peer-to-peer programs, provide:
3rd Program
Waste Watchers
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
30,451
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
Waste Watchers is a joint group between Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative whose mission is to engage students and the community in waste reduction at OSU by providing educational programming, meaningful opportunities for action, and empowerment of future leaders. The program has several chair and leadership positions that are elected by the larger group.
Waste Watchers volunteer at events such as Repair Fairs, RecycleMania, and #BeavsRecycle. Repair Fairs are events which serve the OSU community by helping attendees fix up broken items rather than throwing them away. People can bring broken items and volunteers will help them learn how to repair their belongings, attend demos to learn more skills. RecycleMania and #BeavsRecycle are two campaigns throughout the school year which focus on increasing the amount the OSU community recycles.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
General members of Waste Watchers are volunteer positions trained for outreach and events. Chair positions including Program Leader, Membership Chair, Recruitment Chair, Social Chair, and Repair Fair Chair are elected into their positions.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
Waste Watchers are trained for outreach and events by a full time professional outreach team member from Campus Recycling. Typical training includes social norming, how to conduct traditional outreach like tabling and class presentations, etc.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (3rd program):
As a joint group between Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative, the group is funded by both entities. Additionally, both provide staff support "Waste Watch Coordinators" for the group.
Additional Programs
Campus Recycling's Student Outreach Assistant position is a paid student position that focuses on educating and engaging the OSU community (primarily students) in recycling and waste reduction. Duties include planning and implementing educational events (Earth Week, Repair Fairs, RecycleMania, etc.), communicating electronically (writing for the blog, Facebook, and recycling website), planning and staffing booths, presenting to student clubs, distributing informational materials, and helping coordinate the student volunteer team the Waste Watchers (including recruiting volunteers, setting meeting agendas, facilitating meetings, and coordinating volunteers at events).
Optional Fields
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.