Portland State University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

The Student Sustainability Center's (SSC) mission be an accessible hub that connects sustainability and the student experience through transformational learning opportunities. The SSC hosts the following programs: EcoReps - Practice your leadership skills by building community, sharing resources, and designing creative projects that promote sustainability within campus departments. Sustainability Volunteer Program - Choose to participate in one of the following task forces for one term or more. ---> Bee Task Force - Create a bee friendly campus by maintaining hives, tending plants that support pollinators, and designing educational events and workshops. ---> Cultural Sustainability Task Force - Explore how culture can strengthen sustainability by developing events and resources and advocating for accessibility. ---> Garden Task Force - Care for PSU’s campus gardens through seasonal maintenance, workshops, and creative visioning. ---> Marketing and Social Media Task Force - Create innovative outreach initiatives that include the “Shades of Green” podcast, tabling, marketing materials, and social media. ---> Waste Reduction Task Force - Help host quarterly clothing exchanges, reuse fairs, and waste audits. You may also help maintain the PSU ReUse Room and Supply Studio. Student Sustainability Leadership Council - Join this community of student leaders to support sustainability efforts across campus and practice leadership activities. OTHER OPPORTUNITIES Leadership fellows - Some leadership positions are eligible to participate in a year-long group that helps students explore their understanding and knowledge of leadership while earning a small scholarship and optional class credits. Field trips - Join us to explore sustainable organizations in the Portland area each term. Events - Attend a skill share, workshop, tour, film screening, or other meetup. Professional development - Envision your future, refine your resume, build your network, and strengthen your skills. RESOURCES Seed library - Free seeds to plant, grow, harvest, and share! Campus gardens - Get maps, contact info, tips, and learning activities. Self care - Strengthen your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Students may apply for a variety of opportunities in the SSC: Student Staff (paid positions): Students apply for one of seven hourly student positions. Positions are posted online and shared through campus networks. Interested applicants submit resumes and cover letters and are selected by a committee of students and staff Sustainability Volunteer Program (SVP) - Students apply for volunteer positions offered for fall, winter. Participants commit to 2-4 hours per week of service for at least one term in one of five task forces Applicants select a first and second choice of task force and are placed in a task force after attending orientation. Application link: go.pdx.edu/ssc Student Sustainability Leadership Council - Students are selected to represent initiatives and organizations from across PSU. Delegates attend one two hour meeting every other week to influence the direction of sustainability at PSU, network and share initiatives, connect with administration, and practice leadership skills. Link to online application: go.pdx.edu/ssc EcoReps - Student residents apply for one of up to 15 positions in fall term and commit to participating in EcoReps for fall, winter and spring term. EcoReps commit to 2-4 hours of service per week for the academic year. Link: go.pdx.edu/ssc Leadership Fellows - Fellows apply in the spring for the following academic year. Link: https://www.pdx.edu/student-sustainability-center/ssc-leadership-fellows Field Trips - Each term, SSC hosts a field trip that is open to all students. Students apply via RSVP. Past field trips have included visits and service at Mercy Corps, Portland Development Commission, The Columbia Gorge, Silver Falls State Park, Learning Gardens Laboratory, Hopkins Demonstration Forest. Application link: https://portlandstate.qualtrics.com//SE/?SID=SV_eP3CXfdo0qQLy5f

Prior to the start of the academic year, incoming SSC student staff participate a staff training and meet with campus partners to understand the scope of their positions: - Position expectations and goal setting - Values, mission, and vision - Organization charts for the university - Partnerships - Overview of programs - Lessons learned by outgoing team - What is sustainability to us? - Leadership - Supporting students in distress with Director of Counseling Services - Facilitation training - Cultural Competency - Campus Sustainability Tour with SSC Coordinator - Paperwork and organizational processes with support staff - SSC learning outcomes Student staff and leadership fellows also attend a reflective session 4 times per term: https://www.pdx.edu/student-sustainability-center/ssc-leadership-fellows

This program employs one full-time Coordinator, seven 10-12 hour/week student positions, and up to 15 leadership fellows. The SSC is funded by PSU's Student Fee Committee. Current funding: $140,000 per year.

SCEC is the center for service leadership and volunteerism at Portland State University. SCEC is most known for its group of 20 students that serve with community partners in Portland and work to connect the PSU community to volunteer opportunities. Additionally, SCEC also facilitates monthly and annual days of service, plans several alternative break trips, and coordinates the Alder Elementary mentor program. Students have opportunities to participate in a variety of programs with various levels of commitment: Short term/one day service opportunities: - Portland State of Mind Service Day - MLK Jr. Day of Service - Earth Day of Service - Serve Your City: Group Service Day! - Campus service events (often in partnership with SSC) Longer term/more than once a month: - Alder Mentor Program - Village Building Convergence - Alternative Spring Break Committed for the academic year: - Student Leaders for Service Members - Interfaith Leadership Team - MAPS Mentors

Students are recruited through the following process: - Positions are widely publicized to the entire university - Online application - Student leaders must maintain a 2.5 undergrad/3.0 grad GPA and take at least 6 undergrad/5 grad credits. - Interviews by Coordinator

SCEC is designed to intentionally build students' leadership capacity and civic engagement skills by serving and learning with non-profit and community organizations in the Portland metropolitan region. SCEC members serve as a key link between the university and the community, making manifest PSU's motto: Let Knowledge Serve the City. Trainings for student educators: - Orientation and retreat at the beginning of the year - Weekly meetings that incorporate a mixture of leadership development and skill building - Leadership conference 1x/year For the MAPS mentors: - Orientation at the beginning of each term Student Leaders for Service Member Learning Outcomes: - Student participants will become increasingly self aware, reflective and ethical leaders that promote social change within their various communities. - Students will critically reflect on engagement experiences - Students will increase their understanding of issues underlying social problems; students will understand themselves as agents of social change - Students will have a heightened understanding and value of personal difference and commonality - Students will sharpen their abilities to solve problems creatively and work collaboratively students will serve as leaders for increased community engagement with PSU students, faculty & staff Student Leaders for Service Community Partner Outcomes - SLS member placement and programming will assist Community Partners in having increased assistance to broaden delivery of existing services or to begin new ones - SLS member will aid Community partners in having additional approaches to solving problems - Community partners will have increased access to resources (be made aware of ways to partner with CBL courses, additional PSU volunteers, and get projects completed through service days) - SLS member placement and programmatic involvement will assist in diversifying the community partner setting, therefore increasing appreciation for personal difference and commonality - Day of Service Participant Outcomes - All service learning programs/experiences are structured around best practices informed by service-learning theory. - Students involved in a service-learning program will critically reflect on the community engagement process. - Students involved in a service-learning experience will demonstrate increased awareness of social problems underlying our community. - Students involved in a service learning experience will report increased awareness of and value in diversity - Service-learning participants will collaborate with others.

The office receives funding from the Student Fee Committee for a full time staff person, 3 student leads, 3 days of service, the orientations for the leadership programs and a small marketing budget and Oregon Campus Compact membership from Student Fees. Current funding: $130,883 per year.

The Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) Student Fellow program is available for all students to join giving students exclusive access to programs and activities that connect peers and to the larger sustainability community. Student Fellows have the opportunity to: -meet peers and learn about student opporutnities in sustainability -stay up to date on news, jobs, intersnships, events and volunteer opportunities -learn about sustainability research and community-engagement projects -learn about companies and organizations who value sustainablity -mark achievements with a sustainability honor cord and a certificate of reconginition for graduation Student Fellows have the opportunity to connect with PSU students, faculty, and community partners form local businesses and organization through a variety of events, workshops, and other activities.

Students can apply to the Student Fellows program quarterly and are required to participate in events and also participate in volunteer, internships, leadership or other professional development activities. Student remain in the program as long as they stay engaged in the program

Students are required to attend a variety of workshops and other opportunities which provide training students, giving them the skill to be sustainability leaders and peer mentors to others who are interested in sustainability education. Students go to 2 workshops a term that provide networking and professional development for student in the fellow program.

The program is housed in the Institute for Sustainable Solutions. The coordinator is a graduate assistant who is also supported by two paid interns. There is also a budget for Sustainability Training and Research (STAR) funding for conferences and grants. There are 15 $1000 grants and FY17 $3000 in conference funding.

Associated Students of PSU (ASPSU) Sustainability Director - This position includes sustainability in student government activities. Student Fellows of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions - provides students with networking and professional development opportunities. University Honors - The Sustainability Scholars program offers competitive awards of $5,000 for four consecutive years to incoming freshmen in the University Honors College who are interested in pursuing undergraduate research with a focus on urban sustainability.

http://www.pdx.edu/honors/sustainability-scholars