Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.66
Liaison Neha Sood
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Rochester Institute of Technology
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Enid Cardinal
Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President
Office of the President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Support for Cyclists and Pedestrians 

Does the institution provide secure bicycle storage (not including office space), shower facilities, and lockers for bicycle commuters?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
RIT has bike racks located by the entrance of most buildings on campus and has recently installed covered bike parking at a number of locations on campus. Additionally several residence halls have indoor bike storage. The Interactive Campus Map has a layer that identifies all bike racks on campus. There are shower facilities and locker in several buildings on campus, including some of our new LEED certified builidngs.

Does the institution provide short-term bicycle parking for all occupied buildings and makes long-term bicycle storage available for students who live on-site (if applicable)?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
Bike parking is available by all buildings on campus and can be identified using the interactive campus map. Students can store their bikes in their on campus dorm room or apartment. There are also 3 indoor storage areas for bicycles in 3 of the 4 residence hall towers.

Does the institution have a bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy (or adhere to a local community plan/policy) that sets standards and practices for campus streets to enable safe access for all users?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
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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:
The University manages it's own bicycle sharing program, through the parking and transportation office. RIT is also currently piloting a station less bike share system.

Mass Transit Programs 

Does the institution offer free or reduced price transit passes and/or operate a free campus shuttle for commuters?:
Yes

A brief description of the mass transit programs:
RIT Campus Shuttle offers a free shuttle on campus transportation service with the Regional Transit Service (RTS) operates weekdays (M-F) from approximately 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Weekend service is available from approximately 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Slightly revised schedules are provided during breaks and summer quarter The RIT off campus locations free transportation service is operated privately by Golden Memories Transportation. Operates weekday (M-F) from approximately 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. This shuttle also stops at Marketplace Mall late in the evening and weekends. Weekend service is available from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Slightly revised schedules are provided during breaks and summer quarter.

Guaranteed Return Trip Program 

Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
No

A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:
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Carpool/Vanpool Programs 

Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
Yes

A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:
RIT has developed a rideshare platform using "MY Courses" and is available only to the RIT community. A new community wide rideshare platform: roceasyride.org has been launched and RIT is working to develop an RIT portal to that system.

Car Sharing Program 

Does the institution participate in a car sharing program, such as a commercial car-sharing program, one administered by the institution, or one administered by a regional organization?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
Zip car has 3 cars located on RIT's campus.

EV Recharging Stations 

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:
In total RIT has 21 charging stations. There are 18 level 2 charging stations campus. They are located parking lots T, D, M and the Admin lot. 2 level one cords in T lot and a Tesla charging station behind Louise Slaughter Hall. RIT expect to deploy additional stations this year.

Telecommuting and Condensed Work Week Programs 

Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
The Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) pilot program within RIT’s Finance & Administration division is an attempt to see how well the FWA concept works for certain staff. RIT supports flexible work arrangements (FWAs) as a means to facilitate a desirable and productive work environment that is responsive to the changing professional and personal needs of employees in addition to promoting RIT’s sustainability initiatives. The primary criterion for determining eligibility is whether an FWA meets the business needs of an employee’s workplace. The best arrangement is the one that most effectively addresses the employee's personal needs or preferences and the department's need to provide effective and efficient services. Not all job circumstances lend themselves to FWAs, and the final decision in each case is that of the supervisor. However, supervisors are encouraged to seek alternatives if an employee’s original request cannot be accommodated.

Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
Yes

A brief description of the condensed work week option:
The Division of Finance and Administration piloted a 4 day work week program for all of its employees during the summer of 2016.

Other Strategies to Reduce the Impacts of Commuting 

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:
RIT has teamed up with the City of Rochester to offer eligible employees $6,000 toward the purchase of a primary residence in the City of Rochester. RIT's Home Owner Partnership provides eligible employees with the opportunity to receive $3,000 from RIT and $3,000 from the City of Rochester. You can use these funds toward your down payment and/or closing costs.

Does the institution employ other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting (e.g. preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, cash-out of parking programs)?:
Yes

A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
low emission and fuel efficient vehicle parking is designated in a number of campus parking lots and is identified on the interactive campus map: https://maps.rit.edu/

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.rit.edu/sustainability/transportation

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
RIT is an active partner in the Rochester Electric Vehicle Accelerator initiative as well: http://www.rochesterevs.com/.

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.