| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.24 |
| Liaison | Paul Scanlon |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Slippery Rock University
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Paul
Scanlon Special Assistant to the President President's Office/Sustainability |
Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
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):
Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
Name of the student educators program:
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
The FYRST Seminar program is offered to all incoming first year students.
The graduate assistant and/or student interns of SRU's Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research teach a variety of sustainability-related first year (FYRST) seminars to incoming students each year. When possible, these seminars are presented at the Macoskey Center so that the students can also receive a guided tour of the Harmony House and surrounding grounds that feature sustainability related demonstration projects. Seminar topics include energy, sustainability, zero waste, farm to fork, composting, natural prescriptions, and a ROCK sustainability tour.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
Graduate Assistants and interns/student workers/volunteers interested in sustainable topics are typically selected based on faculty recommendations of students taking sustainability-related classes.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
Graduate assistants and student interns/workers/volunteers receive hands-on education from the co-directors of the Macoskey Center (environmental educators), various faculty members, and the Director of Sustainability.
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):
The Macoskey Center operations are directly supported financially by the University. Individual demonstration projects are sometimes financed by SRU Green Fund Grants, and some (like the current aquaponics demonstration project) are funded through external grants. Generally faculty members and/or the Director of Sustainability donate their time to mentor the student volunteers and internships working on such projects, that then become part of the Macoskey Center tours.
Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
The Macoskey Center is SRU's flagship for teaching and demonstrating sustainability concepts, and is staffed by two graduate assistants and four student workers who offer tours of the LEED Silver-certified Harmony House and surrounding 83-acre Bartramian Audubon Sanctuary site. The G.A.'s and student workers provide peer-to-peer education on various topics (energy and water conservation, alternative energy, organic gardening, grey water systems, rainwater harvesting systems, composting, preservation, etc.) to any class or group of students interested, using the on-site infrastructure to demonstrate the practical application of these concepts.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Graduate Assistants and student workers interested in sustainable topics are typically selected based on faculty recommendations of students taking sustainability-related classes.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
Graduate assistants and student interns/workers/volunteers receive hands-on education and training on how to lead the tours from the co-directors of the Macoskey Center (environmental educators), various faculty members, and the Director of Sustainability.
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):
The Macoskey Center operations are directly supported financially by the University. Individual demonstration projects are sometimes financed by SRU Green Fund Grants, and some (like the current aquaponics demonstration project) are funded through external grants. Generally faculty members and/or the head of the Office of Sustainability donate their time to mentor the student volunteers and interns working on such projects, that then become part of the Macoskey Center tours.
Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
n/a
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
n/a
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
n/a
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):
n/a
A brief description of all other student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of students served and how student educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:
The Green Leaves program is a sustainable departments self-certification program developed and piloted by student interns of the Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator in conjunction with the Director of Sustainability. The program is modeled after Harvard University's "Green Office Program" and is intended to help change the culture of the campus by encouraging interaction among with faculty, staff, and students connected with each Academic Department.
The ALTER video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOU1kTkvKiI) is a documentary of how SRU's Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research was founded, and was produced by student interns of the Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator to teach their peers (as well as the general public) the history and guiding principles of the Center.
Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.