| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 38.93 |
| Liaison | Veronica Johnson |
| Submission Date | May 10, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southwestern University
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.24 / 4.00 |
Keara
Hudler Student Sustainability Coordinator Environmental Studies |
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:
CELTAs support civic engagement pedagogy by supporting faculty involved in community-engaged learning. CELTA’s assist faculty members and their classes with the implementation of community-engaged learning and liaison with the community. CELTAs participate in ongoing training and reflection sessions, and develop skills in project management, communication, facilitation, and community-building.
For the 2015-2016 school year, 5 students were employed as CELTAs for the Paideia program, and one was employed for the Community Garden. Their employment fell under the authority of the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) at Southwestern.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
Students submit an application for the specific CELTA position they desire; the application consists of four short essays and their resume. The OCE interviews and chooses the students.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
New CELTAs attend a half day retreat to identify team working strategies, calendar events for the year and identify short term and long term goals.
In addition, Garden CELTAs attend multiple training sessions with physical plant staff to get technical training on compost, irrigation and green house maintenance.
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 CELTAs are paid $7.65/hour for up to 150 hours throughout the semester. In addition, they receive funding for program support through the faculty in charge of their Paideia clusters. Funding is also provided for garden maintenance through the Office of Civic Engagement and the Office of Student Activities.
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):
Three to four students are employed to assist the Office of Civic Engagement in planning and organizing the Spring Breakaway trips. This involves contacting organizations in the destination city, preparing food purchases and housing in accordance with a predetermined budget, and advertising for students to attend the trips. Spring Breakaway trips combine service, learning, community engagement, and exploration for the students attending.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Students can either apply to be a Trip Planner or Site Leader. Trip Planners apply, interview, and are hired in April before summer begins. If they are able, they get to attend a national conference where they spend a week learning how to plan and organize alternative break trips. Site Leaders apply and interview in the fall before Winter Break.
Students are selected based on their experience with and passion for social justice issues, their experience in event planning or team leading, and their overall willingness to learn how to successfully engineer an alternative break trip where students will engage with and learn more about social justice issues during their spring break.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
Student Site Leaders have the opportunity to attend an Alternative Break Citizenship school, hosted by Break Away, which is an organization that helps students and schools create and improve alternative break trips. Students learn how to organize a trip, communicate and work with community partners, facilitate group dynamics, and more.
During weekly meetings with the Coordinator of Civic Engagement and monthly meetings with one of the Directors of Civic Engagement, Diversity, or Spiritual & Religious Life, the Trip Planners continue training for a semester on issues related to their destination city, issues related to "voluntourism" and how to prevent it, power dynamics (privilege, oppression, etc.), and more.
Site Leaders have 3-4 workshops with the Coordinator and Directors on similar topics as mentioned above and they will also focus on topics concerning group dynamics, how to facilitate reflections and discussions, interacting with community partners, and more.
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):
Southwestern University generously sponsors the majority of the costs for Spring Breakaway. Student Trip Planners are paid $7.75/hour and they receive 50% off the cost of the trip. Site Leaders are not student workers and are not paid, but for their leadership and time commitment they receive a 50% discount on the trip.
Participants only have to pay $150 for the trip. This includes all transportation costs (to and from airports, airfare, vans, Uber, bus tickets, etc.), all food, a T-shirt, housing, resource materials, and more. Students also have the opportunity to reduce the cost by applying for a scholarship, which ranges from $50 to $150. In total, $600 worth of scholarships were given for Spring Breakaway 2016. We prioritize keeping the costs for Spring Breakaway affordable so that no one is inhibited by financial constraints to participate in a service-learning experience.
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):
Peer Mentors provide academic support for students who need it, usually for students who are struggling to pass a class or who have been placed on academic probation. Peer Mentors also administer testing for students with accommodations. At the beginning of each school year, Peer Mentors are assigned to a number of First Year Seminars and reach out to the students enrolled in those seminars to spread awareness about the services offered by the Peer Mentor Program, as well as to check in on how the students are adjusting to college-level coursework.
A few times each semester, Peer Mentors hold workshops and lectures regarding college life, study skills, time management, and other topics for academic support.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
Students are nominated by professors and given the opportunity to fill out an application and submit a resume for the program. Students are then invited to interview for the positions. For the interview stage, each applicant must create a workshop, including an outline of activities, incentives for attendance, advertisement, and use a predetermined budget.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
Peer Mentors receive 1.5 days of training on effective communication and mentoring skills (how to "guide" rather than just give the student the answer, etc.).They are then given the opportunity to practice these skills in mock mentor meetings and presentations. They also receive on-going feedback from the head of the program, Jennifer Smull, throughout the year and in weekly staff meetings.
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):
The program has an overall budget of about $13,500 per year, most of which includes the wages of the 8 to 10 student workers. Other costs are minimal and include food for workshops, shirts, and workshop supplies.
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:
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.