| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.15 |
| Liaison | Lori Collins-Hall |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Sterling College (VT)
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Favor
Ellis Dean of Community Residence Life |
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:
Community Advisors are key to facilitating the development of community norms that are in line with Sterling's mission to use education as a force to advance ecological thinking and action in each of the resident halls and subsequently the entire campus. Community Advisors are a direct link between students and the Dean of Student Life. CAs represent the hall they reside in and are a source of information from the broader community to the residents and also responsible for bringing programming on a variety of topics, including sustainability, to the student body.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
All student leadership positions are assigned through a hiring committee consisting of the Dean of Student Life, Associate Dean of Work Learning, and at least two current students.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
Formal training is given by faculty in both social justice and in environmental science and supervised by the Dean of Student Life. Other training happens from resources provided by outside organizations.
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):
Community Advisors (CAs) are student employees through the Sterling College Work Program. The Dean of Student Life and the Associate Dean of Work Learning help to advise the students. Moreover, supplies and funding are available through the Student Activities Fund.
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 Naturalist Outings and Events Facilitator contributes to the organization and implementation of extra-curricular activities relating to natural history and ecology. These activities may be on- or off-campus, and will enable community members to engage with natural history and ecological science in educational and enriching ways outside of the classroom.
Responsibilities will include:
-Organizing on- and off-campus ecology/natural history-themed outings e.g. bird-watching, tracking, fungal forays, edible plant foraging, aquatic macroinvertebrate surveys etc;
-Curating a naturalist table on campus;
-Spreading knowledge amongst the community of ecological and natural history extra-curricular opportunities in the wider area e.g. conferences, talks, symposia, walks, workshops etc
Responsibilities could also include:
-Organizing on-campus ecology enrichment sessions e.g. ‘Open Lab’ sessions, Bioblitz, invasive species removal events etc;
-Contributing to citizen science projects through on-campus data collection;
-Coordinating collection of natural history sightings;
-Conducting phenological observations.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Students apply annually for this position through Sterling's Work Program
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
The majority of candidates are Ecology majors engaged in natural history courses to supplement their knowledge; this position can also access Faculty in Outdoor Education.
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 Faculty in Ecology and the Associate Dean of Work Learning help to advise the position; the position is budgeted through the Work Program and earns an hourly wage.
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):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
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):
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.