Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.08
Liaison Katherine Straub
Submission Date Aug. 21, 2020

STARS v2.2

Susquehanna University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups 

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
Community Food Action Team (CFAT): A student-run organization that partners with the SU Campus Garden and other groups to provide quality food to those that need it most.

Johnson Center for Civil Engagement (JCCE): allow students, faculty and staff to learn about and reflect upon their roles as active, informed citizens within the community.By fostering a campus culture that inspires civic leadership and social responsibility, the center continuously supports our mission.

SU Beekeeping Club: a student organization that manages the 5-6 bee hives on campus. They learn how to take care of the bees, winterize them, harvest honey, and raise awareness about challenges facing bees.

Gardens and farms 

Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
SU has a garden located on campus with the goal of producing organically grown food for our community while giving SU students service and experiential learning opportunities. Produce harvested from the campus garden is donated to community partners who help distribute the fresh food to those in need.

Student-run enterprises 

Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Hawk Stuff is SU's on campus free thrift store. The concept and plan for Hawk Stuff was designed by 2 students in an independent study during their senior year. Hawk Stuff opened in April 2019 to accept donations when students moved out to reduce our contribution to landfills and to provide gently used items to future students. Hawk Stuff then stores donations over the summer and offers them when students come back in the fall. Hawk Staff is managed by students and overseen bu the Office of Sustainability.

Sustainable investment and finance 

Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
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Events 

Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
SU hosts speakers every year that focus on sustainability. In 2018-2019 this included Ken Ilgunas who spoke about his adventures hiking the Keystone XL Pipeline, and Dr. Rod Giblett whose lecture was entitled "Cultivating Resilience in the Antropobscene". In 2019-2020, this included George Lakey who discussed non-violent civil disobedience and environmental justice and Mary Robinson who discussed environmental justice and her life's work. Also in the fall of 2019, 3 environmental groups came to campus, The Green New Deal, Citizens' Climate Lobby, and the Climate Reality Project to talk to students about their work and how they can get involved.

Cultural arts 

Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
In fall of 2018, there was a stage reading of Jose Casas' play "Flint" about the Flint water crisis. In April 2019, SU students performed a series of short plays called "Tiny Sustainability Theater" written by playwright Chantel Bilodeau about sustainability attributes of SU.

Wilderness and outdoors programs 

Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Geoclub organizes camping and hiking trips throughout the year that follow Leave No Trace principles.

Sustainability-focused themes 

Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
The 2018-19 Theme was "Perspectives on Resilience." The common reading which accompanies the university theme is an anthology containing readings about resilience, including environmental resilience.

The 2019-2020 Theme was "The Power of Stories." The common reading which accompanies the university theme is an anthology containing readings about the theme and included a story about climate fiction.

The 2021-2022 Theme will be adaptability.

Sustainable life skills 

Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
The Sustainability House is an option for students to live in where they complete an individual project regarding sustainability. Projects have included a raised bed garden, installing a rain barrel, micro wind energy, recycling signage, creating a food waste reduction app for campus. The Office of Sustainability also teamed up with Adulting 101 to provide a vegetarian and vegan cooking class.

Student employment opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Jobs offered on campus include sustainability project leaders within the Office of Sustainability, student campus garden coordinators and assistants, a sustainability intern within Dining Services, and summer environmental research positions. The Johnson Center for Civic Engagement and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion provide employment opportunities for students to tackle social equity issues on campus and in our community.

Graduation pledge

Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.