Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.11
Liaison Elizabeth Drake
Submission Date April 19, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Swarthmore College
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.60 / 2.00 Melissa Tier
Sustainability Program Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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

A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
There are bicycle racks at numerous locations on campus including by all the buildings where employees work. Both the gym and the Science Center have showers for cyclist (and others).

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

A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
All buidlings have bike racks by them. Several buildings have bike racks in the basements for longer term storage.

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?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
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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:
Swarthmore offers free shuttle service to the two off-campus housing locations, to two nearby shopping malls, to a nearby town (Media, PA) and to a movie theater. Additionally, the school offers free train tickets to students for the nearby Septa regional rail when students are commuting to engage in community or public service of some sort. College employees can purchase Transitchek vouchers with pre tax dollars to buy rail and bus passes

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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Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
No

A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:
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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

A brief description of the car sharing program:
Swarthmore has a partnership with Zipcar and two of the companies vehicles are parked in one of the campus parking lots and are available to students and staff.

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

A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
The electric recharging station was built by 2 students in 2015. It is available to staff, students, and faculty who have electric vehicles. It features two different levels of charges that can accommodate up to four vehicles at once, and its usage can be tracked. Furthermore, the station is a solar powered.

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

A brief description of the telecommuting program:
Swarthmore has a telecommuting program, which was just introduced this past fall 2016. Since this is new, "few" use it. There is growing interest as departments decide which jobs could possibly use this program, and what the new workflow would be, if implemented.

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:
Some departments throughout the College do offer alternative flexible work arrangements for their staff. Currently these arrangements are discretionary and informal. During the summer, most of the staff take advantage of Summer Hours.

Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
The College has a mortgage program for faculty and upper administration to purchase housing within a 1.5 mile radius of the campus. The College owns 102 rental properties that are available for rent to full-time members of the instructional staff. Part-time faculty with appointments of half-time or greater are also eligible for housing, as availability permits. The College-owned housing has policies specifically aimed at accommodating professors that may have to leave temporarily for sabbatical.

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)?:
No

A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
URLs with general info: College supported faculty housing: http://www.swarthmore.edu/provosts-office/faculty-housing Parking and Transportation Strategy: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vm8xhdj5ishzkk7/Swarthmore%20College%20Parking%20and%20Transportation%20Report%20June%202014.pdf?dl=0

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.