Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.13
Liaison Elizabeth Drake
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

Swarthmore College
OP-16: Commute Modal Split

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.76 / 5.00 Melissa Tier
Sustainability Program Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total full-time equivalent student enrollment:
1,664

Full-time equivalent of employees:
926

Has the institution gathered data about student commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of students that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
99

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about student commuting:

-The data we gathered regarding student commutes is based on the college fact book and our general knowledge and observations of student transportation patters, which are very apparent given the relatively small student body and the relatively small campus.      
-Based on the college factbook numbers for 2019, 96% of our students live on campus and the other 4% live in the near proximity of the campus. The vast majority of students bike, walk, or train to campus and while some own cars, students rarely drive around Swarthmore's relatively small campus. The remainder of the estimate is generalized but likely quite accurate: Most (likely 2%-4%) of the remaining 5% of students live in three "off-campus" housing options, none of which are further than just 1 block  from the campus.


Has the institution gathered data about employee commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of employees that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
32.40

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about employee commuting:

This percentage was extrapolated from a 2018 transportation survey sent to all employees, which involved calculating every percentage of employees who do not use "drive alone" as a primary mode of transportation.


Percentage of students and employees that use the following as their primary mode of transportation:
Percentage of students (0-100) Percentage of employees (0-100)
Single-occupancy vehicle 0 68.06
Zero-emissions vehicle 0 10
Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode 99 17.20
Vanpool or carpool 0 2.74
Public transport or campus shuttle 0 1
Motorcycle, motorized scooter/bike, or moped 1 0
Distance education / telecommute 0 1

Website URL where information about student or employee commuting is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The college provides on campus housing to 96% of its students. All students are full-time and 3-4% live in private housing in the Village of Swarthmore, which is right next to the campus. The students living off-campus either walk, bicycle, or take a shuttle provided either by the college or a local apartment complex depending upon their residence.

More information can be found in the College's 2018-2019 Fact Book: https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-research/Swarthmore%20College%20Fact%20Book%202018-19.pdf


The college provides on campus housing to 96% of its students. All students are full-time and 3-4% live in private housing in the Village of Swarthmore, which is right next to the campus. The students living off-campus either walk, bicycle, or take a shuttle provided either by the college or a local apartment complex depending upon their residence.

More information can be found in the College's 2018-2019 Fact Book: https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-research/Swarthmore%20College%20Fact%20Book%202018-19.pdf

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.