| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 37.76 |
| Liaison | Diane Fout |
| Submission Date | Dec. 13, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Transylvania University
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Samuel
Crankshaw Student Sustainability Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
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Does the institution coordinate one or more ongoing student, peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Yes
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Number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
1,015
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Name of the student educators program (1st program):
Recycle +
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
1,015
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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):
Students conduct "audits" of student, faculty, and staff spaces. For commuter students, auditors can simply talk through the audit with the participant since it isn't reasonable to expect the audit to take place in the participant's room. The behaviors highlighted in the audits change from year to year, though recycling is always included. The student volunteers earn rewards based on the number of audits they conduct. The audit participants have a Recycle + sticker placed outside their door, and are entered in a prize drawing.
This program is offered most years, though not all.
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
volunteer basis; conservation coordinators are targeted though any student can be a recycle + auditor
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
The Sustainability Director, or another staff member from the Sustainability Office, meets with each volunteer to discuss: procedure, the highlighted behaviors, anticipated questions, and any upcoming events related to the audit. The training emphasizes that the audits are not a mechanism for shaming those who aren't doing the highlighted behavior; they are an opportunity to engage people in discussion about sustainability. The training takes approximately 15 minutes. Scheduling of the training varies from year to year. Sometimes it takes place during an open hour, and students can come anytime during that hour to be trained. Sometimes the training is conducted as part of a conservation coordinator meeting, since those are the primary students targeted as auditors. Volunteers unable to attend a group training can schedule a one-on-one session with the Sustainability Director.
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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
The program is managed by the Sustainability Director with assistance from a student(s) in the federal work study program assigned to the Sustainability Office. The Sustainability Office funds the rewards earned by the auditors, the participant prizes, and the Recycle + stickers.
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Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Conservation Coordinators
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
850
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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
Student Conservation Coordinators are the ground troops for sustainability in the residence halls. Their job is to: report conservation-focused maintenance issues; note and help resolve habitual behaviors (i.e., leaving the lights on in a common room) that negatively impact utility usage; and suggest ways the physical space could be changed to better support sustainable behaviors (i.e., more or moved recycling bins). They are also the point outreach person for sustainability initiatives. For example, they put up recycling signage at all the recycling bins, and lights out stickers on all the switch plates. They go door-to-door to distribute Winter Shutdown checklists and End-of-Year Collection Drive bags. Once a semester, the coordinators conduct a "Green Storm," a walk-through of their hall systematically noting any sustainability-related concerns. They are not required to do student rooms as part of this walk-through, but many of them talk to their fellow residents to get complete information.
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Students volunteer or are nominated by their Resident Adviser.
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
The Conservation Coordinators meet at least twice a year, near the beginning of each semester. At the meeting, the coordinator responsibilities for that semester are explained and support materials are distributed. Some of the programming materials are distributed through the Resident Advisers (RAs) closer to the time the program is implemented (e.g., Winter Shutdown materials are given out in early December, not at the September meeting.) For large programs (e.g., Winter Shutdown, the End-of-Year Collection Drive), the Sustainability Director or a student representative from the office will share outreach information and materials with the RAs at one of their regular staff meetings. The Conservation Coordinators are sometimes invited to that portion of the RA staff meeting.
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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
The Conservation Coordinator meetings usually involve providing a meal for the coordinators. Coordinators who complete their tasks for the semester and submit the end-of-semester paperwork can select a gratitude gift from a list of options the Sustainability Office provides. The meals and gratitude gifts are funded through the Sustainability Office.
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Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Transy Bikes!
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
1,015
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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
Student staff of Transy Bikes! plan, promote, and implement programming related to safe cycling. The Transy Bikes! students staff the shop, where students (as well as staff and faculty) can bring their bike for assistance with maintenance. The student Transy Bikes! workers plan group rides during which safe routes and riding practices are deliberately promoted. The Transy Bikes! staff also lead workshops on basic bike safety and maintenance.
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
Bike shop mechanics are hired by the Office of Sustainability and the student manager of the bike shop; there is one manager per academic year along with 2-3 mechanics.
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
Mechanics and managers are required to volunteer with local non-profit Broke Spoke, attend work shops at local bike shops, such as Pedal Power, and read about bike maintenance, safety, and alternative transportation options at Transylvania University in order to adequately educate other students.
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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
Transylvania University provides the bike shop with a budget each year. Grants and donations are also used to support the bike program.
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Name(s) of the student educator program(s) (all other programs):
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by all other student educator programs:
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A brief description of the program(s), including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (all other programs):
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (all other programs):
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (all other programs):
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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (all other programs):
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Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
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The website URL for the peer-to-peer student outreach and education program(s):
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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.