Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.59
Liaison Chris Bond
Submission Date Oct. 30, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Unity Environmental University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Steve Kahl
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability
"---" 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:
589

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Name of the student educators program (1st program):
Sustainability Office Student Worker Outreach

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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
431

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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):
The Sustainability Office has a dozen student workers doing a variety of recycling, local foods, and energy tasks, plus a residence hall mentor in each residence hall to offer support and education about sustainability issues.

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
Student educators are chosen as part of a competitive application and interview process conducted by the sustainability office. Typically a dozen student employees are engaged in this program.

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
Students are trained one-on-one or in small groups by the sustainability office staff Students are trained to use social media with a focus on blogging about sustainability efforts. Training may also include an emphasis on tabling, survey work, and development of outreach materials such as posters, flyers, and displays. Additional relevant content training are conducted as needed in order to effectively communicate topics as diverse as building energy performance, composting food waste, and transportation alternatives. .

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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
Student educators are supported by the sustainability office staff for recycling/waste and local foods procurement. Their efforts are supported financially through work-study and the budget of the sustainability office.

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Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Sustainability training for Resident Advisors.

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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
431

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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
RAs have a formal training by the Sustainability Office at the start of each semester and at least once during each semester. In the residence hall, the RA's engage regularly with every student, including on issues broadly related to sustainability

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
RAs are selected through an application and interview process conducted by Residential Life

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
RAs have a formal training by the Sustainability Office at the start of each semester and periodically during the semester.

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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
Residential Life has a programming budget which includes materials dedicated to sustainability, such as posters displayed in every hall. Res Life and/or the Sustainability Office organizes competitions among halls for recycling and energy use, with prizes awarded.

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Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Northstar Leadership Program

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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
40

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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
The NorthStar Leadership Program provides opportunities for students to develop and enhance a personal philosophy of leadership that includes understanding of self, groups, community. It fosters an understanding of the responsibilities inherent in community membership and provides multiple paths for students to demonstrate their discovery and commitment to leadership. The program was awarded the 2012 Program of the Year Award by the National Association of Student Personal Administrators

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
The program is voluntary.

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
The program has four tracks, all of which include a sustainability component. In 2014, we are planning to formalize sustainability training program-wide with the goal of adding a sustainabilty track to the four existing tracks in 2015. Tracks: Campus Engagement, Outdoor Leadership, Women's Educational Leadership, Service Leadership.

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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
Northstar is supported by a program budget line and has a dedicated faculty member as leader.

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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):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Unity College has a number of student to student educator programs to develop communication skills and to disseminate the sustainability message broadly as part of the mission of the college. The programs range from students employed by the sustainability office to Resident Advisors who live in each residence hall, to the award winning NorthStar program for environmental leadership.

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.