Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 74.27
Liaison Konrad Schlarbaum
Submission Date Feb. 15, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Colorado Colorado Springs
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

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

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

UCCS leaders work with City Council as issues arise. Engagement can be at City Council meetings or within processes that are initiated by the City. There has been representation on all of the Colorado Springs Electricity, Electric Integrated Resource Plans, two year processes to determine the grid mix. The City Council serves as the Board of Directors for the utility. The university has advocated for more renewables in the mix in each of the planning processes. While the Utility, as a municipal entity, is only required to source 10 percent of its energy from renewables, the university has supported meeting at least 20 percent and even matching the statewide level of 30 percent. The university also had representation on the Water Resource Plan, which is similar tot eh EIRP.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Advocacy and legislation is handled for CU by the Office of Governmental Relations. Below is a sample of bills that they supported in the last couples of years.
HB-16-1100 - In State Tuition for Homeless Youth
SB 16-196 - Inclusive Higher Education Pilot - Aimed at providing higher educational programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
HB 16-1142 - Rural and Frontier Health Care Preceptor Tax Credit. This bill creates a state income tax credit for licensed Colorado health care professionals who provide uncompensated personalized instruction, training, and supervision to one or more graduate students seeking a medical degree at a Colorado institution for higher education.
HB 16-1408 - Cash Fund Allocations for Health-related Programs
HB - 16-1438 - Employer Accommodations Related to Pregnancy - requires employers to engage in a timely, good-faith, interactive process when an employee or applicant requests reasonable accommodations related to pregnancy or physical recovery from childbirth.


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

Advocacy and legislation is handled for CU by the Office of Governmental Relations. Below is a sample of bills that they recently supported.
S. 3084 - American Innovation and Competitiveness Act - Sponsored by Senator Gardner - This bill calls on the National Science Foundation (NSF) to maintain the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria as the basis for evaluating grant proposals in the merit review process.
Faculty Assembly voted unanimously to support a resolution supporting continued climate change research and education at November 2017 meeting.
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/facassembly/2017/November%202017/Sustainability%20Committee%20Resolution%20for%20111017%20FA%20Meeting%20Vote.pdf


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
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A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
---

A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):

N/A


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:

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.