University of Connecticut
EN-2: Student Orientation

As part of the UConn campus tour for recently admitted and/or committed students, the students and parents stop in front of a sustainability wall mural (near the model dorm room) that gives an overview of campus sustainability initiatives and programs. The wall has become a feature on the campus tours. It is located near McMahon dining hall, which is certified LEED Gold. The dining hall’s LEED features (along with the several other LEED certified buildings on campus) are also discussed with incoming students and their parents.

Each year, the Office of Sustainability works with other University departments to collaborate on an outreach and engagement campaign targeting new students during move in week.

In the fall of 2021, first-year students arriving to campus received a reusable cloth “recycling bag” with instructions on proper recycling behaviors to ensure ease of transportation of recyclables to central waste areas in their residence halls. This program has since shifted to the spring semester to correspond with the annual RecycleThon residential hall recycling competition.

Also held in the beginning of the semester is the school involvement fair which helps students get involved on campus. The involvement fair is UConn’s largest free event open to all students, faculty, and staff. Over 600 student organizations and university programs participate in the fair held on Fairfield Way, the heart of campus. A section of the fair is dedicated to environmental groups on campus. Many clubs and organizations such as EcoHusky, the Office of Sustainability, and Spring Valley Student Farm table in this area to introduce students to environmental issues and ways to get involved. The Office of Sustainability website and social media pages contain a large amount of sustainability information and resources for new students.

There are also many aspects of social sustainability discussed at orientation. Every student is taught the importance of tolerance, honesty, and safety on a college campus through various workshops, speakers and videos.

OS social media accounts also provide good entry-level information to help orient students about sustainability issues, activities and events at UConn
https://www.instagram.com/uconnos/
https://twitter.com/uconnos
https://www.facebook.com/UConnOS/