Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 59.34
Liaison Elizabeth MacKenzie
Submission Date July 24, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Iowa
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Sara Maples
Interim Director
The UI Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
33,564

Total number of students enrolled for credit that are served (i.e. directly targeted) by a student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting to the extent feasible):
33,564

Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
100

Name of the student educators program:
Eco Hawks

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
2,000

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:

The Eco Hawks program is a peer-to-peer program that seeks to educate and advocate the student body on sustainability issues. The program involves an initial training session and events centered on promoting the University's 2020 Sustainability Vision. Examples of Eco Hawk events are campus clean-ups, trash audits, and inter-department sustainability education events.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected:

The Eco Hawks program is voluntary. Students can sign-up for the program at the beginning of each semester.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:

Eco Hawk training consists of an introduction to sustainability topics, the university sustainability priorities, and ways to integrate sustainability into work and home life. Additionally, Eco Hawks receive biweekly newsletters that contain updates on sustainable initiatives, news, and opportunities for additional involvement.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination):

The Eco Hawk program is an unpaid advocacy group that is supervised through the office of Sustainability. Eco Hawks have access to the Sustainability office space, and full-time staff members support the program through coordination of events, training sessions twice per academic year, and publication of a biweekly newsletter (that is also assembled and distributed by staff). Finally, paid interns through the office support various Eco Hawk initiatives.


Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Herky C.A.R.E.S. (Civility-Advocacy-Responsibility-Engagement-Service)

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
5,546

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):

Herky C.A.R.E.S. is a collaboration project between students and faculty to promote social and environmental justice in the university residence halls. There are 10 residence halls covered per year. The program involves training students and faculty in sustainability and environmental justice concepts and hosting a number of events to include students living in residence halls. Examples of events includes Earth Day celebrations, energy bowl competition, and celebrating cultural diversity festival.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):

Herky C.A.R.E.S. meetings are open to all interested students, staff, and faculty.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):

No formal training is arranged.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):

The group is granted funds through the University Housing & Dining department to hold events. The group has one main adviser from the University Housing & Dining department.


Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Recycle Mania

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
33,564

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):

Recycle Mania is an annual, national event held across the United States and Canada. On the University of Iowa campus, student organizers are assigned to coordinate and implement strategies and events to promote the month long event.


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

Students voluntarily apply to be an event coordinator for Recycle Mania. Additionally, the Office of Sustainability hires interns through a competitive application process to support Recycle Mania implementation.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):

Students involved with coordinating the Recycle Mania events are encouraged to attend the Eco Hawks training.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (3rd program):

Students are afforded some student organization funding from student government, with the rest of the funding supplemented by the Office of Sustainability.


A brief description of all other student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of students served and how student educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:

The University of Iowa also includes a number of sustainability related student organizations that meet the needs of around 920 students annually. Events range from gardening, bicycling, and energy competitions. Training for these students involves a number of specialized training for the type of activities they engage in. All students in sustainability related organizations are encouraged to participate in the Eco Hawks training.


Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.