Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.00
Liaison Jonna Korpi
Submission Date Nov. 4, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Minnesota, Duluth
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.52 / 4.00 Jonna Korpi
Sustainability Director
UMD Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
11,777

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):
4,477

Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
38.01

1st Program 

Name of the student educators program:
EcoReps

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
3,005

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
Eco Reps is a new program that is a joint venture of UMD Housing and Residence Life and the Office of Sustainability. The program was launched in the fall of 2018. The target audience of the peer-to-peer outreach activities are students living in on-campus residence halls and apartments. Examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities include: Public Trash Audits, Waste Sorting Game, Sustainability Trivia, Food Waste Awareness, Make-N-Take Reusable Products.

A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
Any currently enrolled UMD student is eligible to join. Students submit their contact info through an interest form and are invited to the next available meeting/event

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
Training and materials are provided for each type of peer-to-peer outreach event being undertaken so that Eco Reps can take ownership of the events and teach their peers with ease and expanded knowledge.

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):
Eco Reps receive funding from the Housing & Residence Life budget to purchase materials, supplies, and prizes for outreach events. The group is administratively supported by two staff advisors: Sarah Hunter of Housing & Residence Life and Jonna Korpi of the Sustainability Office.

If reporting students served by additional peer-to-peer programs, provide:

2nd Program

Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Sustainabliity Student Assistants

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
1,472

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
Each semester, The Office of Sustainability has a dedicated group of student staff and interns that help get things done. Peer to Peer outreach is mostly accomplished through weekly tabling in the Kirby Student Center commons and the topic of the outreach changes each week to address pressing issues, current events, and raise awareness about a variety of sustainability topics.

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Students are selected through a formal application process, during which they submit a resume, cover letter, and undergo an interview. Candidates are selected based on qualifications, previous experience, and interest/skill areas. These student are paid staff of the Office of Sustainability. We also take on interns from a variety of disciplines. Interns are unpaid and receive academic credit for the experience. These students are selected in a more informal way and are selected based on the Office's capacity to supervise and provide measurable outcomes and quality goals.

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
Students go through an orientation process when they begin working with the Office of Sustainability. This orientation provides background on campus efforts around sustainability, review of current projects and initiatives, and an introduction to our "voice" on our social media accounts, which is a critical piece of our outreach efforts.

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):
Financial support for these student staff is provided through the Office of Sustainability's budget, which is a combination of operational and student service fee dollars. The student assistants are administratively supported by Office of Sustainability staff: Activities Coordinator, Jonna Korpi, and Director, Mindy Granley.

If reporting students served by three or more peer-to-peer programs, provide:

3rd Program 

Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
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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):
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Additional Programs 

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:
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Optional Fields 

Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
729

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:
Sustainability Activities Tracking Sheet

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.