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
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.80 / 2.00 Lisa Norr
Associate Director of Student Life Operations
Transportation and Parking Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Support for Cyclists and Pedestrians 

Does the institution provide secure bicycle storage (not including office space), shower facilities, and lockers for bicycle commuters?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
Under the Dining Center, there is covered bike parking, including 6 storage lockers. The Rec Sports Center provides showers for bicycling commuters. In addition, the UPASS program provides free bus rides for all full time students, and staff and faculty can purchase discounted bus passes. The bus system provides bike racks for bus riders.

Does the institution provide short-term bicycle parking for all occupied buildings and makes long-term bicycle storage available for students who live on-site (if applicable)?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
Bike racks are available outside approximately 85% of our residence halls. Although we don't have long-term storage within 100m of all residence halls, we do have common areas where this is available for several of our residence halls.

Does the institution have a bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy (or adhere to a local community plan/policy) that sets standards and practices for campus streets to enable safe access for all users?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
Our campus consists of almost entirely interconnected tunnels, which means there are very few streets where this is an issue.

Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
Yes

A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
We offer 'Buck a Bike,' where the campus community can check out a bicycle for $1 per day. We have approximately 10 bicycles available, and we check out between 5-10 per month.

Mass Transit Programs 

Does the institution offer free or reduced price transit passes and/or operate a free campus shuttle for commuters?:
Yes

A brief description of the mass transit programs:
UMD students, faculty, and staff can ride DTA buses at extremely discounted rates. Students use their UPass as their bus pass and can access unlimited rides all year. The small fee ($10/semester) is included in their Student Fee bundle where they are automatically opted IN. Faculty and staff can opt-in for a $70 annual pass, also providing unlimited rides. One of the local apartment complexes (Boulder Ridge) provides an additional free shuttle service to campus daily as part of the amenities of the apartment.

Guaranteed Return Trip Program 

Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
No

A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:
N/A

Carpool/Vanpool Programs 

Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
Yes

A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:
Car Pool Discount: Card is stamped once for each individual in the vehicle in addition to driver. A full card of ten (10) stamps is redeemable for one free entry into the pay lot.

Car Sharing Program 

Does the institution participate in a car sharing program, such as a commercial car-sharing program, one administered by the institution, or one administered by a regional organization?:
No

None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
No there isn't a specific program, but students have created a facebook page called "UMD Ride Share" this page has been around for over 2 years with 4391 members in the page. So students can post on there asking if anyone is heading towards a location they want to go to. Anybody can be part of this facebook page and helps students promote car pooling. https://www.facebook.com/groups/5933937915/

EV Recharging Stations 

Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
UMD Parking Services offers electric vehicle charging free of charge. With space for two cars to charge simultaneously, EV drivers can top-off their batteries while studying or working on campus. The charging station is located at the end of the metered parking spaces between Parking Lot B and the Darland Administration Building, and is equipped with one 240V charger and one 120V charger. Anybody can use the charger, including students, staff, faculty, and visitors. Currently, there is no fee for electricity used for charging. Charge time and parking at the charger are limited to four hours.

Telecommuting and Condensed Work Week Programs 

Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
The University offers flexible working arrangements, including telecommuting. Employees must obtain their supervisor's approval to telecommute, developing a plan that will best fit their needs and the requirements of their position. Flexible work arrangements shall mean alternatives to the standard schedule for individual positions, including time-flexible scheduling, compressed work weeks, telecommuting, voluntary reduction in percent time, and job sharing. https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Employee_WorkLife.pdf

Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
Yes

A brief description of the condensed work week option:
The University offers flexible working arrangements, including condensed work weeks. Employees must obtain their supervisor's approval to utilize a compressed work week, developing a plan that will best fit their needs and the requirements of their position. Flexible work arrangements shall mean alternatives to the standard schedule for individual positions, including time-flexible scheduling, compressed work weeks, telecommuting, voluntary reduction in percent time, and job sharing. https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Employee_WorkLife.pdf

Other Strategies to Reduce the Impacts of Commuting 

Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
No

None
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
N/A

Does the institution employ other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting (e.g. preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, cash-out of parking programs)?:
Yes

A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
The Wellness Program and Parking and Transportation Services partnered to offer an incentive to bike to work. A person earns Wellness Points for biking to work a certain number of times per month/year. Wellness points can be used to reduce health insurance premiums and incentivizes low carbon, alternative transportation. Also, Parking & Transportation Services provides electric vehicle charging (and parking) free of charge to those who use it -- not to mention the parking space is closer/conveniently located nearer academic buildings than most other parking.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.d.umn.edu/transportation-parking-services/sustainable

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.