Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 50.16
Liaison Dr. Jill Wicknick
Submission Date Jan. 7, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Montevallo
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Susan Caplow
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Behavioral and Social Sciences
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups 

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
The UM Environmental Club works to educate Montevallo students and the surrounding community about solutions which improve the environmental stability of our society. Of late, our focus has been the implementation into university structure of a program that promotes avenues for making ethical decisions about energy consumption, food practices, and funding for green enterprise. We also work to improve the student body’s understanding of our food production system and its impact on our environment, health, and economy. To this end, we have created a community garden where students and community members can reconnect with food.

Gardens and farms 

Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The University of Montevallo Organic Community Garden has plots available to students and other community members who wish to grow fresh vegetables this summer and fall. Plots are 6’ x 12’ with walking space all around. They can be rented for $10 each to UM students and $20 each to other members of the community. Students also have the option to pay $5 and work five volunteer hours for the balance. Organic fertilizer has already been added to the soil, and garden tools are available for use on site.

For gardeners with a surplus of produce, Shelby Emergency Assistance (SEA) gladly accepts donations of fresh food from this or any home garden. We donate all produce from our UM-managed garden to SEA every year.

Student-run enterprises 

Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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Sustainable investment and finance 

Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
It all began during the 2010-2011 academic year when members of the UM Environmental Club successfully gained support from the SGA and more than 45% of the student body via petition. Thanks to a student contribution of $5 per regular semester and $2 per summer term, UM students, faculty, and staff may apply for grants to fund projects that promote sustainability across the UM campus and throughout the City of Montevallo.

The Sustainability Committee is tasked with allocating these funds, and this Committee is student-majority by design so that students could take a leadership role in the allocation of these funds. Student projects are also given priority consideration so students can gain practice in project management.

Events 

Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
Every year to celebrate earth day, UM Environmental Club plans a full week of events, including speakers, movies, outdoor adventures, community service, and an Earth Fest.

Cultural arts 

Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
The Forte Festival of Creativity is an interdisciplinary collaboration co-hosted by the College of Fine Arts, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Montevallo Arts Council. The three-day celebration consists of interactive workshops, scholarly lectures, exhibitions, innovative performances and spirited post-event discussions with attendees. In 2018 and 2019, the Environmental Club's Earth Week has been included as part of the activities available through Forte. Since then, the event has been cancelled by COVID and has not come since, but it will come again. We also hosted the Blue Nature Colloquium in Spring of 2020 that invited faculty and students to present on topics related to water, art, and sustainability. Related to this, the art department regularly hosts sustainability-themed art installations, including student-led installations - one such installation occurred in the Fall of 2019, as part of a blue planet class - students took photos that highlighted a water sustainability issue, and they were displayed in the library for two years.

Wilderness and outdoors programs 

Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The President's Outdoor Scholars Program takes regular outings and they practice LNT.

Sustainability-focused themes 

Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
We do not do themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences at UM.

Sustainable life skills 

Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Residence Life requires each RA to offer at least one sustainability-themed activity/event each year - themes have included repurposing/upcycling and conserving resources.

Student employment opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
We have one position for a sustainability/Environmental Student Worker who assists in sustainability planning and management. We also have up to 20 positions for Environmental Education Docents, who work outdoors with K-12 field trip groups. As of spring 2022 we also have unpaid, for-credit sustainability internships where students complete projects and regular tasks in service of campus sustainability.

Graduation pledge

Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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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.