| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.21 |
| Liaison | Gary Cocke |
| Submission Date | Sept. 11, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
The University of Texas at Dallas
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Gary
Cocke Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
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):
Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
Name of the student educators program:
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
The Office of Sustainability hires student educators, known as Eco Representatives, and decides on goals and projects for events, communication, and initiatives that align with the short and long term sustainability goals of the university. Examples include educating students on how to reduce water and energy consumption with behavior change education and competitions, promoting recycling and composting through demonstration, contributing to social media, and coordinating events such as Earth Week, Sustainable Labs, Tree Campus USA, Bee Campus USA, Monarch Butterfly Way Stations, sustainabilty service honors, film screenings, and more. Students are also available to partner with any interested student organizations or campus offices on additional programming. The entirety of the campus community are invited to attend events and participate in programming hosted by The Eco Representatives through the Office of Sustainability.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
All students are invited to apply to become a sustainability educator, and are interviewed and hired by the Associate Director of Energy Conservations and Sustainability. Students from a variety of academic backgrounds are selected on their ability and experience in reaching a wide peer audience and organizing small and large scale events. The Office of Sustainability hires 6-8 students annually who work collaboratively on peer outreach in residence halls, classes, and other events/venues throughout the main campus. Students work as peer sustainability educators for the duration of the academic year.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
All Eco Reps are considered full-contributing members to the Office of Sustainability team and receive close mentorship from Office of Sustainability staff. All selected students attend a variety of educational sessions at the start of the school year where they learn about university sustainability goals, meet staff who work across campus, and learn about past projects while brainstorming for the upcoming year. They also go on a sustainability tour of campus. Eco Reps meet for one to two hours each week with Office of Sustainability staff to update progress on goals, discuss next steps on projects, and explore new topics of sustainability related to campus and the world.
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 Reps program is funded by the Office of Sustainability through payment of wages to Eco Reps and through financial support for programs. In addition to office funding, revenue from the textile recycling program and honey sales are also designated for Eco Rep projects.
Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
The Green Initiative is aimed at improving campus sustainability. This includes items like infrastructure and efficiency projects; recycling and waste water reduction efforts; expanding mass transit availability; sustainability-oriented internships, scholarships and research grants for students; student-focused and sustainability-oriented assistantships/staffing; or other sustainability initiatives as proposed by students. All students are invited to participate on the committee and propose projects to the Green initiative.
Specific Examples include: Comet Composting Project (CCP), Housing Recycling Bins. Light Switch Stickers, Sustainability-Themed Semesters, Meatless Mondays, promoting and advocating a green fee on campus, and Sustainability Literacy Assessments
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Electoral Process through whole student body
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
The Green Initiative has a faculty advisor that attends all meetings. Sustainability staff serve as ex-officio members to advise students and Eco Reps attend meetings as knowledgeable peer mentors.
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):
$8,000 - $12,000 annual funding.
Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
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):
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:
Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The Office of Student Volunteerism coordinates student leaders to help lead volunteer events and activities. This includes sustainability based events as well.
The Office of Student Volunteerism coordinates student leaders to help lead volunteer events and activities. This includes sustainability based events as well.
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.