Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.13
Liaison Traci Knabenshue
Submission Date March 3, 2021

STARS v2.2

West Virginia University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 2.00 Traci Knabenshue
Sustainability Direcor
Auxiliary and Business Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Local advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
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Regional advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
President Gee has spoken out multiple times against campus carry legislation introduced at the state legislature that would allow permit holders to carry guns on college campuses in West Virginia. https://wvmetronews.com/2019/03/01/states-top-higher-education-officials-arent-done-talking-about-campus-carry/

National advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
President Gordon Gee joined presidents of over 600 other higher education institutions to support DACA in 2016. In Fall 2017, Pomona College and the signatory institutions renewed that support. https://www.pomona.edu/support-daca
https://www.pomona.edu/news/2017/08/30-renewing-call-action-support-daca

President Gee and Former Ohio Governor John Kasich endorsed using opioid settlement funds to help hospitals that are on the frontlines of the crisis in 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/opinion/opioid-settlement-hospitals.html?

President Gee joined with other university presidents in Fall 2017 to urge Congress to increase funding for AmeriCorps.
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/09/01/importance-national-service-during-or-after-college-essay

https://www.serviceyearalliance.org/endorsement_highered

International advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
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Optional Fields 

A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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None
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
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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.