Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 61.63
Liaison Leslie North
Submission Date March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Western Kentucky University
OP-16: Commute Modal Split

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.04 / 5.00 Madeline Petty
Graduate Assistant
Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total full-time equivalent student enrollment:
12,256

Full-time equivalent of employees:
1,991.33

Part 1. Student commute modal split

Has the institution gathered data about student commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of students that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
22.79

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about student commuting:
A campus-wide survey conducted by the Office of Sustainability in February 2024. This was sent to all faculty, staff and students on campus. A total of 272 students (149 commuters; 120 near/on campus) and 489 employees completed the survey. One question on the survey asked for commute mode. More sustainable commuting methods of students included: walking, cycling, telecommute, public/campus bus, or carpooling.

Part 2. Employee commute modal split

Has the institution gathered data about employee commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of employees that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
8

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about employee commuting:
A campus-wide survey conducted by the Office of Sustainability in February 2024. This was sent to all faculty, staff and students on campus. A total of 272 students (149 commuters; 120 near/on campus) and 489 employees completed the survey. One question on the survey asked for commute mode. More sustainable commuting methods of employees included: walking, cycling, telecommute, public/campus bus, motorcycle or scooter, electric vehicle, or carpooling.

Optional Fields 

Percentage of students and employees that use the following as their primary mode of transportation:
Percentage of students (0-100) Percentage of employees (0-100)
Single-occupancy vehicle 77.21 92.02
Zero-emissions vehicle 0 0.61
Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode 15.44 4.70
Vanpool or carpool 1.10 1.64
Public transport or campus shuttle 5.15 0.61
Motorcycle, motorized scooter/bike, or moped 0 0.20
Distance education / telecommute 1.10 0.20

Website URL where information about student or employee commuting is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
There is a significant amount of new, or under construction, off-campus apartments adjacent to campus. University buses serve most locations and we have seen a significant decrease in the number of Commuting students driving to campus daily.

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.