Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 86.33
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Cornell University
EN-2: Student Orientation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Sarah Carson
Director, Campus Sustainability Office
FS - Energy & Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Are the following students provided an opportunity to participate in orientation activities and programming that prominently include sustainability?:
Yes or No
First-year students Yes
Transfer students Yes
Entering graduate students Yes

Percentage of all entering students that are provided an opportunity to participate in orientation activities and programming that prominently include sustainability:
100

A brief description of how sustainability is included prominently in new student orientation :
Each Fall, all incoming undergraduate students (first-year and transfer students) complete a sustainability module entitled "Mission Sustainability" as part of their new student "To-Do List." This course includes four parts: a climate & sustainability literacy survey, a 13-minute video about sustainability at Cornell, an exploration of sustainability-related campus resources, an engagement survey, and three short reflection essays.

Graduate students are welcome to complete the 'open' version of this course, but it is not included as part of their "To-Do List." Graduate students are invited to and participate in the Orientation programming outlined below.

https://sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/news/sustainability-and-climate-literacy-module-added-first-year-orientation
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Each year, the following events are hosted for all incoming students, including undergraduate and graduate students.

- Sustainability Goosechase: The "Sustainability Goosechase" is a virtual scavenger hunt to help you learn more about your campus by completing small challenges. Compete against your friends and residential community members. The competition runs for 1-2 weeks.
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/08/sustainable-scavenger-hunt-begins-sept-1st

- ECOFest: Getting involved in sustainability clubs
ECOFest is an introduction to student-driven, sustainability organizations at Cornell. The event features 40+ sustainability clubs. Chat with upperlevel students, and learn how to make a meaningful impact on issues like climate change, renewable energy development, wildlife conservation, botanic gardens management, and environmental justice, on campus and beyond.

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During a typical year, the Cornell leads several sustainability events as part of New Student Orientation at Cornell. Examples of orientation events include: ECO Fest (sustainability student org fair, representing graduate and undergraduate student orgs), a Sustainability Dinner co-hosted by Cornell Dining and the CSO in one of our all-you-care-to-eat dining halls, and hiking tours with Nature Rx.

Residential staff discuss key sustainability information during first community meetings, and staff from the Campus Sustainability Office participate in Graduate Student Orientation events (like resource fairs). The Sustainability Office also trains the PREPARE Orientation Staff on sustainability topics, in order to prep them to cover these topics with new international students on campus.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about sustainability in student orientation 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.