Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	67.33
Liaison	James Biesecker
Submission Date	Nov. 1, 2022

STARS v2.2

Gettysburg College
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00	Jeff Rioux Director Center for Public Service

"---" 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?:

Yes

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

Members of Gettysburg College's Center for Public Service, including the Executive Director and Assistant Dean of College Life, for Center for Public Service, serve on various boards and task forces that act locally to advocate for and create sustainable policy solutions. An example is the @Home in Adams County coalition. The Director for the Center for Public Service is on the steering committee of this organization, which works on affordable public housing and better public transportation, among other issues. A recent accomplishment was successfully advocating to the regional transit authority to add a new bus line from Gettysburg to Hanover, allowing public transportation between two important towns that did not exist before. Another example of local advocacy is that the Director serves on the Adams County Food Policy Council. A recent accomplishment by the ACFPC is having a local grocery store change their policies to accept Healthy Options food vouchers, which had previously only been accepted at Farmer's Markets.

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:

In 2020, President Robert Iuliano signed a letter addressed to PA Governor Wolf supporting Pennsylvania's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Companies and institutions that collectively employ 60,600 Pennsylvanians have supported a plan linking Pennsylvania’s electricity sector with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a market-based approach that will catalyze innovation and put Pennsylvanians to work building a more resilient and prosperous future.

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:

Both former President Riggs and current President Iuliano have advocated for DACA and the Dream Act in several open letters and op-ed pieces in local, state, and national publications.

President Iuliano wrote an article in Inside Higher Ed supporting the federal court's decision in favor of Harvard University in the case of diversity in admissions.

https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/president/communications/archive/2017-18
https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/president/communications/archive/2020-21

https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/president/communications/news_detail.dot?id=e039e1f2-295b-4a58-b0d4-6e711b73542a

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/10/10/harvard-universitys-former-general-counsel-discusses-implications-recent-court

https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3673515-building-diverse-campuses-requires-race-conscious-admissions/

International advocacy

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

Yes

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

In 2017, in the wake of President Donald Trump pulling out of the Paris Agreement, then Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs signed a letter declaring continued support toward the Paris Agreement, and participation in the race to carbon neutrality. This is important advocacy at the national level, bringing attention to the importance of climate action and in criticizing inaction by that administration, and our commitment to the international efforts agreed to in the Paris Accords.

https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/president/communications/archive/2016-17

Optional Fields

A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):

---

None

A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):

---

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:

https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/president/communications/archive/2020-21

Additional documentation to support the submission:

---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Several articles and petitions are referenced in our Colleges President Communication archives that are linked in the responses.

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.