| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 38.93 |
| Liaison | Veronica Johnson |
| Submission Date | May 10, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southwestern University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Keara
Hudler Student Sustainability Coordinator Environmental Studies |
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Student Groups
Yes
A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:
Students for Environmental Activism and Knowledge (SEAK) - active for 20 years, winner of student group leader award, engages in a variety of environmental awareness programs and projects
Garden Club - active for 5 years, winner of student group leader award, keeps campus gardening and composting going, reaches out to community with gardening programs.
Human, Animal, Environment Team (HEAT) - active for 3 years, focuses on positive activism and fundraising efforts for sustainable organizations locally and internationally.
The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Gardens and Farms
Yes
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
There is a 1-2 acre area of campus that is a community garden and includes a greenhouse. Garden Club has outreach programs to the university and broader community that allow students to work in the garden, learning how to grow food, compost, and do restorative work in the area. The garden is completely organic, so students are able to learn about food systems that do not utilize industrial practices of harsh chemicals and monocropping.
The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Student-Run Enterprises
Yes
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Korouva Milk Bar is a student-run cafe on campus. The building hosts a variety of organizations for their meetings and holds events such as open-mic nights and movie nights. The mission statement of Korouva is: "To provide sustainably-made, ethically sourced beverages and unique social experiences to the campus community as well as valuable democratically owned-business experience to its employees."
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Sustainable Investment and Finance
Yes
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
The "Green" S.A.F.E Fee is available to students and faculty for grants centered on sustainable initiatives on campus. $15 of every student's tuition goes towards this fund, resulting in roughly $22,000 each semester available to be awarded to proposals.
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
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Events
Yes
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
Student-led organizations such as SEAK and the Philosophy Club host panels, documentary viewings, and speakers on a variety of sustainability-related topics (i.e. factory farming, landfills and low-income communities, the impact of water bottle industry).
Paideia clusters host their own speaker series and events related to the theme of the cluster, and the Anthropocene cluster is specifically centered around sustainability. Anthropocene events have included hosting science writer Carl Zimmer and a viewing of Naomi Klein's documentary This Changes Everything.
The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
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Cultural Arts
Yes
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
During Earth Week, SEAK and other organizations work with students on a Trash Art show that highlights the amount of waste produced in our society and how that waste can be utilized rather than sent to a landfill. Works of art made from trash and recycled materials are displayed throughout the campus and then set up all together on one day for an art show.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
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Wilderness and Outdoors Programs
Yes
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Southwestern Intramural & Recreational Activities (SIRA) offers outdoor programs where students follow Leave No Trace principles and focus on becoming more environmentally aware.
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Sustainability-Related Themes
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
First-Year Seminars (FYS) are half-semester courses offered to students in their first year at Southwestern - each students must complete an FYS (or AES as a transfer student) in order to graduate. FYS topics are chosen by semesters and are usually creative and unique courses that aren't seen in regular curriculum. Sustainability FYS courses include Talkin' Trash and Crossing Lines: Nations, Races, Borders in a "Global" World.
The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
Sustainable Life Skills
Yes
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Various student-run organizations on campus host workshops and programs for students and faculty to learn sustainable life skills. Students for Environmental Activism and Knowledge and Southwestern University Planned Piratehood hosted a workshop on making homemade self-care and cleaning products from supplies that don't contain harmful chemicals and don't cost very much money. Other organizations have hosted events that educate students on sustainable diets, how to recycle and reuse trash, and how to reduce energy use.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Student Employment Opportunities
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The CELTA program offers paid positions to students for each Paideia cluster, some of which are focused on sustainability.
The Student Sustainability Coordinator is funded through the Green Fund and currently employs one student who works on STARS information and acts as a liaison between all sustainability initiatives on campus.
The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
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Graduation Pledge
No
A brief description of the graduation pledges:
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
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Other Programs and Initiatives
Yes
A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
Students for Environmental Activism and Knowledge wrote legislation for Meatless Monday that was adopted in the Fall of 2015. This initiative resulted in a meat-free entree line in the university's dining hall on every Monday. Signs are hung on Mondays to educate diners on why a meat-free meal is sustainable, how to get protein from other sources, and how to create meals without meat.
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
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Optional Fields
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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.