Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.09
Liaison Elizabeth Drake
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Swarthmore College
OP-16: Commute Modal Split

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.81 / 5.00 Hannah Ulloa
Climate Action Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total full-time equivalent student enrollment:
1,689

Full-time equivalent of employees:
908

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:
99

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about student commuting:
The data we gathered regarding student commutes is based on the college fact book and our general knowledge and observations of student transportation patterns, which include considerations for COVID and pivoting to remote learning. 
     
Based on the college factbook numbers for 2020-2021, 41% of our students lived on campus, while the majority participated in remote learning during the COVID pandemic. Even in typical years, the vast majority of students bike, walk, or train to campus and while some own cars, students rarely drive around Swarthmore's relatively small campus. The very small percentage of students who live off-campus most commonly live in ""off-campus"" College housing options which are within 1 block from the campus.

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:
33.87

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about employee commuting:
This percentage was extrapolated from a pre-COVID commuting survey and a post-COVID parking survey that was completed by every employee requesting a parking permit. This involved calculating the percentage of employees who do not use "drive alone" as a primary mode of transportation.

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 0 66.13
Zero-emissions vehicle 0 3
Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode 99 14.99
Vanpool or carpool 0 2.82
Public transport or campus shuttle 0 10.46
Motorcycle, motorized scooter/bike, or moped 1 0
Distance education / telecommute 0 1

Website URL where information about student or employee commuting is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The college provides on campus housing to 96% of its students. All students are full-time and 3-4% live in private housing in the Village of Swarthmore, which is right next to the campus. The students living off-campus either walk, bicycle, or take a shuttle provided either by the college or a local apartment complex depending upon their residence.

More information can be found in the College's 2021-202 Fact Book: https://www.swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/fact-book

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.