| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.17 |
| Liaison | Megan Litke |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
American University
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Hannah
Debelius Sustainability Manager Office of Sustainability |
Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
Total number of students enrolled for credit that are served (i.e. directly targeted) by a student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting to the extent feasible):
Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
Name of the student educators program:
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:
At the beginning of the school year, sustainability educators and the Office of Sustainability staff decide on goals for events, communication, and initiatives that align with the short and long term sustainability goals of the university. Examples include helping students reduce water and energy consumption with behavior change education and competitions, promoting recycling and composting through demonstration, contributing to social media, and coordinating events such as a Transportation Fair, Zero Waste Basketball Game, Earth Day Celebration, PLAN Worn Wear Tour, and film screenings. Students are also available to partner with any interested student organizations or campus offices on additional programming. The entirety of the campus community are invited to attend events and participate in programming hosted by Student Sustainability Educators.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected:
All students are invited to apply to become a sustainability educator, and are interviewed and hired by the sustainability manager and director. Students from a variety of academic backgrounds are selected on their ability and experience in reaching a wide peer audience and organizing small and large scale events. The Office of Sustainability hires 6-8 students annually who work collaboratively on peer outreach in residence halls, classes, and other events/venues throughout the main campus and Washington College of Law. Students work as peer sustainability educators for the duration of the academic year.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:
All selected students attend a one day training session at the start of the school year where they learn about university sustainability goals, meet staff who work across campus, and learn about past projects while brainstorming for the upcoming year. They also go on a sustainability tour of campus. Sustainability educators meet for one to two hours each week with Office of Sustainability staff to update progress on goals, discuss next steps on projects, and explore new topics of sustainability related to campus and the world. Office of Sustainability staff offer best practices on behavior change methods, guidance in project management and outreach, and facilitate discussions on various topics of sustainability during these meetings. Guest speakers and campus experts are also invited to meetings throughout the year to offer insight on green jobs and opportunities/tools for campus sustainability.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination):
The Sustainability Manager directly oversees the peer educators working 6-10 hours per week. Payment for educators and financial support of events and initiatives comes from the Office of Sustainability annual budget.
Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):
Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (3rd program):
A brief description of all other student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of students served and how student educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:
Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.