| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 50.16 |
| Liaison | Elaine Durr |
| Submission Date | Nov. 9, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Elon University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Evan
Heiser Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Student Life |
Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Active student groups focused on sustainability | Yes |
| Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes | No |
| Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills | Yes |
| Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles | Yes |
| Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences | Yes |
| Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills | Yes |
| Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution | Yes |
| Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions | No |
| Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives | No |
The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:
Elon has a number of student groups that work on sustainability issues. See the website URL provided.
One of these, the Elon University Sierra Club, is dedicated to sustainable causes and service in the name of sustainability. The Sierra Club's mission is to:
Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth.
Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources.
Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Elon's Sierra Club is run by a student leadership team and is open to the entire student body. The Club programs actively and collaborates with other like-minded organizations on campus
A second group is the Kappa Alpha Omicron Environmental Professional Society. This organization is student run and is focused on student involvement in local environmental service projects, educational speakers, and peer-to-peer engagement.
The website URL where information about student groups is available:
A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:
The Elon Community Garden was initiated by an environmental ethics course to foster education, spirituality, service, community discussion and sustainability and was fully established by a student as part of a senior thesis project. It is a place for Elon students, faculty, staff, children and community to come together. It is now used as a laboratory for courses and volunteer location for any interested student. Organic practices are utilized in the garden, and gardening tasks are coordinated by student managers.
In 2012, the Elon Community Garden was designated a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Article/62382
Elon University also maintains the Loy Farm. The Loy Farm fuses sustainable agricultural, responsible architectural design, opportunities for academic research and community service. Garden plots at the Loy Farm and a greenhouse serve as resources for food production related courses. The farm itself is a critical component of the university’s Peace Corps Prep Program. It also offers learning opportunities for community groups and programs such as the Elon Academy, whose students visit the property each summer to discover opportunities for starting their own gardens.
http://www.elon.edu/e-web/academics/elon_college/environmental_studies/farm/about.xhtml
The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:
There is a student organization specifically designed for students to be able to invest. The Elon Microfinance Initiative (EMI) works locally and internationally to promote sustainable giving by providing support to small business owners. On a local scale, EMI provides creative work and networking assistance to small business owners, while international impact is made through loans to developing countries and businesses via Kiva.
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
Elon holds a number of events throughout the year related to sustainability including speakers, panel sessions, film screenings, exhibits and themed meals among others. Earth Week takes place each year and is a week-long Earth Day celebration with a number of different events, including a primary speaker.
In 2014-2015, Elon hosted a TEDxElon program, which featured speakers who touched on topics that fit under the broad theme of “Waiting On the World To Change,” including sustainability, social injustice, education, economics, advancements in medicine and changing social attitudes.
Additional speakers in 2014-2015 included Julian Agyeman, Adam Lowry and Danielle Nierenberg.
The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
The Art & Art History department (and others) host cultural arts events related to sustainability for the entire campus. These often take place during CELEBRATE week in the spring.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Elon Outdoors allows students several opportunities to experience nature each semester. Program offerings include canoeing, climbing, kayaking, backpacking, indoor climbing, white water rafting and sailing. Camping equipment is available for weekend rental for those wishing to explore the vast array of outdoor pursuits available throughout the region. The Elon Outdoors Resource Room is a great place to obtain information about outdoor adventure.
Elon Outdoors follows leave no trace practices on all experiences and plans to be a carbon neutral program through carbon offsets and tree planting in the future.
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Consistent with the Elon University mission of nurturing a rich intellectual community, the Elon Common Reading Program (ECRP) challenges students, faculty and staff to examine themselves and the local and global worlds they inhabit through reading. The readings and related discussions aim not only to encourage critical reflection about important issues but also to invite personal consideration of how our individual actions affect these issues.
The ECRP will:
-Offer diverse perspectives and commentary on key issues affecting our lives;
-Provide forums to question and discuss these perspectives in depth;
-Encourage integration of these ideas and perspectives in other aspects of the Elon experience;
-Foster critical thinking by offering multiple opportunities to examine and reflect upon the reading throughout the year.
The fall 2014 common reading was sustainability-related - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer.
The fall 2015 common reading is also related to sustainability - Why We Can't Wait by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
The website URL where information about the theme is available:
A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Elon has an Energy Star residence hall room program during the fall and spring semester. These rooms are equipped with Energy Star appliances, including a microfridge, TV and DVD player. They also include desk lamps with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). The Energy Star rooms are shown on Admissions campus tours but not open for students during regular hours. There is a competitive application process for students who want to have their room be an Energy Star room.
Elon also has a Sustainable Living Learning Community (SLLC) on campus that brings together students from any major who are interested in learning how to personally live in a manner that supports ecologically, socially and economically healthy environments and communities.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
The Office of Sustainability hires Elon students as interns for the summer and academic year.
The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
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.