Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.23
Liaison Maria Dahmus
Submission Date June 21, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of St. Thomas
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Doug Hennes
Vice President
Government Relations
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

The university has engaged in advocacy on issues at the neighborhood level (through three neighborhood organizations with which we work) at the city level (through work with the St. Paul Planning Commission and St. Paul City Council). One example: We collaborated on the purchase of an HOURCAR several years ago for use by students, faculty, staff and neighbors.

University of St. Thomas staff also participated in a community working group to inform the St. Paul Bicycle Plan. As part of that process, the university publicly supported the implementation of bicycle lanes on Cleveland Avenue adjacent to campus.


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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

The university in recent years has supported the successful efforts of faculty members to obtain Minnesota legislative appropriations to conduct research on a range of environmental topics. Recent faculty research projects that received funding from the state's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund include:

- Reassessing Toxicity of Petrochemical Spills on Groundwater and Surface Waters, Dr. Dalma Martinovic-Weigelt, Dr. Jennifer McGuire, Dr. Chih Lai, Dr. Mike Axtell

- Assessing Techniques for Eliminating Contaminants to Protect Native Fish and Mussels, Dr. Kristine Wammer and Dr. Dalma Martinovic‐Weigelt

- Turtle Population Dynamics in an Urban Lake, Dr. Jennifer McGuire and Dr. Tim Lewis

- Impacts of Estrogen Exposure on Minnesota’s Shallow Lake Wildlife, Dr. Kurt Illig

In addition, Dr. Dalma Martinovic‐Weigelt co-authored a reported to the legislature that was published by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in 2017, "Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals of Concern in Rivers: Occurrence and Biological Effects."
(Available online: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/tdr-g1-20.pdf)


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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

In June 2017, President Sullivan signed the "We are still in" Declaration, conveying the university's support of efforts to achieve the U.S. commitment under the Paris Agreement "to hold warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health."


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, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:

In June 2017, President Sullivan signed the "We are still in" Declaration, conveying the university's support of efforts to achieve the U.S. commitment under the Paris Agreement "to hold warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health."


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

The university takes positions – nationally, statewide and locally – on public policy issues that directly affect higher education (in general) and our operations. For example, we are strong advocates for state and federal support of grant and loan programs that help students afford a college education.


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

As a 501c3, we do not make donations to candidates for office or those who hold office.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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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