| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 36.91 |
| Liaison | Bradley Flamm |
| Submission Date | March 30, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.25 / 2.00 |
Bradley
Flamm Director of Sustainability Office of the President |
Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:
EARTH (Environmental Association for the Repair of The Habitat) - WCU's student environmental organization - has since 1970 worked to develop campus and community awareness of the environment and each person's responsibility to protect it. Initiatives such as the annual Earth Day Festival, collaboration with the Sustainability Advisory Council, articles in West Chester University's student newspaper, the Quad, and visits to other student groups are among EARTH's activities.
Other sustainability-related student organizations include The Slow Food Club, the Geography and Planning Club, and the Net Impact Club (see https://www.wcupa.edu/Sustainability/getinvolved.aspx for more information).
The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The North Campus Outdoor Classroom was dedicated April 21, 2009. The Outdoor Garden was established May 2010 by students in the course entitled Science, Technology & Environmental Systems (ST&E, Hon 314). It was expanded first in August 2010 by Education for Sustainability: Methods & Projects (EDO 450/550) and again in March 2011 by ST&E. A South Campus garden was established in 2015 and the year after an additional campus garden was created at the University President's residence, Tanglewood. All of these gardens are managed by student interns supervised by faculty advisors and serve as campus learning laboratory facilities for dozens of courses.
The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
WCU hosts a variety of events during both semesters of each academic year. Events include speakers, symposia, free trade coffee sampling and more. In the Fall of 2017 a Sustainability Research Seminar with weekly Wednesday lunch-hour lectures by WCU faculty conducting research on topics related to sustainability was established and continues in the Spring 2018 semester. A monthly film and lecture series was established at the same time. All of these events are open to and intended for students, university employees, and community members. See the calendar on the Office of Sustainability's homepage: https://www.wcupa.edu/Sustainability/default.aspx.
The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
West Chester University's Outdoor Adventure Pursuits organizes excursions (from one-day to multi-day) for students to participate in backpacking, whitewater rafting, skiing, and other outdoor activities. WCU's OAP is an Active Partner with Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (see https://lnt.org/get-involved/state/pa#select-state).
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledges:
The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
West Chester University's Office of Service-Learning and Volunteer Programs categorizes volunteer opportunities and includes an Environment & Sustainability option.
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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.