Staff and Student Engagement Strategy
1. Does the university publish a strategy for student and staff engagement in sustainable development?
Score 30%
People & Planet recognise that student and staff engagement and communication is often a component of other strategic work:
e.g
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Carbon Management Plan
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Sustainability Strategy
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Biodiversity Management Plan
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Community engagement plan
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Education for Sustainable Development
Clarifications:
The strategies should include the following aspects:
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Outline of the areas through which the university engages or proposes to engage staff and students for sustainable development
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Baselines, or ways of measuring progress toward targets for student and staff engagement
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The student and staff engagement strategy/ plan or summary should have been updated or published within the last 5 years and be in date
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A mechanism for reporting on student and staff engagement and tracking progress
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An implementation plan for student and staff engagement activities including:
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staff or teams responsible
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budget and resources allocated
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targets and time-frames
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People & Planet will look for publicly available student and staff engagement strategies/ plans / summaries (or similar name) on the university website.
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15% will be awarded for strategies that only cover staff engagement or only student engagement.
Student and Staff Engagement Actions
Score 15%
2a. Are the university sustainability policy and strategy and other student engagement opportunities for sustainability a component of every student induction? - 5%
Clarifications
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If universities conduct student induction through residential accommodation services, they should also demonstrate how students living in private accommodation are reached.
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People & Planet will look for evidence on the university website
2b. Does the university actively and regularly promote events and activities aimed at increasing engagement? - 5%
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People & Planet will look for evidence of activity within the last 12 months on the university website.
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A published calendar of sustainability engagement events run by the university for staff and students will be accepted.
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Go Green or Environment Themed weeks are acceptable.
2c Does the university provide funds for student-led sustainability projects? 5%
This question refers to grassroots, practical projects developed and implemented by staff and students.
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The funds must be from the university rather than from student union - unless the university has funded the student union to be the administrator of the funds
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People & Planet will look for details of how to access the fund and of the projects currently funded within the last 12 months
3. Do all staff inductions cover university sustainability policy, strategy and areas for staff to engage?
Score 10%
Clarifications:
People & Planet will look on the university website for an overview of the staff sustainability induction process currently in place and how it engages with all new staff.
4. Are invitations extended to recognised Trade Union representatives by way of membership at committees to which the sustainability strategy, carbon management plan and other relevant strategic areas of sustainable development are reported?
Score 10%
Clarifications:
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People & Planet will look for recognised trades union representatives within the membership of committees to which the sustainability strategy and carbon management plan and other relevant sustainable development decisions are reported.
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People & Planet would expect that where there is more than one trades union recognised (i.e. academic, support and facilities staff ) the membership would include a representative from each.
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Observer membership does not count.
Student Representation
5. Is there student representation on university committees concerned with estates, planning, finance and strategic decision making?
Score 25%
Clarifications:
‘The governing body needs the appropriate balance of skills, experience, diverse backgrounds, independence and knowledge to make informed decisions. Some constitutional documents specify governing bodies must include staff and student members.’
Committee of University Chairs Code of Governance for Universities.
It is a requirement in most cases that students are represented at the governing body level of every university, therefore People & Planet will not give marks to universities for this.
We are looking for student representation above the implementation stage, yet below the university council stage. It is important that students are represented at the strategic planning, finance and resource allocation stages - in meetings where they are able to participate in strategic decision making and the shaping of the university.
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People & Planet will look for 1 committee with full membership positions for students, on committees other than the Board of Governors or University Court for Scottish Universities.
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People & Planet will look for student membership on each of the university governance finance committee, estates committee and other relevant strategic decision making committees.
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Student involvement in the oversight and engagement of the sustainability strategy or carbon management plan will be accepted as equivalent to membership of a committee
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People & Planet will disregard student membership that is 'observer only'.
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Student representation doesn’t have to be limited to student union sabbatical officers.
Staff or Student-Led Evaluation
6. Does the university conduct a student or staff-led mapping, auditing or tracking of actions completed to promote environmental sustainability annually?
Score 10%
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People & Planet will look for an overview of this scheme on the university website
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Green Impact is among the schemes accepted. People & Planet will look for evidence of frameworks on the university website and check the membership with the SOS-UK.
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People & Planet is open to accepting schemes that have been developed by universities themselves, however the assessments must be student or staff-led and conducted annually.
Signposts:
The Higher Education Code of Governance
Green Impact