This week, AASHE is proud to release its third STARS Quarterly Review (SQR): The Role of Institutional Diversity. The fall 2012 SQR explores how the diversity of STARS institutions has changed over time and how participation in STARS according to institution type compares to U.S. demographics. Findings in this review suggest that the institutional characteristics that make higher education institutions distinct also play a role in how campuses are advancing sustainability.

Particularly compelling is how NCAA conference rivalry is furthering sustainability on campuses through healthy competition that involves a diverse population of students. Sports rivalries can motivate institutions to ramp up efforts in campus sustainability, with a potential to increase sustainability awareness and improve campus operations. For example, an AASHE case study highlighted in the fall SQR demonstrates how an intense rivalry between two institutions: the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, can be used to raise awareness on human-powered energy generation. In another SQR highlight, Middlebury College’s green athletics program demonstrates how athletes can serve as sustainability role models and encourage others to adopt sustainable lifestyles.

The October STARS blog expands on the fall SQR’s NCAA conference rivalry story, highlighting additional success stories on advancing sustainability through athletics.

NCAA division athletics is not the only area where fitness-related sustainability advancements have been identified within AASHE resources. Over the last year, the AASHE bulletin has highlighted numerous stories dealing with co-curricular athletics and student fitness centers. Stories like the one below highlight the breadth of impact that sustainable athletics programs can have at an institution.

While factors such as size, type, and country of origin may play a role in sustainability performance overall, across-the-board comparisons are not always the most effective means for measuring improvement. An institutions’ sustainability performance over time can be a more valuable method for encouraging improvement. As such, the greatest competitor for any institution should be itself. By submitting a STARS report on a regular basis, colleges and universities can identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to make improvement a reality.

We hope that readers will share ideas on topics of interest to help shape future SQR editions and other AASHE publications. Please send your ideas to stars@aashe.org or provide your comments below.

Stand Out Staff

Or are you just happy to see Mitt Romney?

Andrew Sullivan at the Dish wonders if Obama cost himself the election with a less than enthusiastic debate performance. Before the debate Obama was polling strongly at 51-43 but after Romney is rocking it with 49-45 according to a Pew survey taken last week. When you look at the internals you see that basically all of Obama’s leads have evaporated.  

For example, Obama went from an 18 point lead among women to dead even (47-47). Sullivan writes:

Seriously: has that kind of swing ever happened this late in a campaign? Has any candidate lost 18 points among women voters in one night ever? And we are told that when Obama left the stage that night, he was feeling good. That’s terrifying. On every single issue, Obama has instantly plummeted into near-oblivion.

The question is what caused such a dramatic reversal? It’s not like Obama was a total train wreck during the debate. Did he accidentally punch a baby? No. Did he fail to speak, you know, words? No. He was simply underwhelming at worse.

The surge has since receded slightly with a PPP survey putting Romney up by just two (49-47).

It is possible that many people were just waiting to come out of the closet for Romney. It’s not that he obliterated the president on national television. He just showed a little life. All those people out there who are dissatisfied with the current administration, but never saw a reason to get excited about Romney, just found a reason. 

But, is this the end as Sullivan thinks it might be? With a month to go was this Obama’s Waterloo or a kick in the butt reminding him not to be complacent?