Hi all,

Thanks for signing up to join the SSC’s transportation working group! We are excited to get this semester started with you all and to talk about our upcoming transportation projects. We have our first proposal submitted, which we’ll be going over and any others we have at the time. The first proposal is attached in this email. Also, we’ll be talking about how the SSC functions and why your involvement is important for this process! It is really key for you come and voice your opinion on these projects because we want student input strongly represented on all our projects.

Our first meeting will be next Wednesday, October 15, at 5pm in the Illini Union Room 403 and will last an hour at most.

In addition, if you have any projects in mind and would like to ask questions then this first meeting is perfect for that as well! Step 1 proposals are due Friday, October 19th.

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions,

Grace

P.S. If you would like me to remove you from the mailing list then please let me know.

--

Grace Kyung, MPH

Sustainable Transportation Intern

Hello Education Working Group Members,

I am Nishant Makhijani, the SSC Education WG Chair for this semester. I am reaching out to you to set up a time for our first WG meeting. We will be meeting in week of the Oct. 13th. Please fill out the doodle by 5pm, Wednesday so we can book the room accordingly.

http://doodle.com/six87wqt6x6w7rsg

Looking forward to working with you all. 

Thanks,

Nishant Makhijani 

PS: If you would like to removed from this list, please let me know.

Student Sustainability Committee Meeting

Union, Leadership Center Conference Room

September 8, 2013

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

1. Determining Executive Positions 5:00-5:10

a. Chair

b. Vice Chair Internal and External

c. Communications

d. Treasurer

2. Working Group Formation and Chair Selection 5:10-5:25

a. Energy

b. Water

c. Food/Waste

d. Land

e. Transportation

f. Education

3. Monitoring and Evaluation 5:25-5:35

4. Subcommittee Formation and Chair Selection 5:35-5:45

a. Executive

b. Finance

c. Bylaws

d. Marketing

5. Bylaws update 5:45-5:50

6. Information meeting 5:50-6:00

7. Adjournment

Student Sustainability Committee

The Student Sustainability Committee'spurpose is to:

1) explore the options for the use of the student fees for sustainability and alternative energy generation, and 2) evaluate the feasibility of projects being discussed with the professional assistance of engineers in the Division of Facilities and Services. The committee reviews and recommends projects to be funded from two student fees, the $14.00 Sustainable Campus Environment fee and the $2.00 Cleaner Energy Technologies fee.

In Spring 2003, a $2.00 per semester non-refundable student fee for Cleaner Energy Technologies was approved by a student referendum. The intent of the fee is to "provide pollution-free renewable energy as a portion of the campus energy portfolio and reduce campus energy consumption." In Spring 2010, students passed a referendum that raised the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee from $5 to $14. The measure passed by 77% approval, and established University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as having the largest funding pool of its kind in the United States. The Student Sustainability Committee, is a joint student, faculty and staff committee, though students are the only voting members on the Committee.

The projects approved by the Student Sustainability Committee undergo approval by the Office of Sustainability.

To become a member of the Student Sustainability Committee, visit the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs website for application information and application deadlines.

Student Sustainability Committee Members

Students - 2012-2013
Kathryn Kinley - (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Marika Nell - (Civil and Environmental Engineering) - Treasurer
Suharsh Sivakumar - (Computer Science)
Emily Cross - (Earth Systems, Society and Environment)
Olivia Webb - (Agricultural and Biological Engineering)
Jordan Jessop - (Graduate Student, Natural Resources and Environmental Science)
Marcus Ricce - (Graduate Student, Urban and Regional Planning)
Felicia Speranske - (Natural Resouces and Environmental Science)
Sean Sullivan - (Earth Systems, Society, and Environment)
Teresa Tousignant - (Graduate Student, Architecture) 

Faculty Advisors - 2012-2013
Brenda Coble Lindsey- Social Work
Brian Deal- Urban and Regional Planning
Praveen Kumar- Civil and Environmental Engineering
Robert Pahre- Political Science
Madhu Viswanathan- Business
Michelle Wander- Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

Staff Advisors - 2012-2013
Stephanie Lage- Office of Sustainability
Betsy Jo Liggett- Environmental Compliance, Facilities and Services
Morgan Johnston- Sustainability Coordinator, Facilities and Services
John Prince- Deferred Maintenance, Facilities and Services
Ed Slazinik- Illini Union

Program Advisor
Mckenzie Beverage – Student Programs and Activities

Congratulations,

You now have access to the SSC funding that was granted to you for your Recycling on the Quad project. Attached is a copy of the SSC funding agreement that you signed along with other parties. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Best Wishes,

Marques Burris

SSC Program Advisor

After Amelia Neptune took the excellent job at the League of American Bicyclists, the Campus Bicycle Coordinator position became vacant.  The funding for this position is not available for FY15, so a funding request was submitted to the Student Sustainability Committee.

After reviewing Nathan Deppe's application for a new cooling system in the Turner Hall greenhouses, we decided that the proposal showed much promise but also the need for further development. Nathan has agreed meet in person to discuss such matters at 3:00 PM on Tuesday in the atrium of Temple Buell Hall.    Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting; if you are interested, please send a quick email to let me know. If you cannot attend but still want to offer input or questions, you are welcome to send them my way and the information will be shared among us.    Thank you!   Amy Liu

Dear Student Sustainability Committee,   As the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coordinator in Facilities & Services, I am writing to introduce myself to the Committee and provide you with an update on the Bicycle Parking Upgrade project, which I have taken over as part of my new role. We have been transitioning the role of TDM Coordinator from Morgan Johnston to me since June, and she has been working to bring me up to speed on the large number of transportation infrastructure projects happening across campus, including bicycle parking upgrades. While we have made progress toward the completion of this project, we are requesting an additional extension to finish the work.   In addition to the delay from the staff transition period, we have taken some time to evaluate our various options to ensure that the upgraded racks provide the long-term solution that was intended by SSC’s funding award. One of the primary challenges with this project is that many of the bike parking locations selected for this project are in need of concrete or pavement upgrades; however, funding is not in the TDM budget to pay for these upgrades. One location, the Art & Design Building, has been completed so far with financial support from the Art & Design Department to re-lay new concrete at that site.  For the majority of the other locations, however, there is no funding available from the departments to repair or replace the cracked and degraded concrete.  This has made us hesitant to install new bicycle racks onto pavement that will need to be replaced in a matter of years.   As a more permanent solution, we are looking at a few alternative configurations of bike racks.  All those we are considering are moveable and can easily be relocated – whether to upgrade the pavement beneath them, to accommodate a construction project, or to permanently relocate a building’s bicycle parking to a more optimal location over time.  We are looking at rack units which can be purchased and also a rack where 5 U-loops would be installed on rails, rather than directly cemented into the ground. While the initial cost of constructing the loops on rails is higher, it is a much more sustainable approach to bike parking given the challenges at these locations, and it is more affordable than replacing the pavement at each location. A rack unit can also be placed on permeable pavement, or even in a gravel/grass location temporarily as needed.  The lifespan of a bike rack unit is significantly higher, and offers much greater flexibility for placement and upkeep of the racks and surrounding landscape. Due to a potential increased initial cost of the racks on rails configuration (if this is what is determined to be the approved configuration), I may be requesting approval to change the scope of the project.  A change of scope is necessary because fewer total bike parking loops may be possible when on racks. Once we have identified a configuration that meets the best need of the users, we will be ready to proceed with the project and do not expect any further delays, but getting to this point has taken longer than originally expected. We anticipate being finished with the installation of these racks before the beginning of the fall semester 2014. Please let me know whether this change in the scope of the project is acceptable to the SSC.  I will keep you informed on the status and look forward to working with you on the best solution for our campus. Facilities & Services is incredibly grateful to the SSC for your ongoing support for sustainable transportation initiatives on campus, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to make the campus more bike-able, walkable, and transit-friendly. If you would like more detail, please contact me.   Thank you,   Stacey DeLorenzo Design Review Coordinator Transportation Demand Management Coordinator University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Facilities Services Office: 217-300-1750 Cell: 217-722-4992