2009 NEOHO GOES GREEN! RA CONFERENCE

2009 NEOHO RA Conference Case Study Winners

• Undergraduate: Brady Boccucci & Daniel Niedzwiecki, Case Western Reserve University
• Graduate: Autumn Hoffstetter & Amanda Scheerbaum, Case Western Reserve University

Undergraduate Case Study Scenario

Introduced in 1995, Ohio House Bill 251 mandates state institutions of higher education to reduce energy consumption by 20% by the year 2014. You are an RA at Integrity College & University (ICU), a state institution. In an effort to meet this goal your department has initiated the Go Green Campaign for Change. The Campaign includes an energy conservation and recycling competition between the residence halls on campus. The goal: to see which halls can reduce their energy consumption and increase their recycling efforts. At the last hall council meeting, you learned your hall is not doing very well in the competition. In fact instead of reducing your power consumption, your consumption increased by 2%, while your recycling efforts have decreased by 5%. Unfortunately this information does not surprise you. While on rounds, you have noticed trash cans full of materials that can be recycled, the lights and TV are always left on in the community lounge, and residents running the water faucet the entire time they are brushing their teeth. Additionally, outside at night you have noticed your residents always have the most lights and TVs on in your building. You have posted signs and politely asked residents to turn these things off when they are not in use and to recycle; however your requests have been in vain. What additional steps can you take to create more awareness of and participating in the Go Green Campaign for Change? How can you motivate and encourage residents to become more eco-friendly? How will you use resources at your disposal to accomplish your goal? How will you facilitate and maintain these efforts in your community?

Graduate Case Study Scenario

Introduced in 1995, Ohio House Bill 251 mandates state institutions of higher education to reduce energy consumption by 20% by the year 2014. You are a Residence Hall Director at Integrity College & University (ICU), a state institution. In an effort to meet this goal your department has initiated the Go Green Campaign for Change. The Campaign includes an energy conservation and recycling competition between the residence halls on campus. The goal: to see which halls can reduce their energy consumption and increase their recycling efforts. At the last departmental meeting, you learned your hall is not doing very well in the competition. In fact, instead of reducing your power consumption, your hall’s consumption increased by 4%, while your recycling efforts have decreased by 10%. Unfortunately this information does not surprise you. While on rounds, your RA staff has noticed trash cans full of materials that can be recycled, the lights and TV are always left on in the community lounge, and residents are running the water faucet the entire time they are brushing their teeth. Additionally, outside at night you have noticed your residents always have the most lights and TVs on in comparison to other halls on campus. You have created signs and politely asked residents to turn these things off when they are not in use and to recycle; however your requests have been in vain.     What additional steps can you take to help your staff create more awareness of and participating in the Go Green Campaign for Change? How can you motivate and use your specific leadership style to encourage your RA’s, who in turn must encourage residents, to become more eco-friendly?  How will you infuse meaning into this initiative for RA’s that don’t “buy in” right away?  How will you communicate related tenets of civic engagement and social responsibility to young residents?  How will you use resources at your disposal to accomplish your goal? How will you facilitate and maintain these “green” efforts in your community (i.e., how will you ensure this initiative is a long-term process and not just a competition)?