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Campus Sustainability Data Collector

Campus Sustainability Data Collector ... Sharing Data FAQs

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Sharing Data FAQs

The following page outlines frequently asked questions about the Campus Sustainability Data Collector. If you have additional questions about the Data Collector please contact the appropriate organization. Getting Started

• What is the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• Does a higher education institution have to be a member of AASHE to use the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• Who may use the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• Who has access to the data documented in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• What does it cost to become a Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondent?

• How is the Campus Sustainability Data Collector different from STARS?
• What are the benefits of participating in STARS as opposed to reporting data in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• If I’m registered for STARS, do I also need to report data in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• If my institution completed a STARS Report, do I need to do anything to share data with Sierra magazine or The Princeton Review?
• If I let my STARS subscription expire, will I be able to access my data through the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?
• Can I become a STARS participant after filling out the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

• What does it mean to migrate data and how does the migration function work?
• What is the difference between ‘Version Migration’ and ‘Data Migration'?
• What are supplemental data?
• How do I know what information to complete for each organization?
• Will I be able to share my data with other organizations aside from The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine?
• How often can institutions using the Campus Sustainability Data Collector submit their data so that it is updated for The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine?
• How often can STARS Participants update their data in the Reporting Tool so that it is up-to-date for The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine?
• Do STARS Participants and Survey Responders have the option to submit data to only one of the other rating organizations?
• When do I need to submit information in the STARS Reporting Tool or the Campus Sustainability Data Collector for the other rating organizations?
• Who should I contact with questions?

AASHE has created the Campus Sustainability Data Collector for institutions not currently participating in STARS. This basic tool allows any higher education institution the option to share campus sustainability data with The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine. The Data Collector is modeled after the STARS Reporting Tool and is available at no cost. However, this option does not include many of the benefits of the STARS Reporting Tool or those associated with being a STARS Participant.

Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication.

Does a higher education institution have to be a member of AASHE to use the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

No, any institution in the U.S. or Canada can use this tool.

Who may use the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

Any higher education institution in the U.S. or Canada can register for the Data Collector. However, the Data Collector is especially relevant for those institutions who have previously participated in completing surveys for The Princeton Review, Sierra magazine, and the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Who has access to the data documented in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

For institutions that register as Survey Respondents and submit their data through the Data Collector, this information may be shared with The Princeton Review and/or Sierra magazine. Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication.

Once a snapshot of the information in the Data Collector has been taken, Survey Respondents will no longer have access to their data. Only active STARS Participants, who have access to the STARS Reporting Tool, will be able to continually access their data even after they have submitted for a STARS rating or shared their information with these other organizations. Institutions may contact the organization the data was shared with for a copy of this information.

What does it cost to become a Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondent?

The Data Collector is available at no cost to institutions. Though it looks very similar to the STARS Reporting Tool, the primary difference between the Data Collector and the STARS Reporting Tool is that the Data Collector does not include any of the benefits of the STARS Reporting Tool.

How is the Campus Sustainability Data Collector different from STARS?

AASHE used the STARS Reporting Tool as the foundation for building the Data Collector. The Data Collector platform is similar to the STARS Reporting Tool without access to all of the benefits such as resources, automated scoring, reports, etc. The Data Collector is a vehicle for sharing data only. The STARS Reporting Tool allows institutions to both share and track their data over time through data management software.

What are the benefits of participating in STARS as opposed to reporting data in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

There are several benefits associated with being a STARS Participant as opposed to reporting data in the Data Collector. Please see the benefits page for more information.

If I’m registered for STARS, do I also need to report data in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

No. In the STARS Reporting Tool, STARS Participants will be able to complete not only the STARS data fields, but also the supplemental section, which outlines information requested by the other rating organizations. All data documented in an institution’s STARS Report may be shared directly through the STARS Reporting Tool.

Once a STARS Participant's subscription period expires, the institution will no longer have access to the STARS Reporting Tool. At this time the institution will automatically be registered as a Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondent. Institutions that are registered Survey Respondents may use the Data Collector to document data and share this information with The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine. Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication.

If my institution completed a STARS Report, do I need to do anything to share data with Sierra magazine or The Princeton Review?

Yes. All institutions that wish to share data to be considered for another organization's publication MUST take and share a snapshot of data. Instructions for taking and sharing snapshots of data are outlined in the 'Share Data' tab of the 'My Summary' section in the STARS Reporting Tool.

If I let my STARS subscription expire, will I be able to access my data through the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

Institutions with a valid STARS rating, that no longer have an active subscription to the STARS Reporting Tool, will be able to migrate data from the STARS Reporting Tool to the Campus Sustainability Data Collector. Data may be migrated by accessing the 'Migrate' tab in the 'My Summary' section of the Data Collector.

Can I become a STARS participant after filling out the Campus Sustainability Data Collector?

At any time Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondents may upgrade to become a STARS Participant and gain all the benefits of the STARS Reporting Tool. Survey Respondents may upgrade directly through the Data Collector.

What does it mean to migrate data and how does the migration function work?

Survey Responders working in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector will have the opportunity to migrate data. “Version Migrations” allow an institution to migrate between different versions of the STARS Technical Manual. “Data Migrations” allow Survey Respondents to migrate previously saved data sets into the Data Collector.

Survey Responders seeking to migrate data will use the migration function in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector by navigating to the 'My Summary' page and choosing the 'Migrate' tab. Please note that it may take a few minutes for migration to complete, during which time the 'My Submission' section of the Data Collector will be locked. Migrating data will replace any previously saved data and all credits are marked as “In Progress” after migration is complete. Changes to credit status must be done manually.

What is the difference between ‘Version Migration’ and ‘Data Migration'?

'Version Migrations' allow an institution to migrate between different versions of the STARS Technical Manual. For example, an institution may have registered under a version of STARS, such as 1.1, but during the institution's participation in the Campus Sustainability Data Collector another version of STARS was launched, such as 1.2. Completing a 'Version Migration' will allow the institution to update credits that are outlined in the 'My Submission' section of the Data Collector so that this information reflects the most current version of the STARS credits. Data saved in the Data Collector prior to the migration will be visible in the Reporting Tool once the migration is complete.

“Data Migrations” allow Survey Responders to migrate previously saved data sets into the Campus Sustainability Data Collector. For example, institutions may choose to pull data from a previously submitted STARS Report, or saved snapshot, into the Data Collector. Completing a 'Data Migration' will allow the institution to work off of the specific data set that is moved into the Data Collector instead of documenting data from scratch. Migrating data will replace any previously saved data.

Survey Responders seeking to migrate data will use the migration function in the STARS Reporting Tool by navigating to the 'My Summary' page and choosing the 'Migrate' tab. Please note that it may take a few minutes for migration to complete, during which time the 'My Submission' section of the Reporting Tool will be locked. All credits are marked as “In Progress” after migration is complete. Changes to credit status must be done manually.

What are supplemental data?

These are reporting fields outside of those outlined in the STARS Technical Manual and Reporting Tool, that Sierra magazine would like institutions to complete for their surveys. At this time, Sierra magazine is only seeking data for SD-10: Energy Use by Type. These fields do not impact a STARS Rating and will not be posted publicly in an institution’s STARS Report. Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication.

Institutions must be working in STARS 1.2 to access the supplemental section. If an institution needs to migrate data from an earlier version of STARS to STARS 1.2, it may do so by choosing the 'Migrate' link in the box at the top of the 'My Submission' page of the STARS Reporting Tool or Campus Sustainability Data Collector. Please note, during the migration process an institution will not have access to the Reporting Tool or Data Collector. Once the migration is successful, institutions will be able to view the supplemental data in the 'My Submission' section of the Reporting Tool or Data Collector. View a complete list of the fields in the supplemental section (pdf).

How do I know what information to complete for each organization?

The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine have identified the specific data fields of particular interest that they are looking for institutions to complete. A link to both organizations' websites outlining the specific STARS credits they are seeking is posted in the 'Share Data' section of the STARS Reporting Tool and Campus Sustainability Data Collector. Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication. Will I be able to share my data with other organizations aside from The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine? Not at this time but this is part of the plan for the future (2013).

How often can institutions using the Campus Sustainability Data Collector submit their data so that it is updated for The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine?

Institutions that are not participating in STARS can take a 'snapshot' of their data in the Data Collector then select which of the organizations they would like to have access to their information. If institutions want to submit additional snapshots throughout the year they will need to resubmit their entire submission. Institutions will not have access to the data previously submitted unless they upgrade to becoming a STARS Participant. Accessing saved data, once it has been submitted to these rating organizations, is a benefit of participating in STARS. Please note, only credits marked as 'Pursing' in the Data Collector will be captured in snapshots.

Please note, Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondents MUST take a snapshot of data and share this information to be considered for another organizations' publication. Instructions for taking and sharing snapshots of data are outlined in the 'Share Data' tab of the 'My Summary' section in the Data Collector.

How often can STARS Participants update their data in the Reporting Tool so that it is up-to-date for The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine?

In addition to submitting for a STARS rating once a year, STARS Participants (with an active subscription to the STARS Reporting Tool) will also be able to save an unlimited number of data 'snapshots' so that this information is current when The Princeton Review and Sierra magazine need the data. Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication. In addition, only credits marked as 'Pursing' in the STARS Reporting Tool will be captured in the snapshots.

Please note, STARS Participants MUST take a snapshot of data and share this information to be considered for another organizations' publication. Instructions for taking and sharing snapshots of data are outlined in the 'Share Data' tab of the 'My Summary' section in the STARS Reporting Tool.

Do STARS Participants and Survey Responders have the option to submit data to only one of the other rating organizations?

Yes. STARS Participants and Survey Responders will be able to select which organization(s) they would like to share data with; The Princeton Review and/or Sierra magazine. STARS Participants and Survey Respondents may choose to share data with one or both of these organizations. Please note, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has suspended the production of the College Sustainability Report Card and will no longer be seeking data for this publication.

Please note, regardless of whether your institution is a STARS Participant or a Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondent it MUST take a snapshot of its data and share this information to be considered for another organizations' publication. Instructions for taking and sharing snapshots of data are outlined in the 'Share Data' tab of the 'My Summary' section in the STARS Reporting Tool and Data Collector.

When do I need to submit information in the STARS Reporting Tool or the Campus Sustainability Data Collector for the other rating organizations?

Whether you are a STARS Participant or an institution using the Data Collector, you will be notified if these organizations are interested in receiving your data, and they will let you know the time frame that they need this information completed. In addition, the reporting deadline for each of these organizations is listed in the “My Summary” section of the Reporting Tool and Data Collector under “Share Data.” Currently these dates are:

• The Princeton Review - Feb. 8, 2013
• Sierra magazine - Apr. 15, 2013

Please note, regardless of whether your institution is a STARS Participant or a Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondent it MUST take a snapshot of its data and share this information to be considered for another organizations' publication. Instructions for taking and sharing snapshots of data are outlined in the 'Share Data' tab of the 'My Summary' section in the STARS Reporting Tool and Data Collector.

Please see the above FAQs to learn how often STARS Participants and Campus Sustainability Data Collector Survey Respondents may report this information to these other rating systems.

Who should I contact with questions?

STARS - stars@aashe.org The Princeton Review - surveysupport@review.com Sierra magazine - cool.schools@sierraclub.org