A. Proposal Title: Storm Water Initiative Project (SIP): An Interdisciplinary Initiative and

Experiential Learning Opportunity to Promote the Campus as a Living Laboratory

B. Contact Information:

Hannah K. Morgan

607-436-3312

Hannah.Morgan@oneonta.edu

Sustainability Coordinator

202 Netzer Administration Building

C. Department: Finance and Administration

D. Amount Requested: $20,000

E. Project Summary:

In July 2013, Oneonta experienced an extreme weather event which dumped over 4.69

inches of water in a 24 hour period and generated over 2.9 million gallons of runoff from

impervious campus surfaces. SUNY Oneonta’s campus consists of approximately 30%

impervious surfaces, which creates a large runoff effect both on campus and within the Oneonta

community. There are many short-term and potentially costly solutions to storm water

management, but SUNY Oneonta has the opportunity to formulate an interdisciplinary,

systematic, educational and mindful solution using the intellectual resources of the campus to

solve this community-wide issue. This project will 1) support students and faculty with real-time

instrumentation for the collection of flow data, 2) create a rain garden and bioretention structure

with an appropriate aesthetic for our campus, and 3) assemble faculty from across the campus to

develop a strategic plan to integrate storm water management into the campus culture.

Section I: Narrative

A. Proposal significance and objectives:

The proposal is significant because it addresses a current problem the Office of Facilities

and the Maintenance Operations Center faces during extreme weather events and it provides an

educational, interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunity for the campus community.

While an outside engineering consultant could be hired to address the storm water runoff issue, it

would cost tens of thousands of dollars and deprive the larger campus community of their input

and sense of ownership. Our approach to the storm water problem on campus will break down

the silos between the various disciplines and departments and promote interdisciplinary

collaboration and research among faculty, staff and students. This semester, a forum was

organized to gauge interest within the institution towards this broad community issue. Faculty

and staff members from 13 different areas attended the event including: History, Geography,

Philosophy, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Art, Economics, Environmental Science,

Communication Arts, Sociology, Finance and Administration, Facilities and Sustainability. The

enthusiasm and energy expressed during the forum solidified the momentum required to execute

phase one of this multiyear research, planning, design and construction project.

B. Contribution to the SP2010:

Sustainability is one of the six pillars in the Strategic Plan. This project has the potential

to integrate sustainable landscaping demonstration projects across campus including the

installation of rain gardens (bioretention), permeable pavers and green roof applications in

visible locations to educate the community on solutions to managing storm water runoff. Rain

gardens are depressions or shallow bowls integrated into the landscape which are designed to

hold and infiltrate water, utilizing soils with good percolation rates as well as native plants which

are adapted and suitable for wet conditions. In some cases, these plants have the ability to filter

and remove pollutants from storm water runoff (biological uptake). Permeable pavers are

constructed with strong structural materials which are laid in a grid system and are filled with

gravel or sod to promote the infiltration of storm water. Green roofs are vegetative layers on

rooftops which absorb, filter and retain storm water to reduce the total volume and flow to storm

water systems. These types of technologies have the potential to demonstrate to the student

population various sustainable design applications viable for specific landscapes.

In addition, this proposal supports the Student Engagement, Community Partnerships and

Teaching, Learning and Scholarship pillars. This proposal optimizes student experience by

engaging learning and student leadership by offering opportunities for students to participate in

the installation of the sustainable landscaping design technologies. This proposal seeks to

promote a collaborative partnership between the college and the City of Oneonta to mitigate the

storm water runoff issue. In addition, this initiative creates numerous cross-disciplinary

opportunities for coursework and research among the five schools. These pillars will be

addressed in more detail in Section C.

C. Linkage to any of the following priorities:

Experiential learning

This collaborative interdisciplinary initiative creates numerous education opportunities for

students across the disciplines including surveying the local community members on the

effects of storm water towards their neighborhoods (sociology), designing landscapes and

spaces which are both aesthetically and effectively capturing storm water runoff (art),

tracking historical data of past extreme weather events (history), assessing the public opinion

of the storm water management issue (communication arts), measuring the flow rate of storm

water inside the manholes (environmental science) and identifying native species to plant

within the rain gardens (biology).

Curricular infusion of pillars

This proposal directly infuses sustainability, student engagement and community

partnerships into the curriculum by teaching students to engage in the participatory planning

and design process and to be active citizens within the community, by promoting alliances

between the city and college. Integrating and installing demonstration projects around the

landscape engages the students by promoting a visible culture of sustainability across

campus.

Technology enhanced learning

Students hired to monitor the flow rates within the storm drain system will utilize dynamic

pressure or ultrasonic depth sensors and data loggers to measure and track the flow of storm

water over an extended period of time. This information will be used to perform a

comparative analysis of flow rates during extreme weather events.

Public/private partnerships

The City of Oneonta is affected and invested in the storm water management issues created

by the location and design of our campus. As the project progresses, the storm water working

group plans to collaborate with the city to design demonstration projects which optimize the

retention of storm water runoff.

D. Evidence that contributed to the decision to submit this request:

It has been documented that the campus has experienced an increase in significant rainfall events

which have overwhelmed the campus storm drain system. The campus is obligated to address

these issues, as they have the potential to affect the surrounding community.

E. How the activity will be assessed, using measurable, documented outcomes:

The activity will be assessed by tracking:

The number of student interns participating in the research project

The number of hours students worked towards addressing the project

The number of faculty members participating in the research project

The number of departments involved in addressing the storm water management issue

The number of courses incorporating the project as part of the curriculum

The flow rate data collected over an extended period of time

The number of demonstration projects installed on campus

The number of project updates communicated and broadcasted to the SUNY Oneonta

community

F. Implementation strategy and timeline:

The tentative schedule of phase one includes:

February 2014: Second Storm Water Management forum organized and project teams created.

March-May 2014: Monthly project team discussions and organization. Involve the City of

Oneonta. Students provide update at Student Research Expo (April).

June 2014: Strategic plan created for Storm Water Initiative Project

July 2014: Data collection begins (students) and presentation at Life of the Mind.

April 2015: Rain garden installed and public presentation of overall project timed for Earth Day.

G. Additional information: See Appendix B (Precipitation on Campus:Where Does it End Up?)

Section II: Funding Request- $20,000 (see excel sheet)

Student Labor: $2,000 (two students, $1,000 stipend)

Faculty Stipend: $3,000 (two faculty members, $1,500 stipend)

Instrumentation: $10,000 ( five flow rate sensors and five data loggers)

Demonstration Projects: $5,000 (two rain gardens)

Section III: Consultation- See Appendix A

Appendix A: Consultation

The Chief Information Officer has reviewed this proposal and verified potential costs as it relates

to technology:

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[X] Not Applicable

Comments:

The Associate Vice President for Facilities has reviewed this proposal and verified potential

costs as it relates to facilities:

[X] Yes

[ ] No

[] Not Applicable

Comments: Tom Rathbone is aware of the Storm Water Management initiative and will be

consulted as the project progresses.

The Budget Director has reviewed this proposal and verified potential costs:

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[X] Not Applicable

Comments:

The Senior Executive Employee Services Officer has reviewed this proposal and verified

potential costs as it relates to human resources:

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[X] Not Applicable

Comments:

Other consultation (be specific):

Appendix B: Precipitation on Campus - Where Does it End Up?

Proposal Title: Storm Water Initiative Project (SIP)Point Person and contact information

Name: Hannah MorganCampus Phone: 607-436-3312Campus e-mail: hannah.morgan@oneonta.edu

Department/Unit: Finance and Administration

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17Personnel Costs:

Ongoing Salaries (PSR) $0Temporary Salaries (Temp Service) $3,000Student Employment (Student Temp Service) $2,000

Other Than Personnel Costs (OTPS) and Campus Recharges:Materials & Supplies $5,000Travel (not related to Professional Development) $0Contractual Services $0Student Scholarships $0Professional Development $0General Equipment $10,000

Contracts related to Equipment Maintenance $0Campus Storehouse $0Campus Telephone $0Campus Mail $0Campus Print Shop $0Capital Costs -- renovation $0Capital Costs -- new construction $0

Total Costs: 0.00 $0 $0 $0 $0 $20,000

Projected Amount Available:

$0

* Updated 12/2/2013

2013-2014 StAR Proposal -- Budget Template*

1-time Costs by yearRecurring (ongoing)

Costs:Use of Funds DescriptionNumber of Positions

Total 1-time Costs

Budget Detailplease enter whole dollars; enter fractions of positions in decimals (e.g. 1/2 time = 0.50)

Total Projected Other Funding Sources:

Reallocation of funds from existing resources (include account number, funding source)

New Funds (i.e. projected revenue generation)

Other Funding Sources: