Making the campus sustainable and environmentally friendly is a significant focus for our Buildings & Grounds team. As part of this effort, they worked with our janitorial vendor, DTZ, to change all of the trash bags on campus to the greenest bags currently available, making Simmons the first and only college in the area to take this step.

The new bags, provided by Revolution Bag, contain up to 95% post-consumer recycled content, a stark contrast to the bags used previously, which contained only 10% pre-consumer recycled content. Each bag is made of resin that was once used in irrigation tubes for farming. The same company that makes the tubes then collects them, recycles them, and manufacturers new bags from the recycled materials. This process creates a closed loop, leaving behind no materials used in the original manufacturing process.

In addition to being an environmentally conscious product, the bags are also stronger and more durable, making them safer for our janitorial staff to handle. Another added benefit is cost savings: the new bags are less expensive and Simmons will use fewer throughout the year.

This is just one step in an ongoing effort to reduce waste and shrink our environmental impact across campus. To find out more about sustainability efforts at Simmons, visit Green Simmons. If you’re interested in getting involved or sharing new ideas for greening the campus, contact Sara Smith.

Earlier this summer, the Simmons College Police Department was awarded state Certification from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. The Commission honored Chief Sean Collins and members of the department for their commitment to a set of more than 160 established standards and policies that guide professionalism and delivery of police services to their constituents.

The Simmons Police Department joins an elite group of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts, only 22% of which have certification or accreditation. Taking this step promotes accountability and provides independent, external validation of their policies and procedures.

Certification is a self-initiated process focused on policy development, emergency response planning, training, and communications. These skill sets are an integral part of the team’s dedication to the safety and security of everyone on campus.

In addition, this effort reinforces the department’s commitment to professionalism and transparency in service to the Simmons community, and reflects the important role the department plays in the Simmons experience.

When searching for a real-world scenario to use in a class project, sometimes the best option is just across campus. That was the case during the Spring 2015 semester for students in Professor Gerry Benoit’s Systems Analysis in Information Services course.

Throughout the semester, students worked with members of the Technology department to conduct an analysis of our current identity management platform and make suggestions for a more efficient solution.

Dave Bruce, Senior Director of Technology Services, asked the students to focus on identity management because it is an integral component of our infrastructure that integrates with many of the services we support. Identity management presented the students with a complex system that required both a detailed investigation of processes and a macro-level understanding of functionality.

Professor Benoit guided students throughout the semester as they conducted a professional-level analysis. Students were divided into groups, each handling a different aspect of the project. This approach mirrored what they will encounter in professional settings, where the ability to work with other teams to achieve results is as important as individual contributions.

The students researched and studied the system, worked with the Technology to gather requirements, and created prototypes, leading to the development of a portfolio of their research, findings, and recommendations.

As computing and information science change rapidly, Professor Benoit noted that it is vital that students across a range of technical and business disciplines have a deep understanding of systems and user needs so that they are “able to participate in the larger discourse about how to use computing to fulfill real-world information needs.”

That objective was evident in the project itself. A student in the class added that computing courses often “focus on teaching you how technology is supposed to work in a perfect world where no one makes mistakes. This class really helped me understand how to anticipate and navigate pitfalls in a live project.”

In this one project, it is easy to see the value of collaboration in fostering innovation at Simmons. Our students, faculty, and staff bring a wealth of knowledge to campus. Creating opportunities to share that knowledge directly contributes to the long-term success of the College.

As Professor Benoit pointed out, “the idea that collaboration is possible on campus is brilliant and wonderful!” We couldn’t agree more.

Recently, Simmons Technology received an innovative donation from our printer vendor, Toshiba—a park bench that uses recycled and compressed ink cartridges instead of wood.

The bench is the result of a partnership between Toshiba and a recycling program called Close the Loop. This initiative takes empty cartridges and other disposable parts and reuses the material to make 100% recycled products.

For example, the park bench slats are made from compressed recycled plastic, called eLumber, that is waterproof, insect-proof, and UV retardant. In 2013, more than 170 tons of plastic from cartridges was recycled and used to construct benches, fencing, and other outdoor products.

As part of our ongoing printing initiative, Technology will continue to recycle all materials used in our multi-function devices and send them back to Toshiba for reuse in new products.

If you’d like to see (and try out) the new bench, it’s located in the seating area just outside of Lefavour Hall (near the Kotzen Room).