Grace Is First Indiana College To Volunteer For EPA Audit
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Staff Report-
While there were many "small housekeeping issues" that the college will need to take care of, no major problems were found during the inspection, said Tom Dunn, Grace's chief operations officer.
By volunteering for the audit, Grace will avoid EPA fines. According to Dunn, the college "probably saved $300,000" in EPA fines. "It would have been 300 little fines that would have added up to that," he said.[[In-content Ad]]"The EPA agrees that if properly trained people can visit a campus, and the campus is willing to correct the results, then the EPA will not fine the campus for those problems," said Dr. Ron Manahan, president of the college and seminary.
According to epa.gov, the agency's audit policy provides "incentives for regulated entities to voluntarily come into compliance with federal environmental laws and regulations."
The chance to conduct voluntary peer audits allows greater cooperation between the EPA and participating colleges.
"It's like driving a car correctly to avoid getting a speeding ticket," said Paul DeRenzo, Grace's director of auxiliary services. "We sometimes view the government as the adversary. In this case, they're partners. It really is a win-win between the EPA, the public sector and the private sector."
Manahan explained in a statement that Grace's main reason for participating in the audit was to make sure the college was "doing things properly in regard to protecting the environment."
A team of two professional auditors and four peer auditors from other Indiana colleges and universities - Huntington University, Goshen College, Indiana Wesleyan University and St. Mary's College - conducted the audit.
Dunn has been involved with the process from the start, said Manahan. Dunn explained that the Independent Colleges of Indiana - an organization that includes schools like Grace, Manchester College and Notre Dame University - approached Manahan early this spring about an initiative to have voluntary EPA audits of ICI campuses.
Manahan asked Dunn, who dealt with environmental regulations while he was president of chemical company Crystal Inc., from 1985 to 1996, to serve on the task force that led the initiative.
"It was done because, first and foremost, it was the right thing to do," said Dunn. "Dr. Manahan really has a penchant for protecting the environment."
Jennifer Shea is one of the two professionals who took part in the audit. Shea works for HRP Associates Inc., a Farmington, Conn., firm that participates in the college peer review program by providing professionals to guide the peer auditors through the process.
"We help answer questions that come up during the audit," said Shea.
According to Shea, the professional auditor is also responsible for writing a report based on data collected by the peer auditors, as well as detailing violations and ways to correct them.
Though all the data from the audit is still being reviewed, Shea said that Grace was typical compared to other campuses she had experienced, and that air, water and waste will likely be among the problem areas.
"We expect a report to be delivered in mid to late November," she said.
DeRenzo pointed out areas that need improvement.
"We generate waste in a lot of areas, like science labs and the art studio, where faculty and staff members don't know what to do with the waste," he explained.
He went on to say the college learns to maintain compliance with EPA standards by putting in place systems - such as labeling storage containers properly - to deal with potential issues.
DeRenzo expects Grace to spend about $30,000 to correct violations, a fraction of the $300,000 fines that could have resulted had Grace not participated in the peer review program.
"There's a significant financial piece," said DeRenzo, "but that's not what drove us."
According to Dunn, Grace students will "see how an organization should behave when protecting the environment" and follow the school's example after they graduate. "It will make us a better institution," said Dunn.
While there were many "small housekeeping issues" that the college will need to take care of, no major problems were found during the inspection, said Tom Dunn, Grace's chief operations officer.
By volunteering for the audit, Grace will avoid EPA fines. According to Dunn, the college "probably saved $300,000" in EPA fines. "It would have been 300 little fines that would have added up to that," he said.[[In-content Ad]]"The EPA agrees that if properly trained people can visit a campus, and the campus is willing to correct the results, then the EPA will not fine the campus for those problems," said Dr. Ron Manahan, president of the college and seminary.
According to epa.gov, the agency's audit policy provides "incentives for regulated entities to voluntarily come into compliance with federal environmental laws and regulations."
The chance to conduct voluntary peer audits allows greater cooperation between the EPA and participating colleges.
"It's like driving a car correctly to avoid getting a speeding ticket," said Paul DeRenzo, Grace's director of auxiliary services. "We sometimes view the government as the adversary. In this case, they're partners. It really is a win-win between the EPA, the public sector and the private sector."
Manahan explained in a statement that Grace's main reason for participating in the audit was to make sure the college was "doing things properly in regard to protecting the environment."
A team of two professional auditors and four peer auditors from other Indiana colleges and universities - Huntington University, Goshen College, Indiana Wesleyan University and St. Mary's College - conducted the audit.
Dunn has been involved with the process from the start, said Manahan. Dunn explained that the Independent Colleges of Indiana - an organization that includes schools like Grace, Manchester College and Notre Dame University - approached Manahan early this spring about an initiative to have voluntary EPA audits of ICI campuses.
Manahan asked Dunn, who dealt with environmental regulations while he was president of chemical company Crystal Inc., from 1985 to 1996, to serve on the task force that led the initiative.
"It was done because, first and foremost, it was the right thing to do," said Dunn. "Dr. Manahan really has a penchant for protecting the environment."
Jennifer Shea is one of the two professionals who took part in the audit. Shea works for HRP Associates Inc., a Farmington, Conn., firm that participates in the college peer review program by providing professionals to guide the peer auditors through the process.
"We help answer questions that come up during the audit," said Shea.
According to Shea, the professional auditor is also responsible for writing a report based on data collected by the peer auditors, as well as detailing violations and ways to correct them.
Though all the data from the audit is still being reviewed, Shea said that Grace was typical compared to other campuses she had experienced, and that air, water and waste will likely be among the problem areas.
"We expect a report to be delivered in mid to late November," she said.
DeRenzo pointed out areas that need improvement.
"We generate waste in a lot of areas, like science labs and the art studio, where faculty and staff members don't know what to do with the waste," he explained.
He went on to say the college learns to maintain compliance with EPA standards by putting in place systems - such as labeling storage containers properly - to deal with potential issues.
DeRenzo expects Grace to spend about $30,000 to correct violations, a fraction of the $300,000 fines that could have resulted had Grace not participated in the peer review program.
"There's a significant financial piece," said DeRenzo, "but that's not what drove us."
According to Dunn, Grace students will "see how an organization should behave when protecting the environment" and follow the school's example after they graduate. "It will make us a better institution," said Dunn.
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