Community Service Information

One element of the Academy of Liberal Arts is the completion of the total grade level required hours of community service. The hours must be completed at a site approved by the Service Coordinator. Required service may be done at the same site or at several different sites. See handbook for grade level community service hours.

Normally, the service requirement is completed during the academic year. However, service can be done over breaks or in the summer. It is also possible to do service work while studying abroad. There are many alternatives to satisfying the service requirement. The Service Coordinator will determine whether or not a site or option is acceptable, so an effort should be made in advance of the service work to get approval from the Service Coordinator.

Service must be for the general good of humanity and/or the environment.

·       Service must be voluntary, unpaid and on the student’s own time.

·       There must be a service agency with a representative who can be contacted to confirm service.

·       Students cannot act as Service Agency Representatives.

·       Service Agency Representative cannot be a related to the student by blood or marriage.

·       Working at a for-profit business for free does not count as Community Service.

·       Helping an individual, without the sanction of an agency does not count as Community Service.

·       Service cannot be explicitly religious or political.

A site is approved based on the following criteria:

• Service with and for an underserved population or endangered ecosystem, e.g. Hospice Care, Care of Homeless Communities, Habitat for Humanity, Education, Literacy Tutoring, ecological/environmental advocacy, political advocacy, etc.

Site Selection and Service Process

• Contact the Service Coordinator to confirm the acceptability of a site you've selected. Acceptability is determined by the way in which the site reflects the criteria listed above.

• Contact the site to pursue the possibility of a volunteer commitment.

• In consultation with whoever will serve as your site supervisor during your service, draw up a contract detailing your responsibilities at the service site. You or the site supervisor should keep this contract in a safe place until your service at the site is complete.

• When your work at the site is done, both you and your site supervisor should sign off on the contract indicating the hours completed. The final, signed contract should include an accurate description of the work you did during your service and the hours of service completed.

• At the end of your service, the site contact person or site supervisor evaluates you, in writing.

• At the end of your service, you evaluate your experience at the site, in writing.

• Make sure that all forms (the signed contract documenting the number of hours worked, the supervisor evaluation, and self-evaluation) are delivered to the Service Coordinator.

• Include site information, description of duties or responsibilities, time sheets and reflection in portfolio.