OSU In-Person Program Orientation

1. www.studentsinservice.org www.oregonstate.edu/communityservicecenter/ OSU In-Person Program Orientation

2. Orientation Overview • Overview of SIS • What is direct service? Member Development? • Review of SIS Member Flowchart • Review SIS Member Agreement • Review of Enrollment paperwork • Questions?

3. NOTE: Please make sure to sign the SIS In-Person Orientation sign-in sheet provided by your SIS Campus Coordinator before completing this SIS In-Person Orientation

4. What is Students in Service? Students in Service (SIS) is a part-time AmeriCorps program that offers scholarships (education vouchers) to college students who serve their community. By participating in the SIS program, you become part of the AmeriCorps national service network that improves lives and strengthens communities throughout the United States.

5. Where does the funding come from? US Congress ↓ Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) /AmeriCorps ↓ Washington Campus Compact (WACC) ↓ Students in Service (SIS) ↓ Administered in CA, OR, AK, NV, WA, MT, ID, and HI including the US Territories of Guam, American Samoa, and Saipan (CNMI) US Congress funds CNCS. AmeriCorps is a program of CNCS that is organized to promote community service in the United States. Washington Campus Compact applies for a grant from CNCS to fund the Students in Service program. Once WACC is approved for the competitive grant, WACC administers the program in AK, NV, WA, and ID while sub-granting program administration to Campus Compacts in CA, MT, HI, and OR

6. Goals of the Students in Service program: • To increase the number of college student volunteers and service learners • To help disadvantaged youth succeed and advance along the academic continuum • To develop members' and students' civic skills, attitudes, and habits • To improve members' and students' workforce skills

7. The Education Award 300 hours = $1000 (One year term of service) A person can be awarded only two AmeriCorps awards in a lifetime.

8. A term of service is made up of: • At least 80% “direct service” • Up to 20% “member development” • No more than 10% fundraising

9. What is Direct Service? • Defined as face to face service with your community • 51+% providing service • No more than 49% administrative support

10. What activities qualify as direct service? • Academic and co-curricular service-learning • Non-paid, academic internships with a service-focus • Practicum hours, such as nursing, counseling, EMT, firefighting, etc. • Community service in the areas of education, public safety, environmental initiatives, community development, and human services • Federal or State-funded Community Service work study positions (the only eligible paid positions) • Student Teachers who qualify • Most volunteer work, including tutoring, mentoring, stream restoration, volunteer recruitment, etc.

11. What is not Direct Service? • Any service that is purely administrative like a research position, clerical work, student assistant positions on campus not working with the community • Any internship with a for-profit organization • Any position that involves activities on our list of prohibited activities • Any international volunteer work • Sleeping time on overnights or travel time

12. What is membership development? The spirit of the idea of membership development/training is to develop something within yourself that can help you better serve your service site in your community Examples: • learning a new language such as Spanish to better serve the Hispanic community, • to take a class in website design so as to help non-profits with their website, • to attend a diversity workshop or conference • to take a course in coaching that will benefit my service with Special Olympics

13. Your term of service consists of 3 phases: • Enrollment Phase • Service Phase • Exit Phase

14. Member reviews SIS website and after reviews the “Pre-Service Online Orientation”. Member scheduled and attends an In-Person Orientation with the SIS Coordinator on your campus. Member completes enrollment paperwork within 2 weeks of In-Person Orientation. Member attends In-Person Orientation. Enrollment begins once the paperwork is approved by SIS Staff. Once officially enrolled, and after 1-2 weeks of enrollment, Member is strongly encouraged to sign up for “My AmeriCorps” online account. Enrollment Phase

15. Member participates and recruits others (friends and family) for National Days of Service and other community events. Member reflects on service provided and shares by writing a “Great Story” online and/or by participating in a campus service reflection session. Member completes service hours at site(s) and completes monthly Time Logs. Once at 90% completion of service, member begins exit paperwork. Exit paperwork is passed in with final time log. Once approval is complete this signifies the end of your term of service. Within 1 – 3 Weeks of exit, member will be able to use Education Voucher online for the next 7 years. If Member has questions about the voucher, they can call the National Service Trust at 1-888-507-5962. Service and Exit Phase

16. Site Supervisor Evaluations are important!! • All SIS members must serve in a satisfactory manner so as to be eligible for their full award at the end of their current term of service as well as to be eligible to enroll in a 2nd term of service. • Site Supervisor evaluation must be signed by the same site supervisor who signed your latest time log and site agreement • All SIS members must turn in a site supervisor evaluation to be eligible for the full award.

17. Before enrolling, all members are required to read and fully understand the contents of the Member Agreement(found on the Community Service Center & SIS Websites)The next few slides touch base on important areas to especially understand

18. Required ID In order to enroll in the SIS program you must provide an acceptable form of ID • Top 3: • U.S. Birth Certificate • U.S. Passport • Permanent Resident Card • Others described in the Member Agreement, page 1

19. Criminal Record Check • As of October 1, 2009, all members enrolled on or after October 1, 2009 are required to have a criminal record check on file and all members will also have a name check done on the national sex offender registry • A registered sex offender or a member showing a felony on their criminal record check will not be allowed to participate in the SIS program.

20. Prohibited Activities • lobbying, political, religious, or other advocacy activities • Time spent sleeping on overnights • Travel time to and from a service site • Service outside a program state (CA, AK, NV, ID, MT, OR, WA, and HI including the US Territories of Guam, American Samoa, and Saipan (CNMI)) or outside the USA (however, disaster relief areas such as New Orleans can be an exception) • List of prohibited activities provided in the member agreement, page 3

21. Loan Forbearance/Interest Accrual • Request forbearances for any loans that you are making payments and/or accruing interest on while you serve. • Forbearances may be requested using https://my.americorps.gov • Loan holders may or may not choose to grant forbearances. • Being issued a forbearance makes you eligible to have a portion of the loan interest (which is accruing while you serve) paid at the end of your term by the National Service Trust . • Interest accrual payments are made at the end of your term of service, no more than 90 days following, and are done via the https://my.americorps.govpage as well. • If you are a full-time student, all your loans may be in loan deferment and there would be no need to ask for a forbearance • For a more detailed explanation of Loan Forbearance, contact your loan holder and/or financial aid officer

22. Reasons for release 1 – For cause: • Member dropped out of program • Member convicted of felony or selling controlled substance • Discipline reasons 2 – For compelling personal circumstance: • Member illness, illness in family, military service, others • Must provide letter or email detailing circumstance • Not to be abused

23. The Program can release the member for cause for the following reason: (read) The member has not been actively participating in service during their term of service determined by the member completing less than 15% of service hours after 4 months of their start date and/or not being in contact with an SIS coordinator on the member’s campus over the past 4 months.

24. Paperwork • Members are responsible for completing and submitting required paperwork by the assigned deadlines. • Members are required to provide up-to-date contact information • Failure to complete program requirements (including not fully completing exit paperwork) may result in the member being released from their term of service and exited without award

25. Grievance Procedure • Member Agreement details the SIS grievance policy • Most grievances are dealt with by informal means • Member Agreement details 3 formal grievance procedures

26. Civil Rights, Drug Free Workplace, and Reasonable Accommodation Policies • All three policies are detailed on the SIS web site or member agreement and SIS encourages members to understand them • SIS values service by all people • No drugs or alcohol are allowed in the workplace

27. Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability • All volunteer activities have an element of risk of physical harm or injury • SIS cannot guarantee your safety • Member has responsibility for their actions and if they are negligent in any way, SIS is held harmless from any liability • SIS is not responsible for loss or damage of personal property while serving • Please read and understand the policy located in your member agreement, pages 7 and 8

28. Pass out Enrollment Paperwork Package so members can look at hard copies of the paperwork as presenter reviews each form. • Enrollment forms • Time Log • Exit Checklist Can be found at: Community Service Center website

29. Review Enrollment Forms • Enrollment Checklist • Enrollment Form • Site Agreement • Member Agreement Authorization • Publicity release is not required but encouraged • Criminal Record Check Verification or Authorization Form • ID requirement NOTE: Complete all enrollment forms in pen!

30. Site Agreement and Member Development Plan Describe Direct Service: • Describe clearly and in a succinct manner • Ex. “Mentoring middle school students at Bellingham Middle School” • If needed, you can write on the back of the form, attach a sheet, or position description to the Site Agreement • The service described on the site agreement should correspond with service recorded on the site time log

31. Site Agreement and Member Development Plan Member Development Plan: • Utilize SIS web site “Helpful Member Resources” for tips on filling out Site Agreement and Member Development Plan • Examples of service and professional goals:

32. Site Agreement and Member Development Plan Service-Related • “One service-related goal I have for Earth Corps is to learn how to distinguish between native and nonnative plant species in my local community.” • “Since I’ll be working with students receiving special education services in reading who may find reading as a chore rather than recreation, I’d like to encourage at least one student each week to pick up a book and read for no other reason than for fun.” Professional • “To gain more knowledge about how non-profit organizations work and begin community networking by attending conferences and trainings.” • “I want to read at least one education book a month and hold a book club to discuss the content and applicability of the material and practices raised by the author.”

33. Site Agreement and Member Development Plan Required by Site Supervisor Answer the 2 questions: • Does the member have significant “recurring access” to vulnerable populations? • Does site provide liability insurance?

34. Does the member have “recurring access” to vulnerable populations? • If your site supervisor checks “yes” to the question on your site agreement, the site supervisor must then fill out the Criminal Record Check Verification (CRCV) form before a member can be enrolled. • On CRCV, Site supervisor must note the physical location of the criminal record check report • If a site is not willing to cover the cost of a criminal record check (usually free - $15) or one is not available from a member’s academic department then member cannot serve at the site. • At no time is an AmeriCorps member expected to pay for a criminal record check (usually covered by site or academic department)

35. Does site provide liability insurance? • All sites must provide some form of liability insurance or similar insurance that covers injuries while member is serving at the site • The majority of legitimate non-profits do have some form of liability coverage • If site does not have liability coverage, the member will need to find another site or site supervisor (possible at the college/university)

36. Criminal Record Check Authorization Form • If member is not serving a vulnerable population (ex. teachers, counselors, etc.) and site supervisor does not complete a Criminal Record Check Verification Form then member will need to complete, sign and date the Criminal Record Check Authorization Form. • SIS Campus Coordinator will do the criminal record check and the check may delay enrollment not more than 5 days. Member cannot be enrolled until the criminal record check has been completed and reviewed.

37. General Enrollment Paperwork Information • All enrollment paperwork is expected to be passed in within 2 weeks of the In-Person Orientation • All enrollment paperwork must be completely filled out and signed in pen • Only pass in “fully completed” paperwork, preferable in person to your SIS Coordinator • Once you are officially enrolled, you are strongly encouraged to sign up for your “My AmeriCorps” online account. This is how you will receive your scholarship.

38. When does enrollment begin? • Official enrollment date will be no earlier than the day a member passes in a complete enrollment package (all the enrollment paperwork must be signed by the member, site supervisor, and SIS Campus Coordinator on or before the official enrollment date) and a criminal record check has been completed and reviewed.

39. Using Time Logs • Do not combine months on one time log • One time log per service site • Check your math or use excel (or writable pdf) time log provided on SIS web site • Round your time to the nearest half hour • Do not make changes to your time log, all time logs should be free from cross-outs • Provide descriptions of all service activities • Always provide original signatures • The Site supervisor who signed your site agreement must also sign your time logs • Always keep a copy for yourself

40. Using the Community Service Center website • http://oregonstate.edu/communityservicecenter/

43. Great Stories • Submit “great stories” that demonstrated how your service benefited the community members you serve or yourself • Encapsulates a part of your service of which you are especially proud, or a “light bulb moment” when you learned or realized something important. • Stories are used in reporting to federal sponsor(s), and often are drawn upon to explain what AmeriCorps members actually do. • You can submit a great story online at any time

44. Exiting Your Term of Service • Review Exit Checklist • Begin your exit paperwork when you are 90% complete with your service so you can pass in your exit paperwork with your final time log • If you have multiple sites, only one site supervisor is required to complete the End-of Term Site Supervisor Evaluation • Once exited by your SIS campus coordinator your voucher will immediately appear in your “My AmeriCorps” online account. • Any voucher questions, contact the Trust at 1-888-507-5962

45. Enrolling in the SIS program is a serious commitment • It is important to the SIS program that members who commit to a term of service complete their term of service. • Failure to complete your term may mean the loss of the opportunity for anyone to receive the scholarship.

46. Thank You for your interest in serving your community! Questions?