InPerson

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www.studentsinservice.org

• In-Person
• Program Orientation

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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?

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• 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

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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.

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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

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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

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SIS has 3 Education Award Programs

• 300 hours 1000 (One year term of service)
• 450 hours 1250 (One year term of service)
• 900 hours 2362.50 (Two year term of service)
• A person can be awarded only two AmeriCorps
  awards in a lifetime.

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A term of service is made up of

• At least 80 direct service
• Up to 20 member development
• No more than 10 fundraising

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What is Direct Service?

• Defined as face to face service with your
  community
• 51 providing service
• No more than 49 administrative support

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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.

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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

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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

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Your term of service consists of 3 phases

• Enrollment Phase
• Service Phase
• Exit Phase

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Enrollment Phase
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Service and Exit Phase
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900 Hour Members Only

• 900 hr members are required to have their site
  supervisor complete a mid-term site supervisor
  evaluation to be given to member so member can
  turn evaluation into SIS Campus Coordinator

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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.

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Before enrolling, all members are required to
read and fully understand the contents of the
Member Agreement (found on the SIS Website on
the AmeriCorps Member page)The next few slides
touch base on important areas to especially
understand
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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

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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.

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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

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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.gov page 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

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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

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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 members campus over the
  past 4 months.

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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

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Grievance Procedure

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

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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

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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

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• 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

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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!

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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

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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

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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 Ill be working with students receiving
  special education services in reading who may
  find reading as a chore rather than recreation,
  Id 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.

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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?

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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 members 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)

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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)

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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.

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General Enrollment Paperwork Information

• All enrollment paperwork is expected to be passed
  in as soon as possible after 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

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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.

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Time Log Tips

• 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

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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

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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

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Enrolling in the SIS program is a serious
commitment

• Choose a term of service you feel you have a
  reasonable chance to complete
• Once you sign up for a term of service you cannot
  change it
• It is important to the SIS program that members
  who commit to a term of service complete their
  term of service

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Thank You for your interest in serving your
community!

• Questions?