1. AmeriCorps Student Leaders in Service Member Orientation
WELCOME!
AmeriCorps Student Leaders in Service
Member Orientation
Scholarships for Service Orientation

2. ORIENTATION PURPOSE The purpose of this orientation is to:
Provide General Information – this orientation will give you an overview of National Service and Campus Compact.
Determine Eligibility – this orientation will help you determine whether or not you are eligible to participate and what types of service activities you can do.
Ensure Commitment – this orientation will help you learn more about our program before you make a formal commitment. There are a limited number of scholarships available for students who commit to ASLIS. Once you enroll in our program, we cannot offer that same scholarship to anyone else. We want to help you be sure that this is a program to which you can commit and one which you will complete successfully!
Scholarships for Service Orientation

3. BENEFITS OF AMERICORPS STUDENT LEADERS IN SERVICE
The education award!
The difference you can make in your community.
The opportunity to grow personally and professionally.
The network of hundreds of students committed to improving their communities.
The National Service movement you join through AmeriCorps.
Scholarships for Service Orientation

4. How Does It Work? Complete the Pre-Service Orientation.
Complete all enrollment documents included in the Enrollment Workbook.
Serve in your community.
Complete your service hours and earn an education award!

5. WHAT IS ASLIS?
The ASLIS program is hosted by Massachusetts Campus Compact and is offered at 40 colleges and universities in MA, CT, and PR.
343 students will participate in the ASLIS year.
Members contribute more than 110,000 service hours annually.
ASLIS Serve is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
Scholarships for Service Orientation

6. CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE (CNCS)
AmeriCorps is federally funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in Washington, D.C.
CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.
Scholarships for Service Orientation

7. AMERICORPS
AmeriCorps (aka the “domestic Peace Corps”) began in and provides opportunities for Americans to make an intensive commitment to service. The AmeriCorps network of local, state, and national service programs engages more than 70,000 Americans in intensive service each year.
AmeriCorps members serve through more than 3,000 nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based and other community organizations, helping meet critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. The variety of service opportunities is almost unlimited.
Members may tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, or help communities respond to disasters.
Aka “domestic Peace Corps”
Scholarships for Service Orientation

8. MASSACHUSETTS CAMPUS COMPACT
Educating citizens, building communities.
70 member campuses
Public and private, two year and four year schools
Established in 1995
Based at Tufts University
Provides trainings, resources, capacity building, campus consultations, updates on state and national events, grants and funding, conferences
Each state Compact is housed at an institution. Massachusetts Campus Compact received the AmeriCorps grant and provides the staff member to run the program. The entire program is run out of the MACC office at Tufts.
Scholarships for Service Orientation

9. IN SUMMARY… THE GRANT WORKS LIKE THIS:
CNCS
AmeriCorps
(Ed Award Only)
Learn & Serve
Senior Corps
Massachusetts Campus Compact
Institutions
(Slots)
You don’t need to go over this chart in detail. I have included it to give students an idea of how the grant works and where the money comes from
Scholarships for Service Orientation

10. ELIGIBILITY FOR AMERICORPS
You must:
Be a United States citizen or permanent resident alien of the U.S.,
Be 17 years old or older, and
Hold a GED or high school diploma
Note: Members must be able to provide a copy of an eligibility document listed in the enrollment workbook proving U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status.
Scholarships for Service Orientation

11. NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK
All members must undergo a National Service Criminal History Check which consists of:
A search of the state criminal registry (CORI);
A name-based search of the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW)
Ask if everyone is a US citizen -- if yes skip past this slide and the next slide.
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12. NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK (CON’T.)
MACC will conduct the NSOPW check on all members before enrollment.
If the campus or service site conducts a CORI, please submit the Criminal Record Check Verification Form.
If the campus/service site will NOT conduct a CORI, MACC will. Please submit the CORI Request Form.
An individual is ineligible to serve in a covered position if the individual:
(a) Is registered, or required to be registered, on a State sex offender registry or the National Sex Offender Registry; or
(b) Has been convicted of murder, as defined in section of title 18, United States Code.

13. TERMS OF SERVICE Serve = Earn 300 hours in 12 months = $1,175
These service hours may be a combination of personal volunteer time with a nonprofit agency and academic service through your campus.

14. THE EDUCATION AWARD: GENERAL TERMS
Use to repay eligible loans/cost of tuition for school (not private loans or credit cards)
Expires seven years after you receive it (you might be able to receive an extension)
You can't transfer the award to someone else (with an exception; see below)
Transferability: You can give the award to someone else if you are 55 or older and certain conditions are met
Multiple terms: You can receive awards up to the value of two full-time awards in a lifetime, serving in full-time, part-time, and summer positions
Use all at once or in partial amounts
Subject to taxes when you use it
Since the award can be used only for current educational expenses, you cannot use it to cover past balances in your school account. (You can, however, use the award on qualified student loans.)
Scholarships for Service Orientation

15. MEMBER EXPECTATIONS
Be committed to completing all service requirements;
Complete all required paperwork;
Complete timesheets on a monthly basis;
Manage their own time in order to complete the program by the required exit date;
Maintain consistent communication with their campus supervisor throughout the year.

16. SERVICE: WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You can perform service that fits into one of four AmeriCorps goals:
education,
public safety,
health,
the environment.

17. SERVICE: WHAT CAN YOU DO?, CONT.
You can serve at any qualifying not-for-profit organization, including public schools, government agencies, charitable nonprofits, faith-based centers, and arts and culture institutions.
You can also spend some of your service on Member Development.

18. MEMBER DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
Member Development/Training gives you the opportunity to pursue personal and professional goals that are education and service related. It is an important aspect of AmeriCorps service.
Member development hours can account for up to 20% of your total service term and include:
Class time related to your direct service,
Professional conferences or workshops,
Faculty meetings or agency staff meetings, and
Time spent reflecting on your service individually or with peers (program meetings, etc.)
Note: there is a section on the monthly timesheet for members to record training/development. Please remember to fill this in when applicable.

19. TRACKING HOURS: TIMESHEETS
Members will submit monthly timesheets to supervisors
Members will break service into 3 categories- training you attended (20% limit), fundraising (10% limit), and service (no limit)
Members will COMPLETELY fill out the timesheet*
Supervisors are responsible for collecting timesheets, signing off and approving hours, and sending them to the MACC Office.
* Our timesheet was designed to specifically collect all necessary information for this grant. Collecting this information ensures that we can offer this program to our campuses each year.
Have them take out the timesheets while you go over this - ask if they have questions. Emphasize filling out the timesheet completely, including the volunteers/youth numbers at the bottom. Members are supposed to try and recruit at least 3 college volunteers each. We have a minimum number we are expected to report as part of the grant. Reporting more will strengthen our next grant application. Emphasize the NEW. If a student works with the same children each month, he/she should only list them once.
Explain the difference between “Training,” “Fundraising,” and “Service.” Training hours are only the time when you are specifically being trained on a topic that will directly relate to your service project (e.g. conflict resolution seminar, leadership summit, etc.). This time also is when you participate in a reflection session. AmeriCorps members may raise funds to directly support an organization, program or project. Service is everything else, including direct service/volunteering, leading reflection sessions, volunteer management/recruitment/coordination.
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20. AMERICORPS PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Lobbying
Helping or hindering union activities
Religious instruction and proselytizing
Protests, petitions, boycotts, strikes
Advocacy for or against political parties, candidates, platforms, legislation.
Providing direct benefit to a for-profit organization, labor union, partisan political organization, a religious organization, or non-profit that engages in lobbying
Voter Registration
International Service
Engage in any activities that pose a significant safety risk to others
Grant writing or fundraising for operational expenses at the nonprofit agency.
Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services.
Like other private citizens, members may participate in the above-listed activities on their own time, at their own expense, and at their own initiative.
Student CAN do any of these things -- they just can’t count the hours toward their AmeriCorps award. They cannot identify themselves as AmeriCorps members or wear AmeriCorps gear while performing such activities.
Religious activities: Members can serve in social programs operated by faith-based organization that don’t include worship activities. Examples: after-school tutoring programs at a church, soup kitchen or food pantry, meals on wheels, etc.
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21. DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE
During the terms of service, program members may be
released from the terms of service with no compensation if
a member has:
Unlawfully manufactured, distributed, dispensed, possessed or used any controlled substance or illegal drugs;
Consumed alcoholic beverages during the performance of service activities;
Was under the influence of alcohol or any illegal drugs during the performance of service activities.
*All members must take the Drug Awareness Quiz and sign/date as part of the ASLIS Drug Awareness Program.
This must be read out loud.
Have them flip to the ASLIS Drug-Free Workplace Policy in handbook. Go over, ask if there are any questions.
Have them take the Drug Awareness Quiz, date/sign, and include in enrollment materials.
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22. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
Sites must provide accommodation, upon request by a qualified individual with disabilities, unless doing so is an undue financial or administrative burden to your program.
For those cases where reasonable accommodations are more costly, there is a limited amount of money available through State Commissions to provide accommodations for service members.
Have them flip to ASLIS Reasonable Accommodation Policy. Ask if there are any questions.
Scholarships for Service Orientation

23. NON-DISCRIMINATION
It is against the law for organizations that receive federal financial assistance from CNCS to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, sex, age, political affiliation, or, religion. It is also unlawful to retaliate against any person who, or organization that, files a complaint about such discrimination.
If you believe that you or others have been discriminated against, or if you want more information please speak with your Campus Supervisor or contact:
Kate Beyer, 196 Boston Ave., Suite 2400, Medford, MA 02155, ,
Have them flip to the ASLIS Non-discrimination Policy. Ask if there are any questions.
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24. EXIT EARLY (NO EDUCATION AWARD)
The member has dropped out of the program;
During the term of service the member has been convicted of a violent felony or the sale or distribution of a controlled substance;
Member completes AmeriCorps Exit Form/Exit Survey
Member completes pg. 1; MACC completes pg. 2
Campus supervisor completes end-of-term evaluation
Campus supervisor writes letter regarding circumstances of exit
Negative impact on campus retention rate
Release from term of service can be found in the member contract, section VI.
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25. EXIT EARLY: COMPELLING PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
The member has a disability or serious illness that makes completing the term impossible;
There is a serious injury, illness, or death of a family member that makes completing the term unreason ably difficult or impossible for the member;
The member has Military service obligations;
Some other unforeseeable circumstance beyond the member’s control makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for the member to complete the term of service
Member must provide documentation and complete Exit Form/Exit Survey
Campus supervisor writes letter supporting member circumstances
Campus supervisor completes member end-of-term evaluation

26. EXIT FULL AWARD
(For members who finish hours early or take the full service year to complete hours)
When member completes hours and turns in all of their timesheets, they will be ready to be exited
Member completes AmeriCorps Exit Form/Exit Survey
Member completes pg. 1; MACC completes pg. 2
Campus supervisor completes end-of-term evaluation

27. THE EDUCATION AWARD The education award can be used in 3 ways:
Past Members can repay qualified student loans such as the Stafford, Perkins, Federal Direct/Indirect.
Present Members can apply the voucher to their current education expenses for the cost of attendance through the financial aid office on their campus.
Future Members can use the voucher for up to 7 years toward graduate programs, continuing education classes, specialty and trade schools, and study abroad.
Check with your financial aid office to see how the education award may be used for tuition and other expenses.
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28. ACCESSING THE EDUCATION AWARD
Disseminated by the National Service Trust
Electronically managed at my.americorps.gov
Typically arrives 2-4 weeks after request is made by member in My AmeriCorps system
Issued to institution (campus or loan provider) and NOT member
Scholarships for Service Orientation

29. THE 30 DAY RULE
We must notify CNCS within 30 days of a member’s enrollment and exit from the program.
Whenever we miss the 30 day deadline, we are considered out of compliance. This could negatively impact our grant in the future.
Please remember to turn paperwork in on time! This means passing in the enrollment workbook by the deadline and completing your last timesheet/exit form/exit survey within 30 days of your last day of service.
Scholarships for Service Orientation

30. THE 30 DAY RULE, CONT.
If you finish your hours early, exit paperwork must be turned in within 30 days of your last day of service.
If you wish to remain an active AmeriCorps member, you must remain “actively serving.”
- Actively serving: continue serving the same average amount of hours as in other months and sending in timesheets until you are ready to exit.
Emphasize the importance of knowing the last day of service: whether it’s before or after the “exit date”, whether or not they are choosing to remain actively serving; and
Turning paperwork in on time based on that end date/decision
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31. ORIENTATION SIGN-IN SHEET
Campus Supervisors: please have members sign the orientation sign-in sheet now. Remember to send orientation sign-in sheets with enrollment paperwork.

32. Questions? Comments?

33. CONTACT INFORMATION
Kate Beyer
Program Director
Massachusetts Campus Compact
(617)

34. THANK YOU!
Scholarships for Service Orientation