MONTANA CAMPUS CORPS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do I have to register with the national "MyAmeriCorps" website to start my term of service?I am participating in academic coursework that includes a community-based practicum/internship/clinical component. May I also enroll as a Campus Corps AmeriCorps member?
What is a criminal background check? What if I've already had one?
How long will it take me to complete my term of service?
How can I use my Education Award?
How many AmeriCorps terms can I serve?
I am involved in several activities on my college campus and may not have time for every aspect of this program. Will that be a problem?
Why do I need to recruit volunteers as part of my service?
What is a "Great Story" and why is it a program requirement for Campus Corps members?
What is Citizenship Development (or Member Development)?
Why am I being asked to attend training outside of my regular schedule or on-campus commitments?
Can I contribute all of my hours during the summer months?
What happens if I have to miss classes for training or another Campus Corps-related event?
Can I be paid to serve with Campus Corps?
Should I make copies of my paperwork?
What if I can't complete my hours by the end of my term of service? Can I get an extension?
If I do volunteer projects in addition to the hours I serve at my regular service site(s), can these hours count?
Why should I put my loans in forbearance?
What is the Interest Accrual Benefit Request?
What is "civic engagement"?
What is service-learning?
Why do I have to register with the national "MyAmeriCorps" website to start my term of service?
Simply put, registering online at http://my.americorps.gov enables you to enroll as an AmeriCorps member. If you do not enroll with the national AmeriCorps program, you can not serve with Montana Campus Corps locally. Additionally, the MyAmeriCorps Portal site enables you to request loan forbearance for any qualified student loans, meaning you won't have to pay any interest during your term of service. At the end of your term, this site allows you to request payment of interest accrued on loans for which you were granted forbearance. Most importantly, this is the site through which you will formally end your term of AmeriCorps service and can initiate online payments with your Education Award. to top »
I am participating in academic coursework that includes a community-based practicum/internship/clinical component. May I also enroll as a Campus Corps AmeriCorps member?
Yes. Campus Corps encourages that students pursuing common good careers explore Campus Corps service, and enroll if the program requirements are in line with their priorities. Campus Corps requires that community-based internship/practicum/clinical/teaching are: (a.) "hands on;" (b.) of a service-learning nature with a built in reflection component; (c.) that students have a faculty advisor, and; (d.) that the student recruits volunteers during their term of service, and participates in National Service Days hosted by their campus.
Additionally the student's host site must qualify as a not-for-profit agency in need of assistance.
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What is a criminal background check? What if I've already had one?
All members, regardless of whether their academic department or school has already provided a background check, must pass a Criminal Background Check (CBC) through the Campus Corps program. All CBCs are kept confidential, and only generic order confirmation pages are printed and kept in members files. CBCs are carried out to ensure that: (a.) members do not appear on the National Sex Offender Public Registry, and (b.) members do not have a criminal history which violates the local campus's policies on volunteer placement. to top »
How long will it take me to complete my term of service?
Campus Corps terms of service vary a great deal. Campus Corps service-learning members may serve an intensive, semester long service-learning term and complete a 450 hour term in 3 months, they may complete a 300 hour term over the course of a semester, or a 675 hour term over two semesters.
In the case of Campus Corps teams, part-time Members (450 hours) can anticipate working an average of 10 to 15 hours per week during the course of the normal academic year (September through May).
Full-time Team Leaders (1700 hours) will complete their terms of service over 10 1/2 months by working approximately 40 hours per week from September through mid-June. Weekly schedules will be agreed upon by the campus-based supervisor, the member, and the placement site. No member may record more than a combined total (Direct Service + Member Development + Fundraising) of 65 hours per week. to top »
How can I use my Education Award?
The Education Award can be used to repay qualified student loans, pay the costs of attendance at Title IV institutions of higher education, and/or applied to expenses incurred while participating in school-to-work programs. For specific information regarding your Education Award log in to your http://my.americorps.gov profile, refer to Education Award Frequently Asked Questions (at http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/benefits/benefits_ed_award.asp) or contact the National Service Trust Hotline (1-800-942-2677) for assistance. to top »
How many AmeriCorps terms can I serve?
Currently, the rule is that one can only earn two AmeriCorps Education Awards during a lifetime. An individual may serve three terms with AmeriCorps (one without an Education Award), but only two of those terms may be with Montana Campus Corps, the third may be with an AmeriCorps*VISTA project.
Beginning in the fall of 2010, the Serve America Act will go into effect and the above rules will change, making AmeriCorps service an option for the equivalent of two full-time terms of service, or the service commitments associated with earning up to approximately $10,000 worth of Education Awards. to top »
I am involved in several activities on my college campus and may not have time for every aspect of this program. Will that be a problem?
Being a Campus Corps AmeriCorps member is an intense experience that requires a great deal of commitment on the part of the participant. You should NOT plan to participate in the program if your other priorities will conflict with the program's requirements. to top »
Why do I need to recruit volunteers as part of my service?
AmeriCorps programs, of which Campus Corps is one of hundreds across the country, have historically placed volunteer recruitment as a high priority, and all AmeriCorps members are expected, as part of their service, to encourage and recruit others to serve. Campus Corps has a strong record of accomplishment in the area of volunteer recruitment. All members must recruit volunteers during their terms of service, and the volunteers must complete a Volunteer Survey. The volunteer(s) you recruit may be your beneficiaries (such as students in a K-12 classroom) or may be community members recruited for service projects outside of your primary service placement (e.g., a weekend service project or a National Service Day). to top »
What is a "Great Story" and why is it a program requirement for Campus Corps members?
The Great Story is a brief story that provides an important narrative documentation of your service. Every Campus Corps member is required to submit at least one Great Story during a service term. Without these narratives, the story of Campus Corps is far less specific or interesting. Furthermore, Great Stories provide anecdotal documentation of the impact your service has on your community. Program staff may use Great Stories in reports to the program's funders, in grant proposals, or in marketing materials to promote Campus Corps. Likewise, the evaluation paperwork that you complete provides the program with data to be used in our reports and grant proposals. Without evidence that the program is meeting its objectives , Campus Corps would not continue to receive funding. to top »
What is Citizenship Development (or Member Development)?
AmeriCorps regulations allow 20% of hours in your term of service to be counted toward Citizenship Development. Citizenship Development is the personal, professional training that helps you to be more effective in your service and provides you with skills for lifelong citizenship. On your monthly time log, these should be the hours you spend working on your personal and professional goals outside of your direct service responsibilities. Citizenship Development activities should connect to a goal you have set for your direct service, as outlined in your Member Development Plan (see Enrollment paperwork). to top »
Why am I being asked to attend training outside of my regular schedule or on-campus commitments?
During your term of service, there may be retreats or training sessions designed to offer orientation and support to members and Leaders. The training sessions help to develop specific leadership skills to assist you in completing your service assignments, as well as to cultivate professional skills that will serve you beyond the scope of the program. The required trainings are a time for Campus Corps members to plan, solve problems, share best practices, and form a cohesive network of members in communities throughout Montana. The trainings are also a place where networking and exposure to professionals in the service field occurs. The MTCC Network Office will provide assistance in getting members to and from any out-of-town trainings. Training hours may be applied toward completion of your term of service. to top »
Can I contribute all of my hours during the summer months?
While Campus Corps is designed to assist campus and community agencies in meeting their program goals, which normally occur during the academic year, some members may serve intensive summer terms, from June through August.
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What happens if I have to miss classes for training or another Campus Corps-related event?
Attendance at trainings is mandatory for all team members, and strongly encouraged for service-learning members. In the event that it is necessary for you to miss class, the Campus Corps coordinator or program staff can assist you in communicating with your professors about the importance of Campus Corps. to top »
Can I be paid to serve with Campus Corps?
Yes. The types of positions for which Campus Corps members may receive pay are as follows: 1) Team positions where service is largely an extra-curricular activity; 2) service-learning Campus Corps members may be paid while accruing AmeriCorps service hours provided they are in community Work Study positions (paid hourly) or an internship - as long as the payment is a stipend, living allowance or lump sum and not an hourly wage.
All other Campus Corps service must be unpaid (including internships, academic course-related service, and general volunteer service). Campus Corps service-learning members receive academic course credit and team members receive a modest stipend administered by their campus during their term of service, and cannot receive any other payments. to top »
Should I make copies of my paperwork?
Keeping a backup file that includes copies of your enrollment packet, timelogs, reporting documents is strongly recommended. Campus Corps is a large program with over 900 members serving in a given academic year. Coordinators are professionals who take their work very seriously, but with any system that involves paper, there is a real possibility for misplacement and loss. At minimum, Campus Corps recommends keeping a set of time logs as the back up record of your term of service. This is a best practice for all members, and will provide important proof of your service in the event that originals are misplaced or lost.
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What if I can't complete my hours by the end of my term of service? Can I get an extension?
No. In most instances, members are not able to receive an extension simply because they have not met the minimum hourly goal. In the instance there is acompelling personal circumstance (e.g. personal or family illness and military service) members may be granted an extension to complete their hours. These decision happens on a case-by-case basis. The approval is not "automatic," and members must contact your coordinator and the Montana Campus Compact Network Office before the end of their term to discuss your circumstances.
In addition, one may only receive a pro-rated Education Award in the event service has ended due to a compelling personal circumstances (see above). Please reference "Release from Term of Service" in the Requirements for Successful Completion section of your Member Agreement for more information. to top »
If I do volunteer projects in addition to the hours I serve at my regular service site(s), can these hours count?
Provided your coordinator approves, and If the projects address unmet needs in the areas of education, public safety, environmental initiatives, homeland security, or human needs, and your supervisor can verify the hours, AND the hours are appropriate direct service or member development, then those hours CAN be counted. In addition, some members may have more than one service site. Please remember that you may be required to submit a different Site Agreement form for each site at which you serve - check with your Campus Coordinator or the Program
Manager. to top »
Why should I put my loans in forbearance?
In the event that you have qualified loans that are currently accumulating interest*, the Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS) will pay part of the interest accrued during your term of service. Placing your loans in forbearance notifies CNCS of your current loans. If you don't put your loans in forbearance at the beginning of your term, and they are not already in forbearance or deferment status, you will NOT be eligible to have CNCS partially pay the accrued interest at the end of your term.
*Being an "active" student generally means that your loans are not accruing interest. to top »
What is the Interest Accrual Benefit Request?
If you have qualified loans that were accruing interest during your term, you'll complete an Interest Accrual Benefit Request (online at My AmeriCorps) at the end of your service to notify CNCS that you have finished your term. CNCS will then calculate the percentage of accrued interest to be paid, and pay your lending institution directly. To verify payment, you'll need to contact CNCS and your lending institution directly. to top »
What is "civic engagement"?
Civic engagement is essential to a democratic society. It includes, but is not limited to, participation in activities such as volunteerism, academic service-learning, community service, canvassing for a cause or candidate, voting and encouraging others to vote, involvement in public affairs or holding a public office, sharing knowledge and working with others, and being a good neighbor both personally and professionally. The Montana Campus Compact is committed to helping students develop the values and skills of citizenship through civic engagement and participation in public service. to top »
What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a teaching method that combines genuine community service with rigorous academic learning as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. Service-learning programs involve students in organized community service that addresses local needs while developing students' academic skills, sense of civic responsibility, and commitment to the community. Campus Corps promotes service-learning as a teaching method that builds citizenship skills in students. to top »
