COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) GUIDELINES

The Community Involvement Program (CIP) is the rubric under which students can earn academic credit in selected departments for their volunteer community service work. CIP is intended to assist students in clarifying career and/or academic interests by exploring a variety of work settings.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

• Students may enroll in CIP on a Credit/No Credit basis only.
• Students may enroll in CIP for a maximum of four units in any one semester.
• A maximum of six units of credit may be applied towards graduation.
• Under most circumstances, CIP volunteer placements will be off campus.
• Assignments shall involve direct contact with and meaningful service to people within the community.
• Clerical, construction, and maintenance work is not acceptable for university CIP credit.
• The placement is strictly volunteer. That is, students may not receive monetary compensation for work that leads to CIP academic credit.

 II. ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

1.  A minimum of thirty hours per unit of credit is required during the semester in the actual working situation (one unit equals 30 hours, which averages 2 hours per week over the entire semester).
2. Students must participate in departmental CIP seminars. CIP Faculty Advisors assign times and places for these meetings. Check with the credit-granting academic department.
3. CIP Faculty Advisors will require a final paper as part of the academic component of the volunteer work for credit. Check with CIP Faculty Advisors for requirements of the final paper and record keeping of volunteer time.

 III. ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES

Locate a volunteer position of interest by utilizing the volunteer Binders and other resources located in the Career Services (Salazar 1070), by consulting CIP Faculty Advisor;s, or by directly contacting any social service non-profit agency, educational institution, or government agency to create individualized volunteer placements.

Meet with the CIP Faculty Advisor in the Sponsoring department to discuss the implications of volunteer community service for individual academic and career plans and pick up the Volunteer Agreement Form.

Take the Volunteer Agreement Form to the organization, work out the contractual agreement for volunteer services at the site, and obtain the site supervisor's signature.

Take the signed Volunteer Agreement Form to CIP Faculty Advisors with all copies intact. Work out with the advisor the academic portion of the CIP, the basis upon which the grade will be assigned, the number of times to meet with the advisor and when and where those meetings will occur. Secure the signatures of the CIP Faculty Advisor, the Department Chair, and the School Dean.

Submit the completed Volunteer Agreement Form with all signatures to Admissions and Records and register for CIP units under the appropriate academic department during the Add/Drop period.

 Sonoma State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Educational Institution.

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