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a.
Mission Statement………………...…………….. 3 b.
Committee Structure………………...………….. 3 c.
Trip Requirements…………………...…….……. 4 d.
Participant Requirements…………..……….…... 5 e.
Emergency Contacts for Trip Leaders………….. 8 f.
Financial Policies………….…….….…………… 8
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A. Mission Statement
The mission of the Students Engaged in Rewarding Volunteer Experiences (SERVE)
Program is to empower members of the Saint Leo University community to engage in mission/service trips. These trips are designed to promote living our Benedictine core values of community, respect, integrity, personal development, excellence and responsible stewardship through service to those in need.
B. Committee Structure
1. The SERVE Committee is a committee of the President of Saint Leo University.
Originally formed in April of 2006, the SERVE Committee was entrusted by Dr.
Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. with the task of increasing overall student participation in alternative spring break trips and to maximize the results of these trips. The committee approached this task by working to increase student involvement in the planning and organizing of trips.
2. SERVE Committee members are to be appointed by the President of Saint Leo
University to the following Committee roles:
Weekly Committee:
A.
1 student to serve as Program Director
B.
1 student to serve as Assistant Program Director
C.
1 student to serve as Finance Director
D.
1 faculty/staff representative to serve as Committee Chair
E.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves as a Faculty Advisor Liaison
F.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves at the Director of Values, Service &
Leadership
G.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves as the Director of Risk Management
H.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves at the Director of Finance
I.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves at the international relations coordinator
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Sub Committee:
A.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves at the Spiritual Director
B.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves at the Director of Media/
Communications
C.
1 faculty/staff representative who serves at the Local Community Service
Coordinator
3. Only those appointed by Dr. Kirk are allowed to sit on the Committee
4. Committee meetings are required when called upon by program director
5. Committee member may send a designee in their place if they the unable to attend the meeting
6. During the spring semester, any outgoing member will have their incoming replacement shadow them. Shadows will have opportunity to participate, but will not have voting right.
7. The last committee meeting of the spring semester will serve as the transition period as the old and new committee members.
C. Trip Requirements
1. Students, faculty and staff who wish to lead a trip must submit a Trip Proposal
(Appendix) and a Budget (Appendix) to the SERVE committee a. The Trip Proposal must demonstrate: 1) that the student, faculty, or staff member have competence and experience; 2) faculty and/or staff must possess competent travel experience if the trip is international b. The SERVE committee will examine and approve the trip, trip leaders, and advisors by a 2/3 rd committee vote c. The risk management and international affairs office must be notified about domestic and international trips
2.
Once the trip is approved, trips are bound by the following guidelines: a.
Formal recruitment of participants begins following approval b.
It is recommended that SERVE trips recruit no less than 7 participants
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c.
Domestic trips with groups of 8 or more students must have at least 2 faculty or staff members i.
At least 1 needs to be a full time employee of Saint Leo University d.
All international trips must include at least 2 faculty/staff members i.
At least 1 needs to be a full time employee of Saint Leo University e.
Spring break trips may depart as early as Thursday before the beginning of spring break and must return by Saturday before classes resume f.
SERVE trips are permitted at any break period during the calendar year but must return at least 24 hours prior the resumption of classes g.
SERVE trips must not interfere with examination dates and schedules
D. Participant Requirements
1. Eligible participants include any faculty, staff, and students of Saint Leo
University.
2. Alumni may participate with the permission of the SERVE committee and only if sufficient space is available and their attendance does not prevent a student from participating. Alumni are personally responsible for 100% of the cost of their trip.
3. Student trip participants are selected by filling out a Student Application form and by completing an interview, with the trip leader’s discretion, conducted by the trip leaders and overseen by the SERVE Committee. a. Completed applications must be submitted by the deadline through the designated format b. All participants (students, leader, trip advisors) are required to attend one of the scheduled workshops before the designated deadline i. No applicant is guaranteed a spot on any trip. Limits on trip sizes may result in some applicants not obtaining a spot. ii. Applications submitted after the due date may be considered, but this remains up to the discretion of the SERVE committee iii. Once the due date for applications has passed, applications will be distributed to trip leaders based on the applicant’s indicated trip interests.
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4. The duties of Trip Leaders are as follows: a. Trip leaders are expected to review all policies and procedures found in the
SERVE manual prior to committing to lead a trip b. Trip leaders are required to attend designated workshops offered by the SERVE committee c. SERVE trips are student organized and trip leaders have the primary responsibility for the planning, organization and running of the trip d. Trip leaders are responsible for setting up regularly communication and/or meetings with faculty/staff advisors and participants e. All trip leaders are to be in contact with the Assistant Program Director each month to provide updates and ask any questions that arise in the planning and organization process of the trips. f. Trip leaders need to fill out appropriate forms, and submit them to the SERVE chairs by the assigned deadlines. g. Trip leaders must hold interviews for applicants prior to the selection process of participants. i. All efforts will be made to create and conduct an unbiased interview h. Trips leaders are expected to lead participants through the SERVE daily reflections i. Trip leaders are responsible for keeping in contact with the advisor throughout the planning and organizing process of a SERVE trip
5. The duties of Faculty/Staff advisors are as follows: a. Faculty/staff advisors are expected to review all policies and procedures found in the SERVE manual prior to committing to advise a trip b. SERVE trips are student-organized and the role of faculty/staff advisor is to advise and provide input during the planning, organizing and running of the trip c. SERVE advisors should work with the trip leaders to organize pre-trip planning meetings
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d. SERVE advisors should ensure that everyone obeys the laws here or in the country where the trip is held e. Advisors should ensure that everyone adheres to Saint Leo’s Core Values f. SERVE advisors have final authority concerning dangerous and destructive behavior by participants should these arise g . SERVE trip advisors are responsible for contacting the SERVE Chair
Committee member concerning questionable or controversial issues or situations that arise at the planning and organizing phases of any SERVE trip and remain responsible for the protection of the students and other participating members of Saint Leo University h. Any unresolved issue that arises during the planning, organizing and implementation phases of any trip should be reported to the SERVE committee in a prompt manner i. Should any substantial issue pertaining to safety and security of participants remain unresolved, the SERVE committee chairs have authority to cancel the trip
5. All students, faculty, and staff are required to fulfill certain logistical requirements for reasons of general safety and liability. If the participant fails to do so s/he forfeits his/her right to take part in that SERVE trip and will not be refunded any amount put forth toward his/her trip. a.
When applying for any international trip, participants must provide proof of passport/visa or proof that s/he has applied for a passport/visa. The passport/visa should be at least one year from the expiry date. Proof should be attached to the application in the form of a photocopied passport/visa or receipt of purchase of a passport. b.
After being accepted onto a trip each participant must sign the Alcohol Wavier, Financial Contract, Hold Harmless
Agreement, Emergency Contact Form, and AON form
(Appendix). These can be obtained online or by request
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from the Program Director. Once forms are properly filled out, forms will be turned into committee chair for review and approval, and storage c.
Proof of Travel insurance must be submitted to the
SERVE committee chairs, no later than 2 weeks prior to the trip for final approval by the office of risk management d.
Risk Management System – All participants must complete the AON’s WorldAware risk management forms.
Information can be obtained from the SERVE committee, and the Risk Management office.
E. Emergency Contacts for Trip Leaders
1. In the event of an emergency on a SERVE trip, trip leaders, all faculty and staff are required to have the following information on person during the trip: a. For both international and domestic trips the leader should call campus security at the emergency line (352-588-8333) and ask to speak with the oncall secondary professional staff. Additionally, trip leaders must contact AON
WorldAware who will independently contact University Risk Management to respond.
b.
International trip leaders, in addition to contacting WorldAware and campus security, should locate the nearest in-country United States’ Embassy as well as national embassies of any non U.S. students traveling with his/her group.
Trip leaders must have all relevant contact names, phone numbers and addresses prior to departure.
i. Prior to departure for all international trips, leaders and advisors must have the address of the local Embassy in relation to their location
F. Financial Policies
1. Participants will not be refunded for any amount of the trip except under extraordinary circumstances brought to the attention of the SERVE committee a. . Legally Saint Leo University cannot refund any monetary gifts.
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b.. If the SERVE Committee approves the request to for a refund, 25 percent will not be refunded.
2. Participants are required to pay a 25 percent deposit of personal or raised funds a.
For SERVE trips this deposit is due in accordance with the timeline established for SERVE trips. This 25 percent deposit will be matched by the
University, for the student participants only. The remaining 50 percent of the trip balance is the responsibility of the participant. S/he can choose to pay this amount out of pocket or through fundraising. i. Participants who join after a deposit day must submit the overdue deposits no later than one week after they join the trip. ii. After the second payment has been made, no one else may join the trip
3. Another source of funding comes from Student Government Union (SGU). Since
2005, SGU has made an annual contribution of $5,000 to help support alternative spring break mission/service trips. This contribution is divided among trip participants based on a weighted average that takes into account the total budget of each trip as a percentage of the whole program’s budget. This contribution is not guaranteed to be renewed each year. The SERVE Student Program Director should meet with the Director of Student Involvement and the SGU Executive
Board to secure this donation each year.
4. Each participant is required to sign a Financial Contract (Appendix) thus acknowledging s/he understands his/her financial responsibilities to the trips.
Failure to sign this agreement may result in the participant being prohibited from participating on the trip. a. Trip Leaders are expected to contact the SERVE committee chairs if they need assistance in collecting payments from participants. b. Financial deadlines are to be strictly adhered to. Those participants or trip leaders not following the preset deadlines are at risk of being removed from the trip with no refund. c. SERVE reserves the right to cancel a trip if the 25 percent contribution requirement is not met. This decision will be made no later than 1 month prior to the trip. In the event of this type of cancellation, all possible
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accommodations will be made for students who have covered up to 80 percent of their trip cost and wish to participate on another trip, provided space is available
6.
The SERVE Committee maintains the right to refuse a student participation in the
SERVE Trip if the payments are not paid a.
The SERVE Committee holds the right to turn over students with outstanding balances to Saint Leo University’s Accounts Receivable department for collection. b.
If a check does not clear, the participant will be responsible for the full amount of the check as well as any fees that the University incurs as a result. c.
If a participant chooses not to participate on a trip or is prohibited from participating s/he is still responsible for the sunk costs associated with their participation (such as airline tickets) d.
The SERVE Financial Director, will submit a list of delinquent participant accounts to the SERVE committee chairs to be kept on record. Any participant not fulfilling his/her financial obligations will be prohibited from participating in future SERVE Trips unless s/he agrees to pay his/her previous balance and pay in full the cost of the trip for which s/he is applying.
7. Each student is encouraged to participate in fundraising activities.
a. One major fundraising activity is provided by the SERVE program. Each participant is provided copies of a fundraising letter to be sent to whomever the participant chooses.
8.
Trip leaders are given the authority to negotiate with vendors for lodging, meals and transportation. Once an agreement has been made on pricing, a student trip leader must contact the SERVE Financial Director to set up invoicing and payment. a.
Request for reimbursement is to be submitted within thirty days of the issue of the receipt. A Travel Reimbursement Form (Appendix) must be completed.
This form can also be located by a University Staff Member. For a list of acceptable and unacceptable items which can be purchased please see the
University’s Travel Reimbursement Policy located on the intranet in
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DataMart. If a student is seeking this information, it can be obtained through a faculty/staff member of the SERVE Committee. b.
To take out a cash advance, the faculty/staff advisor should submit an email to the SERVE Financial Director requesting a cash advance which specifics the amount of cash advanced needed. This MUST be done at least 30 days prior to departure date. The SERVE Financial Director will be in charge of seeking this approval.
9.
If a trip is over budgeted, the trip leader may submit to the finical director a proposal to donate the additional funds to a non-profit organization of their choice.
Once the Financial Director is satisfied with the request, s/he will have it signed by the Co-Chairs of the SERVE Program and submitted for payment.
10.
Trip leaders may fill out the SERVE Airline Ticket Proposal as soon as flights are listed but no later than 3 months prior to trip departure. a.
Trips leaders must submit an Airline ticket proposal, with attached airline itinerary, no later than 3 months prior to departure date b.
For trips requiring air travel, the SERVE Program authorizes airline ticket purchases to be paid in full under the following conditions only: i. Airline tickets will be purchased by the SERVE committee after the trip participants have paid their second deposit ii. Each participant needs to provide proof of a Passport/visa iii. Passport/visa must be at least one year from the expiration date. iv. All information regarding passport/visas must be submitted the trip leader for inclusion in the airline proposal
11.
Budgets for SERVE Spring Break Trips are to be submitted in accordance with the timeline set out by SERVE. a.
A budget for each trip shall be submitted in compliance to the deadline that is set by the SERVE Committee on the yearly timeline b.
Budgets for Spring Break Trips should be based on costs associated with 12 participants.
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c.
SERVE Trip Leaders are expected to work with trip faculty/staff advisors and to meet with the SERVE Financial Director for any help with initial budget planning for SERVE trips
12.
Near the end of each fiscal year the SERVE Account is to be swept to $5,000. The excess of $5,000 is to be transferred to the SERVE Quasi-Endowment. a. The SERVE Quasi-Endowment is a sum of money put forth by SERVE to be invested with the University’s total endowment. b. As a result of investment, the quasi-endowment creates income for the
SERVE program in the form of interest. The principal should not be removed from the fund; only the interest can be used. c.
This stipend will be applied toward the trip costs of each Student Trip Leader and Student SERVE Officer by using a weighted average. If enough interest has accrued that 5% covers all of the student leader out-of-pocket costs and there is still excess, then the remaining amount may be used toward whatever areas the committee deems necessary. d.
Upon return from a trip, the trip leader is required to submit a reconciled budget. A reconciled budget reflects the true costs that were associated with the trip. For example, the original budget was for $300.00 in gas, but the trip really spent $375.00 in gas, then the budget should be updated to incorporate the additional $75.00 expense.
13. Annually, a written report must be compiled by SERVE committee chairs which includes all the trips, participant numbers, ongoing SERVE updates, and highlights from the fiscal year.
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