Buck-I-SERV
The Alternative Break Program at Ohio State
Winter Break: December 13-December 20, 2012
Faculty/Staff/Graduate Advisor Overview and Role Description
Buck-I-SERV Overview:
The Ohio Union, through Student Activity Fee funding, will be sponsoring seventeen (17)
Buck-I-Serv trips during winter break. The locations for the trips are all listed below and
online at buckiserv.osu.edu Participants on each trip will work with a different social justice
issue including, affordable housing, education, international poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc. All
participants will travel via a 12-passenger van, unless otherwise noted, and will lodge at a
Youth Hostel, church, hotel or other volunteer center.
Buck-I-SERV Mission and Goals:
Buck-I-Serv is a weeklong, substance-free program centered on community service and civic
engagement, and held during the university’s breaks. The mission of Buck-I-Serv is to
provide students with a challenging and fun opportunity to lead and learn through direct
service experiences. Students will learn the importance of reflection, social justice, and civic
engagement while gaining new perspectives through working in diverse environments.
They will also be meeting community needs, building on community assets, and bringing
their experiences back to campus. Students will also be able to create new and lasting
friendships.
Advisor Role Description:
Faculty/Staff/Graduate Advisors will serve as a university representative on all Buck-ISERV trips sponsored by the Student Activity Fee and planned by the Ohio Union.
Advisors should be knowledgeable about all aspects of the trip, assist the Student Trip
Leaders as needed, and encourage student participants to connect their service to academic
topics related to their projects and/or host cities.
It is our hope that each trip will have the opportunity to interact with the Alumni Club in the
city where your trip is located. It is the role of the advisor to coordinate this experience for
your trip.
Student Trip Leaders will arrange and facilitate the majority of the trip components. We will
make every attempt to match Advisors with a city or social issue related to their work or
interests.
No previous experience with Buck-I-Serv is necessary to participate as an Advisor.
Advisor Expectations:
 Attend initial advisor/leaders expectation meeting
 Attend participant Kick-Off meeting during fall semester
 Coordinate meeting between trip participants and the Alumni Club in the service city
 Attend group trainings (when available) during fall semester to encourage teambuilding
and understand all trip logistics and expectations. Minimum of 3 meetings.
 Attend Buck-I-SERV trip with student leaders and student participants.
 Participate in all service and reflection experiences during the trip.
 Take advantage of the opportunity to contribute an educational piece to trip—either
during the trip, or before the trip during training.
 Serve as a resource and support, not a co-leader, for the Student Trip Leaders.
 Attend the update meeting with the Ohio Union Staff during fall semester.
 Be open to participating in the full Buck-I-SERV experience, including “roughing it” with
regards to accommodations, meals, and travel.
 In order to remain a resource for your students and create proper boundaries for you to
advise in the future, we ask that you maintain a professional relationship with your
students upon returning from your trip
 Report trip expenses
Faculty/Staff Advisor Benefits:
 Opportunity to participate in extended community service experience
 Interact in a small group with students from a variety of college departments and
interest areas across campus.
 Trip expenses for transportation, lodging, and $210 toward meals provided
 Opportunity to share personal expertise or research interest with group of students in
real-life setting.
Dates
 Winter Break advisor/leaders expectation meeting (Sunday, September 16th, 12-2pm)
 Winter ALL Participant Meeting (TBD)
 Minimum of three (3) Pre-Trip Group Meetings/Service (Determined by Group)
 Pre-departure Meeting (Sunday, December 2nd, 5-7pm)
 Winter Break Gala (Friday, January 11th, 6-8pm)
 Two advisor update meetings may be scheduled for Advisors to meet as a group, or with
Ohio Union planning staff if needed. Determined by advisors selected.
To apply to serve as an advisor for a Buck-I-SERV Trip through the Ohio Union, please
complete the form below.
Please return forms in hard copy or electronically by Friday, September 14, 2012.
Completed forms may be emailed to barwari.3@osu.edu or returned to Ohio Union Admin. Suite.
Buck-I-Serv
Faculty/Staff Advisor Application
Please fill out forms by Friday, September 14th, 2012. Thank you for your interest in serving as an Advisor for Buck-I-Serv! No
previous experience with Buck-I-Serv is necessary to participate as an Advisor.
Please review the “Advisor Overview, Expectations and Role Description” for more information about Buck-I-Serv and the
responsibilities of an Advisor. Also please visit buckiserv.osu.edu for more information.
CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME: ______________________________________________________
TITLE: ______________________________________________________
DEPARTMENT/COLLEGE/UNIT: _________________________________
T-Shirt Size: _________EMAIL:___________________________________
PHONE: _____________________________________________________
CAMPUS ADDRESS: ___________________________________________
By signing this form I understand and agree to uphold the expectations of serving as an advisor for Buck-I-Serv.
Signature:_______________________________________
Date:_________________
Are you willing to help drive a 12-passenger van to and from the service city and project site? Drivers must be 21+ Years of age.
YES
NO
Please submit a brief response to the following questions (please attach an additional sheet if necessary):
1.
Why are you interested in serving as a Buck-I-Serv Trip Advisor?
2.
What will you contribute to the trip (academic component, personal interest, relevant research, experience in the community,
etc)?
Please give a brief explanation of your ranking order of the trips.
If you have served as an advisor in the past please describe the impact of the experience and explain how, if at all, you would
alter your advising style if selected to serve as an advisor during winter break 2012.
3.
4.
Advisors are required to attend weekly group meetings in addition to the following events. Please indicate your availability during
the following dates:
Program kickoff event: Sunday, October 7th, 6-8pm:
YES
NO
Pre-Departure Meeting: Sunday, December 2nd, 5-7pm: YES
NO
Winter Break Gala, Friday, Jan 11th, 6-8pm:
NO
YES
TRIP INFORMATION
Please rank your trip preferences below (please rank with 1 being your first preference). We will do our best to match you with your
first preferences. You do not need to rank all choices but we recommend ranking ANY that you would be willing to advise. We do try
to place advisors within their top choices; however, please understand you may be placed at any site you rank based on need. Note:
Only 16 trips appear below, as one trip will be traveling to Cape Town, South Africa and the trip advisor has already been
determined.
____Camp Baker http://www.richmondarc.org/Home/Learn/Services/CampBaker.aspx Richmond, VA: Camp Baker is a service of
The Greater Richmond Arc which provides services to individuals with development disabilities. Camp Baker is a retreat facility for
children from age 6 to adults. The camp provides various programs that are designed to help decrease stress of caregivers. Students
will be doing activities with adults in the day support program as well as with kids in the after school program in addition to
decorating the camp for the holidays. Housing: Camp.
____Camp Heartland (www.campheartland.org) Willow River, MN: is a camp for children living with HIV/AIDS. Past groups have
carved signs, painted, and done projects to improve the grounds for the children before the summer. This trip has consistently
received amazing feedback about the staff you get to work with and the knowledge you gain about HIV/AIDS. Many participants go
back to the camp during the summer as counselors because their experience is so impactful! Additionally, this spring we will be
joined by a group of 10 students from the University of Nebraska as part of a new movement to increase collaboration and foster a
sense of Big Ten pride through service. There are no children present during winter break. Meals/Housing: Provided by Camp
Heartland
____Crossroads Greenville, SC: Crossroads programs facilitate emotional healing and growth, physical health, basic education,
restorative independent living skills, social recreational functioning and vocational pursuit. For those served who are emotionally
handicapped, the emphasis is on the restorative and/or establishment of competence. Services are offered to promote integration of
children and families, when possible, into their communities in as normal a way as possible. We also strive to promote skill
development, use of leisure time, community socialization and personal development. We strive to provide excellence and leadership
in human service, to build its capacities and the capacities of others to enhance and promote nurturance and humane behavior
toward all living things. The integration of children and animals is paramount. The facility offers year-round residential programs to
young women from all over the state of South Carolina. The program provides services within a health oriented, total therapeutic
milieu which aim at benefiting those served to achieve their optimal level of functioning.
____Food and Friends (http://www.foodandfriends.org/site/pp.asp?c=ggLMIYOGKrF&b=3747191) Washington, D.C : At this
Washington, DC food pantry, volunteers assist in packaging food and making deliveries the hours of this service are from 9AM-12.
The rest of the service will be done at the Pilgrimage homeless shelter where volunteers will be serving food and assisting in
activities the shelter puts on. Volunteers will also be staying at the shelter.
____ Furkids (http://www.furkids.org) Atlanta, GA: Calling all cat lovers! This site focuses around working with rescued cats. This
will be a 9-5 volunteering experience, the jobs and tasks range from cleaning, feeding, and playing with the cats.
____God’s Love We Deliver https://www.glwd.org/ New York, NY: The mission of God's Love We Deliver is to improve the health
and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and
malnutrition. Volunteers prepare and deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to
provide or prepare meals for themselves. God’s Love also provides illness-specific nutrition education and counseling to our clients,
families, care providers and other service organizations. All of services are provided free of charge without regard to income.
____Greater Boston Food Bank (http://gbfb.org/) Boston, MA: Volunteers will inspect, sort and repack donated grocery products
that are then distributed to hunger relief agencies. All volunteers are trained in food safety at the beginning of the shift. Volunteers
work together as a team on an assembly line, and may be working alongside other groups. Some volunteers load boxes onto conveyer
belts, other volunteers inspect products, others sort products, and others check and label boxes. A few of these assignments require
the ability to lift a box of about 30 pounds, but the majority of positions simply require that a volunteer can stand and inspect
products for a few hours.
____Guadalupe Center (http://www.guadalupecenter.net) Immokalee, FL - Housing: Immokalee Friendship House Housing Note:
You will be staying in a homeless shelter. This trip is designed for those who wish to immerse themselves into the issue being
addressed at the service site. In a community where 40 percent of the people live below the poverty level, the Guadalupe Center is
dedicated to serving the disadvantaged poor of Immokalee. The center has been running for more than 25 years and it includes a
soup kitchen, clothing center, shower center, and an after school program for children. At this site volunteers will be reorganizing the
clothing pantry, performing general upkeep of the center, working in the kitchen, and possibly serving food during the morning.
Volunteers will also have the opportunity to help take care of toddlers and infants in the Guadalupe Center’s daycare program and
serve in the after school program. Dinners are provided.
____Habitat for Humanity- Birmingham, AL: NOTE: This is a 50 person trip. Habitat for Humanity International listed Habitat
Birmingham as 6th ranked out of over 1500 other affiliates in the US. Birmingham HFH builds quality, affordable housing and
revitalizes existing houses that encourages family stability and promotes self-sufficiency, educational achievement and responsible
citizenship. This organization receives more than 3,200 requests for housing assistance each year. This particular HFH completes a
minimum of 40-45 new houses each year; to date more than 350 homes to date. They have also sponsored almost 100 families
internationally through our tithe program.
____Habitat for Humanity- Johns Island, SC: There are more than 100 million homeless people globally. Habitat for Humanity has
provided safe and affordable shelter to over 1.75 million people. Sea Island Habitat for Humanity has built 275 homes since 1978.
They need your help! Check out their website for more information.
____Habitat for Humanity- Gulf Coast, Mississippi : Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has completed more than
400 homes or under construction in many communities, including Biloxi, D’Iberville, Gautier, Gulfport, Long Beach, Moss Point,
Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Pass Christian, Saucier and St. Martin. They welcome all volunteers with different skill levels. Volunteers
do not need to know any construction knowledge. Volunteers will work on the rehab of homes in Harrison and Jackson & Stone
counties.
____Habitat for Humanity- Pensacola, FL: Established in 1981, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity remains the only organization in
the area that offers homeownership to low-income families. It is committed to the elimination of poverty housing in Escambia and
Santa Rosa counties through the construction of decent, affordable homes using volunteer labor, as well as donated land, materials,
and funds. Pensacola is located in the Florida Panhandle on the Gulf of Mexico, and offers some of the best beaches in the United
States. Enjoy working hard on home construction and spending your time off on the white sandy beaches. There will be plenty to do,
as this affiliate has built over 900 homes since its inception, with 106 homes completed in 2011. Make a difference through your
volunteer work while also enjoying the beautiful Florida environment at this Habitat for Humanity affiliate
____Once Upon A Time in Appalachia (http://www.onceuponatimebreakaway.com/) Maryville, TN: Volunteers will be working to
assist both the Cherokee people and the environment while challenging themselves mentally and physically. This amazing trip will
give volunteers an inside perspective on Native Americans and is set between the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and
Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee. Come join Ed and Arlene and see what it feels like to be a part of their family; this is a
trip you will not forget!
____Operation Breakthrough (www.OperationBreakthrough.org) Kansas City, MO: Operation Breakthrough is a community center
in the heart of Kansas City that serves children 8 months to 18 years old and their parents. Through education and programs like
daycare, a food pantry, dress for success and music therapy, the center works relentlessly to improve the lives of local families, many
of whom live beneath the poverty level. Volunteers work primarily with children and teachers in the classroom in the morning, while
helping maintain the center in the afternoon while the students nap. Please be prepared that as part of this trip you are required to
have a tetanus shot and a doctor signature stating you are healthy. These are both required to work with children in the afterschool
program. Housing: Church
____Pinellas County Sea Grant St. Petersburg, FL: Students will learn in the classroom and in the outdoors about coastal and marine
ecosystems of Florida, responsible environmental stewardship, and hands on Fishing Skills. In turn, students will help with
environmental restoration projects and community outreach. This year we are adding a brand new component- OSU students will
help to teach a fishing clinic to local underprivileged children! No experience is necessary. All training will be provided. Much of the
work will be outdoors in Florida. December in Florida can vary a great deal. Temperatures can range from 50s to upper 70s during
the day. Students will use hand tools to remove exotic plants, canoes to perform a coastal cleanup. If the weather cooperates, we will
take a boat to one of our island preserves to work on exotic plant removal and trash pickup. There is also an option to camp
overnight on the island, weather depending. You will definitely get dirty, you will absolutely work hard, there is no doubt that you
will have tons of fun and feel immense rewards from the work that you accomplish!
____Project Lazarus (http://www.projectlazarus.net/) New Orleans, LA: Project Lazarus was founded out of compassion and service
to all people. Project Lazarus provides services to people with AIDS who can no longer live independently, or whose family can no
longer take care of them. The primary purpose of Project Lazarus is to provide continuity of care in a homelike environment and to
enhance the quality of life of those it serves. Volunteers will be working closely with the residents of Project Lazarus to create a fun
filled week of activities.
Questions? Please contact: Vian Barwari at barwari.3@osu.edu
Please return forms in hard copy or electronically by Friday, Sept 14th, 2012.
Completed forms may be emailed to barwari.3@osu.edu or returned to the Ohio Union Admin. Suite