Thanks to all students who have reported their service hours this semester! As we reach the end of the semester, OSL has a few reminders and updates for you:
- Individual and organization prizes will be announced over the semester break. Prizes are listed below.
- Many students continue to report service hours at the Potsdam Humane Society without having signed-in or out with their staff. You MUST sign-in and sign-out in order for the PHS to verify your hours!
- New this week: A sign with a QR code is on display at the PHS. Use your phone’s camera to scan the QR code which will take you to a Google Form. Fill out your name and ID number on this form upon arriving for service in order to sign-in and again upon your departure in order to sign-out. This will be used to verify your hours. The QR code and link to the form will be updated often to ensure honesty and accuracy in reporting.
- Hours will continue to be reviewed, approved, or denied with explanation until Friday, 12/7 at 3 p.m. However, you must leave enough time for your verification point of contact to respond to us. Your verification point of contact may need days or longer in order to verify your hours and respond to us. Providing both a phone number and an email address is helpful to us in getting your hours approved quickly.
- Just today, it came to our attention that some students are approving their own service hours, or the service hours of their own organization. Service hours require verification in order to be approved, which the Office of Student Life undertakes. All self-approved hours from Fall 2018 will be deleted. You may resubmit your hours that were self-approved this week and we will reach out to your verification points of contact to confirm and approve them.
- Many service hours are being submitted incorrectly. Be sure to review our guidelines in order to report hours correctly. The mistakes students make most often are:
- Problems with verification point of contact: Contact is not listed, is an invalid number or email, is a Clarkson student and not an advisor or staff member/organizer at the organization where the service was performed, or the point of contact does not respond to repeated requests for verification within two weeks.
- Service reported is not actually service: “Raising awareness,” tabling, and performing services for Clarkson, Clarksonevents, or Clarkson students does not qualify as community service. See our full list of guidelines for what qualifies here.
- Service reported is vague or not quantified: Service must list the outcomes or impact, for example, $X raised or # items donated, # of people served, etc.
Community Service Award Prizes
Organizations
1st place: $50 plus $100 to the charity of your choice
2nd place: $25 plus $50 to the charity of your choice
3rd place: $15 plus $30 to the charity of your choice
Individuals
1st place: $25 plus $50 to the charity of your choice
2nd place: $15 plus $30 to the charity of your choice
3rd place: $10 plus $20 to the charity of your choice
OSL strongly encourages students and student organizations to report their community service hours in Knight Life. The University relies on this important data when conducting annual reports, such as STARS. Thank you for your continued efforts to serve the community!