Service Hours

• All community service hours must be submitted for approval on GivePulse. Each GivePulse Impact/Timesheet submission must include a description with the service performed and the email or phone number of a verification contact.
• You cannot count time spent on activities for which you received compensation as community service hours. Compensation does not include:
  • Travel stipends
  • Transit/parking passes
  • Membership passes
  • Expense reimbursements
  • Meals 
  • T-shirts
  • Other nominal volunteer supports/aids
• If you are unsure of whether or not your activity counts as service, please email huskyhelpers@mtu.edu. Although there is room for discussion, the decision to either count or not count hours ultimately rests with Student Leadership and Involvement.
• Activities that generally do not count as community service include:
  
  • Philanthropy (exceptions listed under Philanthropy)
  • Student club/organization activities that only serve the club
  • Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
  • Religious instruction
  • Conducting worship service
  • Proselytizing
  • Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
  • Serving only family members
  • Time spent traveling to and from a service location
  • Projects completed with any for-profit organization/business, even if the work was unpaid
  • Self-directed “projects” without the oversight of a supporting community organization  such as trash pick-up or recycling, tutoring, yard work, snow shoveling, baby-sitting/pet-sitting for private individuals, etc.
    • Oversight can be provided through SLI for specific projects that support a community member in need if requested in advance. Email us at huskyhelpers@mtu.edu to inquire and register your project.
  • Participation in self-improvement workshops, clinics, conferences, new member orientation, or conventions
  • Participating in a research project either as a participant or a researcher

General

• On-campus service is service that directly benefits Michigan Tech or is physically conducted on Michigan Tech’s campus.
• Examples of on-campus service include but are not limited to:
• Supporting an admissions event (Preview Day, Open House, student panel, etc), if it’s not part of a work responsibility
• Volunteering at Move-In, K-Day, Career Closet, Homecoming, Winter Carnival, etc. to support the overall functioning of the event
• Ushering at the Rozsa for a performance

Student Organizations

• Time spent on activities that only benefit the membership of an organization cannot be counted as community service hours. Examples include but are not limited to:
• Attending/leading any meetings
• Preparing materials such as agendas or fliers
• Marketing for your organization, including working its K-Day booth
• Time spent on activities that benefit a wider population can be counted as community service hours. Examples include but are not limited to:
• Hosting an event that is open to all of campus and/or the community
• Performing an off-campus group service project
• Creating/promoting educational materials that address a humanitarian issue

General

• Off-campus service is service that benefits entities other than the Michigan Tech community such as non-profit organizations, local schools, community members, etc.
• Examples of off-campus service include but are not limited to:
• Serving as a reading buddy at an elementary school
• Working at a food bank
• Visiting the elderly members of a nursing home
• Building a house with Habitat for Humanity
• Off-campus service is not limited to the Keweenaw community. Service hours can be completed all across the country and even internationally.

Religious Organizations

• Time spent on activities that only benefit the membership of a religious organization cannot be counted as community service hours. Examples include but are not limited to:
• Religious instruction
• Conducting worship service
• Proselytizing
• Creating religious materials
• Fundraising for a religious organization
• Time spent serving with a religious organization on activities that benefit a wider population can be counted as service hours (ex. serving dinner to hungry members of the community through your church).

Summer Camps

• Unpaid hours completed while working for a summer camp can be counted as community service. Time spent sleeping, eating, showering, etc cannot be included.
• Summer camps are held to the same stipulations as other religious organization activities  as outlined above.

Service Trips

• Service trips, such as mission trips, Mindtrekkers, alternative spring breaks, etc. can be counted for service for the hours that you are performing direct service.
• Time spent on travel, meals, sleep, exploration, cultural immersion, etc. does not count as service hours.
• Mission trips are held to the same stipulations as other religious organization activities  as outlined above.

• Donating or attempting to donate blood counts as one community service hour.
• Donating Power Red counts as two community service hours.
• Assisting with the functioning or marketing of a blood drive can be counted as community service.

• 1/3 of all “on-call” hours can be counted as service hours
  • For example, 72 on-call hours counts as 24 service hours
• Time spent actively on-site as a stand-by provider, responding to a call, or providing direct service can be completely counted
• Examples of on-call service include EMS, Ski Patrol, etc.
• On-call time as part of a compensated work position does not qualify

• Philanthropy is the act of donating or raising money and differs from community service. In order to earn community service hours, a student must give time rather than funds.
• Participating in or attending a philanthropy event does not count as service. Examples of what cannot be counted are:
• A charity run/walk
• Relay for Life
• Philanthropy events hosted by a fraternity or sorority
• Purchasing a T-shirt
• With advance approval from SLI, time spent planning/organizing a philanthropy event can be counted as community service hours. Students wishing to receive community service hours under this exception must include a detailed description of all activities completed and the amount of time spent on each activity.

• Time spent promoting or campaigning for a political candidate/party/ideal cannot be counted as community service hours.
• Non-partisan voter registration drives can be counted as community service.

• Service hours that are completed outside of the classroom in conjunction with a service-learning course may count as community service.
• Unpaid internships completed at a 501(c)(3) can be counted as community service, even if they are a required component of a student’s coursework.
• Time spent shadowing without performing a task cannot be counted as community service hours.
• Hours spent on student-teaching can be counted as community service hours.

• Impacts must be shared both with your organization and with Michigan Tech
• Impacts must be listed as “public” as opposed to “private”
• Impacts must include a description with the service performed and the email or phone number of a verification contact
• Service chairs should have members review your service reports regularly. If they find any of their impacts are missing they can edit it following these steps:
• Log In to GivePulse -> My Activity -> Impacts -> Hit drop down to right of Verified Box -> Update -> Scroll all the way to last Box "Sharing and Privacy Settings" -> Make sure shared with the correct groups AND that your impact is NOT private -> Update Impact