ACS Scholarship Service Hours Verification Form Due Dates

Fall Semester:  December 15th  by 4:30 pm
Spring Semester:  May 1st by 4:30 pm

Cultural Service Hours & Documentation 

Complete ACSS Cultural Hours Verification Form (available at CIS or on line). Please make a copy for your own records.

Service Hour Requirements:  Total of 30 hours of service from a combination of the three categories described below.

CATEGORY I  -Help put on a Cultural Festivals that take place during the day or night and are sponsored by a Nationality Association (Limit of 20 hours for this category)

CATEGORY II – Campus-Based Program Participation (Limit of 20 hours for this category)

• IEW (International Education Week) Programs – Assist in the preparation/promotion of cultural events for this week in November of every year.
• Making cultural presentations in SCSU classrooms - 5 hours per visit (follow guidelines for Cultural Connection Program described in Category III)
• Participation as a member of a campus Student Organization that are NOT a Language and Culture organizations
• Participation in Residence Hall  cultural presentations or panel discussions - 5 cultural service hours given per program
• Participation in On-Campus Volunteer Service Events--Must include a description of how you think culture was exchanged during this event on the Verification of Hours Form.

CATEGORY III - Community Outreach & Involvement (No limit on hours that can count towards scholarship for this category)

• Alternative Spring Break Service Projects:  Must obtain prior approval from CIS, with an outlined plan for cultural sharing during this time.  (These are great service oriented trips sponsored by Volunteer Connection.)
• Classroom Visit Program ("Connecting Cultures and Communities" through classrooms) :  Making cultural presentations at any of the following sites: (Initial preparation & presentation = 5 hours; each additional classroom visit or additional preparation = 5 Hrs)
• Community Service:     Participating in school or community organizations with cultural and social programming activities that involve cultural sharing. Examples of organizations: senior centers and other community organizations such as Kid Stop’s after-school program with the Boys & Girls Club; Anna Marie’s Shelter; the Public Library, Stearns County History Museum; the Multicultural Children’s Art Connection; the Paramount Theatre, etc.).  Participation must contain planned cultural sharing component.
• Conversational Language Teaching in conjunction with Nationality or Cultural Associations.  Must have active faculty supervision and authorization; must document list of student rosters, and attach copies of the class syllabi; and must include list of all international student instructors.For every hour of instruction students will receive 3 hours towards the ACSS. If you have arranged this without a nationality association, then you must provide a plan prior to this event and seek the supervision and authorization for this activity from an international student advisor at the Center for International Studies.
• International Friendship Program (An awesome friendship program to exchange American culture and other cultures):  Requires Application to be matched with local family.  Minimum expectation of 4 visits or activities with your family per semester (once a month) - and of course more are fine!  Document dates and summaries of experiences with your host family. Document on ACSS Service Hours Verification Form
• International Student Association Spring Festival
• Passport to the World
• Thanksgiving Dinner with Local Families: During the Thanksgiving Holiday (November) = 5 hours
• Tutoring in Dept. of Foreign Languages:  Assist SCSU students by tutoring related to their language classes.  This is a limited opportunity available for students whose native languages are French, Spanish, Russian, or German. A minimum commitment of 2 hours per week for the semester and must sign a contract of commitment

Anything NOT on the above list must be PRE-Approved by International Student & Scholar Services writing