The CIC encourages open communication between our service-learning faculty and staff and their students and partners. We find that this decreases risk and liability for all parties. By educating yourself and your students about the risk involved in community-based learning and research, you not only encourage greater communication between Weber State University and its partners, but you also protect yourself and your students from liability.
The template we use with each of our partners to establish a healthy and meaningful relationship is called a Memorandum of Understanding. Although the CIC is actively in the process of developing one of these documents with each individual partner, you as faculty can rest assured that the CIC will uphold our responsibilities listed therein. One of the qualities we look for in partners is the ability to do the same. This Memorandum of Understanding is the formalization of partnerships between the CIC and community organizations.
Your students will be required, beginning January 2010, to sign the Informed Consent Agreement in order to complete service-learning hours in an off-campus organization. This document is a stipulation of our MOU, and helps ensure safety from liability to our students, faculty, staff, and partners.
You can also feel free to utilize our Suggested Language for Syllabi to reinforce these concepts of conscentious partnering. If included in your syllabus at the beginning of the semester, students will have open access to information concerning their responsibilities in your class. We also recommend utilizing some sort of class specific contract, such as the Service-Learning Contract, with all of your students. This promotes communication between students and your community partners and encourages them to get to know their new volunteer space before beginning service.
Finally, the Dos and Do Nots for Service-Learning Faculty is an invaluable tool which guarantees you have done all you can to prevent harm, injury, or liability from negatively affecting our and your community partners, your students, and yourself.
If you have any questions about the material covered here, please call the CIC at 626.7737 to speak with Brenda (bkowalewski@weber.edu).