Risk Management
Risk management and reporting for Service Learning and Academic Internship (SLAI) placements is a two-fold system managed by faculty in the S4 database involving student placement reporting and risk management documentation under CSU and Humboldt policy. Our office provides the support you need to make sure your Service Learning or Academic Internship course is meeting requirements and guidelines set forth by these policies. It is highly recommended you consult our Faculty Support Coordinator with any questions.
Cal Poly Humboldt Risk Management policies and procedures ensure that:
- Community Partners have an approved Learning Site Agreement, or contract, in place with Humboldt that allows for Humboldt students to serve at their organizations under SAFECLIP (Student Academic Field Experience for Credit Liability Insurance Policy).
- Students have completed the necessary paperwork related to their service including a Release of Liability, Participation Guidelines and a Student Learning Plan.
- We maintain these documents for 3-5 years (varies per program) after the student's learning experience.
- We provide as accurate a report as possible on student placements and hours served to the CSU Chancellor's Office.
S4 is our campuswide database for ensuring these requirements are met. It serves as a repository for our existing partnerships, faciltates placement tracking, and the required student forms.
General FAQ about S4 and Risk Management:
- Agency
- Student
- Community Partner Signatures
- Terms of Service under SAFECLIP
- Placements
- Employed Students
- On Campus Placements
- International AI and SL
- Other Programs
Agency– If an organization is in the S4 database, required paperwork has been established including the Learning Site Agreement (LSA) legal contract, and a Site Self-Assessment (SSA). If the agency is not in the database, we will need to establish the LSA/SSA paperwork. Faculty should first confirm that the new site is able to provide a safe and supportive educational experience for students along with general liability insurance; then faculty can start the approval process by submitting a Faculty Request for a New Learning Siteform to the Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL) office.
Student– In S4, the student reports their placement, then completes two online forms (Release of Liabilityand Student Learning Plan/Participation Guidelines). These forms are minimally required in case of audit and will remain in the database for at least 3 years.
Community Partner Signaturesrecommended but not required: A signature from the community partner on the Student Learning Planis recommended but not required. A Time Log with a site supervisor signature is highly recommended; and while it is recommended that faculty store these Time Logsfor three years, at this point it is not required.
Term of Service under SAFECLIP: This program applies to students enrolled in SLAI courses and serving at approved sites.
1. Counting Service Hours BEFORE a semester begins: Students who enroll in a SLAI course may begin their hours of service prior to the semester beginning, from the moment that they are officially enrolled in the course, as long as the faculty approves, and the site is approved and in S4. Reporting in S4 should be available as soon as the Humboldt registration cycle begins, and students must complete placement paperwork in S4 prior to beginning their service hours at the site. Example: Student registers in March for a course starting the following Fall semester. Within a few days of registration, the student can access the course in S4, complete their forms and begin service hours at the approved site.
2. Counting Service Hours AFTER a semester ends – “Report in Progress” (RP) or “Incomplete” (I): Placements can continue after the course is finished, with SAFECLIP still effective, if a Report in Progress (RP) or Incomplete (I) is assigned to the student for the course in the grading system. Example: Student is in a Spring course and the course ends; the student can receive a “Report in Progress” or “Incomplete” and continue service hours no more than one year from the time the class endeduntil they meet their requirement.
The above two scenarios allow students to complete hours during semester breaks if they are registered in a connected course prior to, or following the break.
3. Multiple Semester Placements– Reportin Progress (RP): Some programs, typically Humboldt graduate programs, have internships involving ongoing placements over multiple semesters. These can be handled using the “Report in Progress (RP)” method as indicated above, or by being enrolled in a recurring course throughout their placement. Example: students in the Anthropology MA program or Sociology MA program enroll in their department’s Academic Internship course every semester in connection to their placement. In these cases, a student should complete their forms in S4 at the beginning of the first semester, and indicate the actual length of the internship in the appropriate S4 field, to avoid having to complete new forms every semester. Work with an RP grade should be completed in one year or within the duration of the student’s graduate program and in accordance with the Humboldt policy.
Employed StudentsStudents employed by their sites may be exempt from the Learning Site approval process and student forms in S4 if their employment meets certain conditions. The position needs to be legal employment; the student should have secured the employment prior to discussion with faculty about receiving course credit. Essentially, Humboldt should have had no part in securing the placement or employment on behalf of the student. If these conditions are met, the student’s employment supersedes the need for Humboldt SAFECLIP program. In these cases the following is required:
- Proof of employment, submitted to faculty, can consist of a Letter of Acceptance, paystub, email from employer, or other official documentation.
- Student will report the placement in S4 at the site called “Exempt Sites for Paid and Pre-Arranged Employment.”
- It is recommended (but not required) that the student also complete the paper Student Learning Plan and Time Log documents (submitted to faculty) to share crucial information with the faculty and agency site supervisor.
On Campus Placements All campus placements are required to be reported in S4. However, direct Humboldt sites are not required to have the Learning Site Agreement paperwork established. If a specific Humboldt site is not showing in the S4 database, the CCBL office can add a new site with approval of the Humboldt program site supervisor. It is recommended that students still complete their forms within S4 for the sake of due diligence.
International Academic Internships and Service Learning The Center for International Programs presides over all Humboldt policies and contracts related to international service and educational experiences. These conversations should begin with the Humboldt Risk Management Office and the Center for International Programs. In these cases, the CCBL is available by request of those two offices for curricular or pedagogical support only.
Other Programs At this time,CCBL supports site approval and risk management related to Service Learning, Academic Internships, courses piloting these programs, and other approved projects. The CCBL also collaborates with Humboldt Youth Educational Services (YES) in coordinating shared agreements. All other programs need to work with the Humboldt Contracts and Procurement office for the contract with the site (this includes Social Work, Teacher Education, clinical programs in Psychology and Kinesiology). The S4 database may support these programs in the future with administrative support from within their departments.