[Imc-supervisors] Preparation for the AmeriCorps

[Nicole Pion]

Hey everyone,
I'm looking forward to having all the AmeriCorps here!  I've met with almost
all of them to get paperwork started, so I think that we are in good shape
for the *October 5th* start date.

A few things that you will all need to do in preparation:

*Timesheets *
The theme from the Program Director Conference was accurate time keeping.
Each AmeriCorps will have an account in a system called "OnCorps" and they
will be assigned a supervisor (or two).  The supervisor(s) MUST approve the
submitted timesheet.  If there are two supervisors, both must approve the
timesheet, so for simplicity, I recommend just selecting one person who will
be repsonsible for this.
--> Please let me know who this will be and I will set up an online account.


*Workspace: *
Currently, you should be preparing the work station for your AmeriCorps
member - if you need a computer, desk, or just some general guidance on what
the AmeriCorps will need, let me know.


Please communicate with your new AmeriCorps about the first day, October
5th.  Someone should be there to greet your AmeriCorps and get them
settled.  If you won't be able to meet with them on October 5th, please try
to set up a time beforehand.  On the first day / during a meeting you should
cover:


   1. General space orientation
   Where will they will work, tour of the IMC, anything else you think
   necessary to functioning in this space.

   2. Communication
   How can your AmeriCorps get in touch with you / other members of your
   working group?
   When is the group meeting(s)?  Are they expected to attend?
   Will supervision take place during that meeting or at another time?

   3. Schedule / Hours
   If you have not already, please work out a plan for how the AmeriCorps
   will meet their 1700 hours of service over the course of the year.
   For example:
   How much vacation time will they take?  Will they work 35 or 40 hours per
   week?
   The stipend is divided out evenly over the term of service.  I.e.
   AmeriCorps receive the same amount each pay period, regardless of hours
   worked.  I'd be happy to meet with groups and the new AmeriCorps to work
   this out in person.  The AMeriCorps have till December 2010 to work thet
   1700 hours, but it is more realistic to aim for about 12 months of service
   in which to complete 1700 hours.

   4. Workplan
   When I began as an AmeriCorps, I had a road map that detailed my goals
   and tasks by quarter.  It really helped me to get started in the first few
   weeks and months.  Please take the time to sit down with your AmeriCorps and
   draft this plan.  If you need a copy of the original job description, please
   contact me.  This plan should be based upon the original job description.


A few items related to the hiring process:

Please make sure that you have *notified all applicants of your decision* -
I think that most groups have done this, but if you need assistance, let me
know.

*Minutes from hiring decision* - we need to keep a record of the decision.
It doesn't have to be detailed, just let me know the date, candidates
considered, "discussion ensued" will suffice for the minutes, and then, This
Person was selected as  the most qualified applicant.  (I can do this for
Shows and building manager - Suzanne, can you resend the meeting notes?)

*Note*: I have checked all AmeriCorps backgrounds in the National Sex
Offender Registry, as we are required to do by law.  No one has come up with
any background.  We will be doing background checks but until that time
applicatns should not work unsupervised with vulnerable populations (i.e.
children and elderly.  if you're uncertain if something is appropriate, let
me know and I'll find out).



If you have any questions please let me know.


Nicole


-- 
Nicole Pion
Outreach and Development Adviser
AmeriCorps CTC VISTA
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/imc-supervisors/attachments/20090923/cca39e05/attachment.htm