I know we've probably drilled this stuff in your head, but it's nice to have a refresher available.
The service hour system can be a little confusing. Twelve hours of independent service, with at most 3 hours going to any one project. This is done mostly to make sure you try out a few different projects that APO has to offer.
Here's how it works: You can do as much service in as many projects as you want. However, it's only the first three hours from any one project that count to your twelve. Any pledge will have to try out four different projects to be able to complete requirements.
How about some examples?
Joey Pledge loves old people, so he goes to Williamsburg landing every chance he gets. Over the pledge process, Joey racks up 34 hours of service at Williamsburg Landing. Joey is so into the elderly that he decides not to go to escort, Matthew Whaley, or anything else. Does Joey make requirements?
No. While that's really impressive, Joey didn't try out what APO has to offer. According to his folder, Joey only did 3 hours of service that can count toward his requirement.
Jenny Hamberger is kind of finicky. She really can't decide what she likes, so she often tries new things. Jenny is really intrigued by the service manual in the back of her folder and decides that she's going to check them all out. Jenny finds 24 different projects and does a half-hour of service in each, looking for a project that suits her. Does Jenny make requirements?
Yes. Jenny tried out lots of projects and her total hours (24 x .5) equal twelve. She didn't go over 3 hours in any project, so all her volunteer hours count as pledge hours.
Carrie Aporocks loves to do escort. In fact, she did two shifts in one week, totaling eight hours. Carrie tried going to Matthew Whaley one day (1 hour), but decided not to go back. She did the same with Dreamcatchers (2) and Housing partnerships (3). Carrie tried four projects and did 14 hours of service. Does Carrie make requirements?
No. Carrie tried lots of projects, but she invested too much time in one. Only those first three escort hours count, so she's only completed nine hours of the pledge requirements.
In each of these cases, none are the ideal. How can they fix their problems? Joey only tried one project, so when he becomes a brother, he probably won't have know about any other projects he'd like to do. If he explored other projects, he might find that he really likes those too! Jenny completed requirements, but she hasn't set herself up for a successful time as a brother. She should probably try to invest more time in fewer projects to really get an idea of what they are like. Finally, Carrie is on the right track, but just a little more time on other projects or trying out new projects will give her a better idea of service projects she could do in the future.
Let's take the case of Amanda Brother:
Amanda is really excited to pledge and can't wait to become a brother. The first week, she works an escort shift (4 hours), tutors at James Blair (1hr), and works housing partnerships (3 hrs). The next week, after working at Williamsburg landing (1 hr), she decides that she missed her kids at James Blair and went back (1 hr). Amanda really likes housing partnerships and James Blair, but wants to make sure she tries lots of things, so she shows up for William and Mary news one Thursday (2 hrs). Unfortunately, it wasn't her thing, so she continues to work housing partnerships and James Blair tutoring for the rest of the pledge process (5 hours each)
Here, Amanda demonstrated the two things we really want from you in pledge service. 1) Amanda tried lots of projects in many different fields (Community, Campus, and Brotherhood service) so she would at least know what those projects were like. Amanda's pledge service count is (3 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 2) = 12 hours
2) After trying some projects out, Amanda decided what she liked and continued doing it, even if they didn't count towards her pledge service count. Amanda's actual service count was (4 + 7 + 8 + 1 + 2) = 22 hours
Got it all straightened out? If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us!
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