About Christian Service

The Christian Service Center (CSC) aims to be the hub for students and agencies to connect. CS Director Jenny Girard and CS Coordinator Linda Boyd staff the program and are here to support SI students as they engage in meaningful service with non-profit community organizations. We provide on-site assistance in order to help students find service opportunities that are meaningful and life changing.

In our office, we have a variety of resources, such as our agency database, to help facilitate the process of getting connected to a volunteer activity. As well, we coordinate agency fairs on campus, bringing local community groups to SI to share their work and recruit for new, energetic volunteers. Through our efforts, we integrate service-learning experiences into the SI classroom and we link community action to the development of our students in the Ignatian tradition.

Commitment To Service

As an integral part of the SI curriculum and experience, students are asked to make a Commitment To Service as a part of their graduation requirement.

SI's Commitment To Service has 5 basic principals which are listed below.

Further explanation on each of these aspects of the requirement are contained throughout this website for your reference and support.

Basic Principals

• SI students are asked to provide service to the broader community (beyond SI) for a minimum total of 100 hours.

• Students must complete their service during their first three years at SI (after enrollment freshman year and by the beginning of senior year). This service requirement is expected to be completed and turned in by the start of senior year, at Registration;

• SI students may be involved in a variety of service activities. Students wishing to receive credit for their volunteer activity must participate through and with a nonprofit organization (501c(3)). SI will only give credit for service to nonprofit organizations and thus proof of nonprofit status is often requested.

• Students are responsible for providing an official verification of service (using the SI forms provided with all signatures complete). The Christian Service Center requests verification within 6 months of volunteering for students to be assured and given full credit. If a student forgets to turn in service activity and six months have passed, SI still encourages students to still bring in any records of volunteer activity as they can still be given partial credit.

• The service commitment must include a Core Service Project --an experience of direct service that addresses a social justice. More details on Core Projects are included in these webpages.

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For more information and details about our SI graduation service requirement, please go to the following webpages for assistance. These pages are intended to support you as you plan and prepare for your service requriement. As always, students are strongly encouraged to come into our office, in person, to speak with us and to get individual help.

• The Graduation Requirement: In More Detail
• Various Christian Service Policies
• The Process: Service Verification, Core Project and Service Record Updates
• 200 Service Honors and Accountability to Graduation Requirement