Service Coordinator (SC) Position Expectations You can read over the specific responsibilities of the position in the employment contract (SC Contract) and list of position descriptions. The headings below provide an overview of the expectations of Service Coordinators. - Liaison
- Educator
- Recruiting
- Role Modeling
- Time Commitment
- Site Visits
- Staff and Supervisory Meetings
- Professionalism/ Attire/ Business Email
- CCSJ Hospitatility
- Preparation Sessions
- Reflection Sessions
- Student Staff Team
- Office Hours
- Mail
- Performance Evaluation
- Fall and Spring Updates
- January Training
- Staff Selection
- Advocate for Agency
- In-Service Training
- Community Service Fairs
- Code of Student Conduct
- Attendance Policy
- What To Expect from Supervisors
The primary role of the Service Coordinator is to act as a liaison between the agencies and the university. This includes facilitating the placement of volunteers in appropriate placements and supporting them with opportunities for reflection on their experiences. Another important role of a Service Coordinator is that of an educator. Look for every opportunity you can find to educate volunteers about the social justice issues relevant to your site(s). Visit the Recruiting and Managing Volunteers section to read more about this part of the position. You are a role model for the entire Loyola community—including family, friends, faculty, other students, staff, and even guests. Everything that you do can be considered an example that is set for the rest of the student body. Often you will be scrutinized in your personal/private life as well as in your public/job-related activities. Role modeling shouldn’t be considered a burden—it should be empowering. Imagine the impact a staff member has with the various leadership activities he/she is involved with on campus. Many of the Service Coordinators on our staff were influenced by other effective student staff members that they’ve worked with during their time as a student or when they came to visit Loyola. Being a full-time student and a Center for Community Service and Justice staff member requires a commitment to maintaining a healthy balance. For these reasons, staff should not hold outside responsibilities or additional employment unless approved beforehand by your supervisor. Outside commitments should not exceed 12 hours-per-week. Due to the demands of full-time student teaching, staff members are unable to do both.
All SCs are expected to visit their site at least once per year, preferably at the beginning of the Fall semester. Your supervisor will arrange site visits for you during Fall training. Student staff members should wear professional attire for these visits and bring a copy of the CCSJ handbook, the calendar for the academic year, and the site visit form. These visits can be very useful for setting orientation and volunteer start dates for the semester, and discussing expectations and any relevant changes at the agency. Staff meetings are another important means of sharing information about programs, upcoming events, and current social justice issues. The staff will meet on a weekly basis, at a time that is convenient for all members. In addition, each staff member is expected to attend a bi-weekly supervisory meeting to discuss individual goals, concerns, and details about the programs. Also, students will be required to attend bi-weekly reflection groups with professional staff members, which will give student staff members an opportunity to practice engaging in group dialogue. Small groups will be arranged according to student class schedules at the beginning of the Fall semester, and each small group will meet with a pair of two professional staff members every other week. The experience of being a SC offers you great opportunities to develop yourself as a professional. We expect you to act as a professional in the position at all times. Please wear professional attire when conducting site visits (shirts with sleeves and covering stomach, no flip flops, and pants that do not hang down low; ask your agency for dress code if you volunteer there yourself). Much of your communication with volunteers may be through email. This is a wonderful medium, but it should also be used professionally. Please use capital letters when appropriate. "Every good relationship between two or more people, whether it is friendship, marriage, or community, creates space where strangers can enter and become friends. Good relationships are hospitable. When we enter into a home and feel warmly welcomed, we will soon realize that the love among those who live in that home is what makes that welcome possible. True hospitality is an opportunity for the stranger to feel safe and discover his or her own gifts." -Henri Nouwen from Bread for the Journey - Greet all visitors quickly and courteously. Even if you are not at the desk, keep an eye out for opportunities to help answer the phone or greet guests.
- Answer phones promptly and in a friendly, courteous manner. ("Hello, Center for Community Service and Justice, this is [name], may I help you?).
- Be considerate of other people working around you. Consider your noise and activity level.
- Please refrain from eating in the lounge or offices. It makes a mess and makes guests feel as if they are interrupting a meal.
- Clean up after yourself when you are finished working.
- Adhere to your posted office hours, and call if you are running late or will miss your hours. Also, email your supervisor and CCSJSA@loyola.edu when you need to change or miss your scheduled hours.
- Though the lounge should be comfortable, remember that it is still an office. Even if you aren't working, please portray a sense of respect and professionalism.
- When you finish a task, don’t sit and wait for the next one. Ask what else needs to be done!
More information about hospitality can be found in the Office Procedures section of the manual. Service Coordinators are expected to work with agencies to arrange for preparation sessions for volunteers prior to their service involvement. This can be done in a large group, or when necessary, individually. However, it is extremely important that each volunteer knows something about the agency and what to expect before volunteering. You may download a preparation session outline here. Each SC is expected to work with CCSJ and community agency staff to coordinate on-going opportunities for volunteers to ask questions and thoughtfully examine their service experiences. The Service Thing is a program that is in place to both help students continually reflect on their service experiences and help SC facilitate the reflection process for volunteers. If your site is affiliated with The Service Thing, then each student staff member is required to lead three reflections during the semester (preparation session, mid-semester reflection, and final reflection) as well as organize weekly questions through online discussions. There is a folder on the H:Drive titled "The Service Thing" that provides resources for reflection. Also, student staff can visit the PARE Model section for more information. Learning and keeping up with your agencies and the students who volunteer there can be very time-consuming. However, it is also important to contribute to large CCSJ events and support other student staff programs by your attendance. Each Service Coordinator is expected to spend 4-6 hours per week in the Center for Community Service and Justice office during the workday and an additional 6 hours per week volunteering, visiting agency contacts, and in staff and supervisory meetings. During office hours, Service Coordinators are expected to return phone calls and emails to volunteers and agency contacts, check both mailboxes, plan logistics such as vehicle and facility reservations, and coordinate educational events and reflections. Also, SC answer the telephone in the student staff office, check the voicemail, leave messages in the designated place, help with greeting visitors, and answer phones at the front desk when needed. As a reminder, Service Coordinators are expected to be in regular contact with their volunteers, asking them how their volunteering is going, following up on questions asked, and providing educational resources. Students should post their office hours and abide by them for the semester. Students must fill out a time sheet every two weeks to be paid. When it is necessary to change office hours, the SC is responsible for notifying the front desk (x2380, ccsjsa@loyola.edu) and their supervisor as soon as possible before the scheduled office hours begin. All student staff members have a mailbox in the Student Staff office. It is extremely important that every staff member checks his/her mail every time he/she comes into the office. All staff members are also expected to check their email at least once per day. CCSJ email accounts should include a signature. And away messages should be activated during breaks and over the summer.
A performance appraisal is a discussion of a staff member’s performance of assigned duties and responsibilities. Toward the end of both semesters, we will ask Service Coordinators to complete a self-appraisal and a review of their supervisor. The supervisor will complete a review of each supervisee and will meet with each person to discuss his or her performance thus far. All written appraisals will be submitted to the Associate Director for administrative and personnel purposes. At the end of the fall and spring semesters, SCs are required to submit a report about their work. The first part should include basic statistics -- how many people were involved in community service, their class year, student ID number, if they are a service-learning student, gender, etc. The second part is reflective. It should address what the SC has learned during their service and how they’ve grown. The information from the updates provides the full-time staff with important statistics about volunteering on Loyola’s campus and constructive feedback on how we can improve our programs. See the Forms and Resources section for a sample of the fall semester update so that you can know what type of information to collect from your volunteers this year. Service Coordinators are expected to attend a one-day training/retreat session in early January to reconnect with staff members and to plan for the upcoming semester. Please do not make travel plans before checking the date. It is very important that current staff members assist in the selection of future staff members. After all, who better knows the job than someone who is currently in the position? Furthermore, staff members should look for involved and enthusiastic volunteers and recommend that they apply for the position. Specific job responsibilities will be spelled out as we near the date. They include assistance in putting up posters, participating in information sessions, and interviewing candidates. This process lasts from November to February. As an SC, you are expected to serve as an advocate for your agency by sharing agency newsletters, one-time event opportunities, and fundraisers with your supervisor as well as with the larger Loyola campus community (if relevant). While training serves as a method of providing you with the skills that you need to be successful in your position, we are aware of the fact that no amount of training can prepare you for every situation that you will encounter. Several times a semester, we will ask you to attend a program on campus to continue your training. If you have any requests for sessions, please let your supervisor know. Usually these programs will take the place of staff meetings for that particular week. The Service Fair is the kick-off event of the year and where you will recruit most, if not all, of the students who will volunteer for the agencies with which you work. Over the summer, we invite the agencies to come to campus with their materials and work together with you to facilitate communication and place interested students. During training, we expect that you will work together with the other student staff members to create publicity for the Fair around campus. Contact your agencies to make sure that your agency contact will be coming and that they have parking information. Make sure that either you, or other volunteers, will be available during the hours of the Fair to help staff the tables. When the Fair is over, you will keep a copy of the list of students who signed up and the agency contact will keep one as well. Please communicate with the site supervisor about who will contact these students for follow-up. As soon as this is decided, let the other SCs know if you need volunteers they could not accommodate, or vice versa.
All student staff members must abide by all of the policies and regulations of Loyola University’s Code of Student Conduct, as well as those of federal and local jurisdictions. Although Center for Community Service and Justice programs are designed to be educational and should be considered a part of your educational experience at Loyola, we urge students to put their academic, credit-bearing studies first –- meaning preparation for class (homework) and attending classes comes before service, meetings with agency service providers and potential volunteers. Top of Page | 
