CSER Supervisor Policy
Policy Information
Issuing Office
LU Serve
Affected Parties
Students, Staff, Faculty, external organizations, and representatives
CSER Supervisors must acknowledge they have read this policy when they sign the CSER Supervisor Contract. The contract includes a link to this policy.
Policy Language
I. Overview
A. Supervisors must read and agree to the following policy before participating in the CSER program. The LU Serve office reserves the right to deny any organization, supervisor, or student request for CSER approval. Any questions or concerns not covered by the following policies should be directed to LU Serve.
Location: Dorm 20, 1st Floor
Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Phone: (434) 582-2325
FAX: (434) 582-2660
E-mail: cser@liberty.edu
Website: CSER/LUSERVE
B. Supervisors should familiarize themselves with the following policy: (I) Approval Criteria, (II) Supervisor Responsibilities, (III) Duration of Service, and (IV) Grading Policies.
II. Approval Criteria:
A. Each CSER opportunity should provide a student with at least 20 hours under one organization and one supervisor.
B. Organizations may be one of following:
1. Liberty University department
2. Church or religious establishment
3. Non-profit 501c3 organization
4. Exceptions (approved case-by-case):
• Government organizations
• Public or private schools and universities
• Nursing Homes/Retirement Homes
• International NGOs
• State Non-Profits
• Other 501c Organizations
C. Each CSER supervisor must be affiliated with the organization listed on the student’s registration and agree to the supervisor contract.
D. CSER opportunities are divided into two major categories, pre-approved and non-pre-approved opportunities:
1. Pre-approved opportunities include organizations with an established relationship with the CSER program. LU Serve provides these organizations with a unique CSER course code and a page on the LU Serve website. Students may register for these opportunities without prior approval from the LU Serve office.
2. All other CSER opportunities are not pre-approved. These organizations are grouped in two generic course codes, either 279-001 Church Extensions or 399- 001 Special Projects. Registrations under these codes require prior approval by the LU Serve office.
3. Organizations that average ten or more students for two consecutive terms are eligible to become a pre-approved opportunity. LU Serve evaluates eligible organizations annually.
E. Service Locations
1. All service opportunities should be held in public locations, commercial properties, or at the organization’s facilities.
2. The service opportunities must not occur at or inside a privately owned residence.
III. Supervisor Responsibilities
A. The supervisor contract outlines the responsibilities of each CSER supervisor. Each supervisor must agree by electronic signature to the following guidelines:
B. As a CSER Supervisor of Liberty University students I:
1. Agree to read and abide by the CSER Supervisor Policy (link provided).
2. Understand that each student is required to serve a minimum of 20 hours per semester to receive a passing grade, and I will provide adequate opportunity for each student to fulfill this requirement.
3. Understand that if I require more than 20 hours over the course of the semester, I will inform students of this before they enroll.
4. Understand that students are ineligible to receive CSER credit if employed by my organization (or LU Department).
5. Understand that I am responsibility to communicating with every student at the beginning of the semester when they should report to begin their CSER. I will immediately contact any student that fails to show up.
6. Agree to properly orient each student volunteer about the overall mission of my organization as well as legal matters, issues of confidentiality, emergency protocol, and any other matters of importance.
7. Agree to inform students before their service of any fees related to serving with my organization and to limit said fees to the overhead cost for that student. LU Serve must approve all fees.
8. Understand that students are not to receive academic credit, scholarship, or monetary compensation for the work that they do for CSER credit.
9. Understand that the student-to-supervisor ratio should be no greater than 50:1.
10. Agree to complete the supervisor evaluation form and assign a final grade promptly after each student has fulfilled his or her required hours. I understand that it is each student’s responsibility to submit the student evaluation to me, and I will encourage them to do so.
11. Agree to hold students accountable to their commitments to aid their learning of time management and integrity.
12. Agree to address any problems with the student first. If my efforts do not resolve the problem, I understand that I should contact LU Serve for assistance.
13. Agree not to require the student to engage in any activity that is not compatible with LU’s Code of Conduct or that would violate the student’s conscience.
14. Agree to notify the LU Serve office if I will no longer be serving as a CSER supervisor.
15. Understand that should I violate any part of this contract, I may forfeit the privilege to supervise CSER students.
IV. Duration of Service
A. Supervisors are expected to provide at least 20 hours of service for each student per semester.
1. Organizations are permitted to require additional hours as long as the students are given advance notice in writing and before registration.
2. LU Serve also recognizes that organizations may incur additional costs by offering CSER opportunities. If so, these organizations are permitted to charge a small fee to offset the costs of training CSER students. If the organization chooses to charge a fee, the organization must first receive approval from LU Serve, and the student must be given advance notice in writing before registration. Charging a fee without prior approval from LU Serve or failing to disclose the fee could result in removal from the CSER program.
B. Students are expected to serve with the same organization for one academic year (fall and spring semesters) and should register with the same organization in both fall and spring terms. However, students can choose a different organization in the spring term.
C. Summer and winter CSERs are optional and valid for one semester at a time. Students are not expected to serve with the same organization through all four terms (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer).
D. During any term, if a student requests to drop his or her CSER, the supervisor may approve or deny the request. If the supervisor denies the request, the student is required to fulfill their service hours as originally intended.
V. Grading policy
A. Supervisors must also validate each student's hours and complete a brief evaluation.
B. Each student will receive a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F, according to the following criteria:
1. A - Student displays exceptional service; excellent attitude; volunteered at least 20 hours
2. B - Displays satisfactory service; punctuality; appropriate attitude; volunteered at least 20 hours
3. C - Displays acceptable service; usually punctual; acceptable attitude; volunteered at least 20 hours
4. D - Displays unsatisfactory service; not punctual; volunteered at least 20 hours
5. F - Designates "failure;" unacceptable service; volunteered less than 20 hours
C. Evaluations and grades must be submitted by the end of each term–dates set by the Registrar’s Office as the Post Final Grades deadline. Failure to submit grades by the deadline may result in termination as an approved CSER supervisor.
Policy Rationale
The purpose of this policy is to inform CSER Supervisors of their responsibilities to Liberty University and its students. Supervisors are required to abide by this policy in order to participate in the program.
Definition of Glossary Terms
Add Request: A pending task in the supervisor dashboard when a student has requested to register for CSER.
CSER: Christian/Community Service
CSER Codes: A course code assigned to each organization that appears on the student’s transcript.
CSER 279-001: A generic CSER code for all churches that are not a pre-approved CSER opportunity.
CSER 399-001: A generic CSER code for all organizations (except churches) that are not a pre-approved CSER opportunity.
Drop Request: A pending task in the supervisor dashboard when a student has requested to drop a CSER.
Organization: An approved place through which students fulfill their service requirements.
Pending Evaluation: A pending task in the supervisor dashboard when the supervisor must evaluate the student and assign a grade.
Supervisor: A representative of the organization that has agreed to oversee student service hours, provide mentorship and guidance, and complete evaluations at the end of each term.
Student Dashboard: An online platform where students manage their CSER registrations.
Procedural Information
Procedures
I. Becoming an approved CSER opportunity
A. Organizations and supervisors are approved in one of two ways: (1) by request from a student during registration or (2) by request from the organization to the LU Serve office.
B. Student Request: Students may request approval for a new organization or supervisor during registration. LU Serve evaluates each requested organization or supervisor for compliance with the CSER policies.
1. Organizations are required to provide basic information confirming the status of their organization as one of the four approved groups (see Section II.B of this policy).
2. Supervisors are required to sign the supervisor contract (see Section III. B of this policy).
3. Upon approval, new organizations will be given a generic code, either 279-001 Church Extension or 399-001 Special Project. Supervisors will be listed under their organizations in the CSER Student Dashboard.
i. Registrations under 279 or 399 must be approved each term except when rolled over from fall to spring (see Section IV.B of this policy).
C. Organization Request: An organization may request approval as a CSER opportunity by emailing the LU Serve office.
1. Organizations must provide documentation confirming their status as an approved group. See Section II.B of this policy.
i. Organizations must provide a complete list of their CSER supervisors.
ii. Each supervisor must agree to the supervisor contract.
2. Any organization desiring to become a pre-approved CSER opportunity must average at least ten students for two consecutive semesters. These organizations may request a unique code and web page on the LU Serve website.
i. Since there are limited unique codes, approval is not guaranteed.
ii. For approval, the organization must submit a description of the service opportunity. Students should be informed of the necessary skills, talents, and aptitudes and the times when service opportunities are available.
II. Recruiting Students
A. Fall Semester: LU Serve hosts the LU Serve Expo during the first two weeks of classes. Organizations are invited to come to campus to recruit student volunteers, during this time.
B. Other times - CSER opportunities may be advertised among the students by any organization that LU Serve has approved. Any organization wishing to do this must receive prior approval from LU Serve. Additional approvals by marketing and campus calendar may be required.
C. LU Serve Website – Organizations may recruit student volunteers through the CSER Now webpage by submitting a service opportunity advertisement form: https://www.liberty.edu/osd/luserve/cser/cser-now/
III. Dispute Resolution and Reporting
A. If a supervisor experiences difficulty with a student, the supervisor should do the following:
1. First, address the student to resolve the issue.
2. If this does not work, contact LU Serve.
B. If a student experiences difficulty with a supervisor, the student should address the supervisor first. If this does not work, the student should contact LU Serve.
IV. Grade Changes
A. Except for extenuating circumstances, the grade assigned by the supervisor is permanent and becomes part of the student's official transcript. Supervisors may (with adequate reason) request a grade change for students after the final grades are posted.
B. If the supervisor fails to provide a grade by the evaluation deadline, the student will receive an F on his or her transcript. The F will remain until the supervisor assigns a different grade and the student e-signs the evaluation form.
V. Updating Organization or Supervisor Information
A. If an Organization changes its contact information, address, supervisors, or service opportunity, it is required to inform LU Serve.
B. On an annual basis, LU Serve contacts all pre-approved CSER organizations for updates regarding the organization’s information, address, supervisors, and service descriptions.
VI. Accessing the Supervisor Dashboard
A. Supervisors can now access an online dashboard that displays all pending tasks—Add Requests, Drop Requests, and Pending Evaluations. Supervisors are responsible for operating this dashboard appropriately.
B. If the supervisor has pending tasks, he or she will receive a daily email from LU Serve with a link to the dashboard. If there are no pending tasks, no email will be sent.
C. If the supervisor needs assistance accessing the dashboard, he or she should contact LU Serve.
D. Supervisors may access their dashboard at any time by requesting a link from our website: https://www.liberty.edu/osd/lu-serve/cser/supervisor-dashboard-link-request/
Sanctions
Not specified
Exceptions
None
Initial Approval Date
8/1/2018
Date of Last Review
8/17/2023
Date for Review
8/17/2024
The policy is reviewed annually and revised by the Associate Director of Experiential Education.