Travel
Travel to Native American Reservations in Travel-Ban States
The CSU Office of General Counsel determined that travel to Native American reservations in travel-ban states is permitted if you are visiting or staying on the federal reservation.
Transportation to Service Sites
Transportation can also be a barrier to students participating in community engagement activities. Consider selecting a project close to campus or near a bus route. Additional Parking & Transportation Services are available for students at
Students
Scheduling the Service
If service in the community is a required assignment, you may want to provide alternatives for students who cannot perform the service learning component due to scheduling conflicts. Additional best practices include providing more than one service option, selecting sites with a wide variety of hours, or scheduling service during class time. Offering an alternative classroom-based assignment may also be necessary.
Students with Limitations
You need a backup plan for students not compatible with that organization or the nature of the service project. Be prepared to offer students an alternative assignment if the project creates religious, political, health and/or moral conflicts.
For example, a student who recently lost a relative in Iraq may not desire to work at a Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital. Or, you might have a student who’s a devout Catholic and your service site is a clinic that dispenses information about birth control and abortion. Or, you might have a student who is highly allergic to bee stings and has health concerns about service in an outdoor setting.
Example syllabus statement: “No student will be asked to work with a community organization that creates a religious, political, health and/or moral conflict. In case of such conflict, inform the instructor immediately. An alternative assignment will be provided.”
Faculty
Community Engagement and RPT
How does my community engagement efforts contribute to retention, tenure, and/or promotion performance review?
Deconstructing Technical Jargon and Acronyms
Below are some tips to enhance stakeholders’ experience in a community engagement event and increase the likelihood of their repeat participation in the future:
- Build short trainings and mini-workshops into community events and meetings to build stakeholder capacity for understanding a development project’s technical aspects.
- Create small break-out groups at meetings to foster interpersonal conversation that create “safe space” where people feel more comfortable asking questions.
- Break down all subject matter at community meetings into straightforward language.
- Create interactive, participatory activities to help personalize technical concepts in the planning process and include them in your meeting agenda.
- Create and distribute a glossary of relevant terms that may be encountered in discussion of topics on your meeting agenda.
Source [Breaking Down Barriers to Community Engagement and Participation]
Community Partners
Purchase Gift Cards to Thank Community Members
Gift card incentives for research is offered by the Office of Student Research.
Parking Costs
If CSUSB parking fees become a barrier for your community engagement activities, please contact the Office of Community Engagement at leaveyourpawprint@csusb.edu