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05-020 Volunteer Policy

I. SCOPE

Students, employees, and third-party individuals desiring to volunteer at SUNY Canton.

II. POLICY STATEMENT

SUNY Canton welcomes the assistance of individuals who are willing to support the College and its programs and services as volunteers, without remuneration.

III. POLICY

Individuals who provide direct service in support of SUNY Canton and its programs and services without remuneration are volunteers.  In order to both protect SUNY Canton's interests and those of its volunteers, these individuals must receive an official appointment letter as volunteers. The College’s Human Resources (HR) Office will maintain records of such appointments.

Examples of volunteer duties include, without limitation, supervising of field experiences for students; assisting in libraries, theaters, and laboratories; assisting coaches for athletic teams; assisting in activities relating to fundraising and campus improvement projects; and serving as guides.

Important considerations for volunteers:

• Properly appointed and recorded volunteers are covered under SUNY Canton’s Worker's Compensation Coverage should they be injured while performing their volunteer duties.
• Section 17 of the N.Y. Public Officers Law provides that the New York State Attorney General will defend, and New York State will indemnify, volunteers should they become involved in litigation that pertains to an incident involving their volunteer duties as long as the volunteers did not intentionally engage in wrongdoing.
• Properly appointed volunteers may also be granted permission to operate State vehicles and operate State equipment as required for fulfilling their volunteer duties.
• Duly appointed volunteers are not covered by the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Where appropriate, volunteers may be paid actual expenses, reasonable benefits, nominal fees, and/or a combination of these.

An employee of SUNY Canton may not volunteer services of the same type the individual is employed to perform.Volunteers will not be given responsibilities generally assigned to employees represented by collective bargaining agreements.

IV. DEFINITIONS

N/A

V. OTHER RELATED INFORMATION

N/A

VI. PROCEDURES

1. College offices or departments wishing to appoint a volunteer should send a written request in the form of a C2 form to the Human Resources Office. The completed form or email must include at least the following information:

• • The name, relevant information, and qualifications of the proposed volunteer (if applicable);
  • The nature of the volunteer work to be performed;
  • The duration of the assignment; and,
  • The name of the person responsible for supervising the volunteer.

2. Human Resources has the overall responsibility for administration to appoint volunteers. The HR Office will create a Volunteer Appointment Letter following the “Volunteers’” HR procedure. The completed letter and the written request will be sent to the President for signature and final approval. The original hardcopy of the approved volunteer letter will be sent to the volunteer, which must be signed and returned along with an appropriate Oath of Office as a volunteer before any volunteer duties may begin.
3. The following criteria will generally be used to determine if the person is eligible for volunteer status:

• • Duration of appointment, and/or nature of the assignment (a risk assessment based on the duties to be performed).
  • Guest speakers and public speakers are not considered volunteers.
  • Volunteers should generally be 18 years or older. When appropriate for the work being done and responsibility being expected, volunteers may be under age 18, but such assignments must be approved by the President or their designee.

4. If the appointment is not approved, the form or an email should be returned to the originating office or department indicating reasons for non-approval.
5. Upon approval by the President, the form is returned to the HR Office, who will enter the volunteer on the Employee Database spreadsheet under “volunteers” and enter the volunteer in Banner.
6. Volunteers normally do not get assigned a SUNY Canton email unless one is specifically requested in the written request and approved by the President. If such an email is requested and approved, the HR Office will create one through GUISRCH and GOAEMAL (or other applicable system).

VII. FORMS

• C2 Form
• Oath of Office Form

VIII. AUTHORITY

• SUNY Guidance on Volunteers
• Defense and Indemnification of State Officers and Employees

IX. HISTORY

N/A

X. APPENDICES

N/A

XI. FREQUENCY OF REVIEW AND UPDATE

Policies will have a normal review period of every five (5) years, unless required otherwise.

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