Frequently Asked Questions

Your BWBRS needs to be up to date to receive your stipend. 

Christina checks each Friday during the Fall and Spring Semesters to monitor progress of CLA requirements. Payment requests are made once each week and Bonners typically receive an email Friday afternoon or Monday. Once payments are requested, they typically are released by the following Friday. Sometimes it can take up to two weeks.

For more information on the payment requirements, click here.

Please contact Donna Baysinger (dobaysinger@davidson.edu). She can answer questions, view your account, and advise you on the remifications of making that change.

Please contact Donna Baysinger (dobaysinger@davidson.edu). She can answer questions, view your account, and advise you on the remifications of making that change.

Attendance at weekly “Monday Meetings” is an expectation of the Bonner Scholars Program at Davidson College. These meetings develop each Bonner Scholar personally, civically, and professionally. The content of these meetings is intentionally designed to build on itself, so regularity and consistent engagement is important. These meetings are also a key part of building and maintaining the Bonner Scholar community both within your class and across the four class years.

While personal well-being and academic success are priorities, learning to balance studies with other requirements and commitments is vital to being successful at Davidson College and as a Bonner Scholar.

Below are attendance categories and corresponding expectations:

Excellent participation = 0 to 1 unexcused absence 

Good participation = 2 - 3 unexcused absences

Needs improvement = 4 unexcused absences

Falls below expectations = 5 + unexcused absences

If you reach 4 unexcused absences, you must schedule a meeting with a Bonner professional staff member to discuss your attendance and strategies for improvement. This meeting is designed to help you get back on track and develop a plan for better participation. 

Excused versus Unexcused Absences

The following are considered reasons for excused absences:

• personal illness

• death of a loved one

• religious holidays and observances

• court dates or jury duty

• away from campus for conference, athletic competition, etc.

• music or theater dress rehearsal, final technical rehearsals, and performances

• utilizing faculty office hours if no other options are available

• interviews for internships, fellowships, etc that cannot be otherwise accommodated

The following are considered reasons for unexcused absences:

• • Music or theater practice or rehearsal

  • Club or organization meetings or events

  • Athletic meeting or practices

  • Jobs – on- or off- campus

  • Studying/coursework

  • Volunteering, volunteer training, or other CLA related activities

• This list is not all encompassing. Bonner professional staff reserves the right to determine an absence as excused or unexcused. Please make every effort to schedule one-time appointments (doctors appointments, rehab or physical therapy, or group projects) at times that deconflict with Bonner meetings.

Notification

• Email bonnerscholars@davidson.edu in advance of absence. If your advance notice does not include a reason for absence, it will be considered unexcused.

• If you do not email (before or in a timely manner after the meeting), it will be considered unexcused.

Excused versus Unexcused Absences

The following are considered reasons for excused absences:

• personal illness

• death of a loved one

• religious holidays and observances

• court dates or jury duty

• away from campus for conference, athletic competition, etc.

• music or theater dress rehearsal, final technical rehearsals, and performances

• utilizing faculty office hours if no other options are available

• interviews for internships, fellowships, etc that cannot be otherwise accommodated

The following are considered reasons for unexcused absences:

• • Music or theater practice or rehearsal

  • Club or organization meetings or events

  • Athletic meeting or practices

  • Jobs – on- or off- campus

  • Studying/coursework

  • Volunteering, volunteer training, or other CLA related activities

Notification

• Bonner Scholars should provide prior notification by email if they will be absent from a Mondy meeting. If the advance notice does not include a reason for the absence, it will be considered unexcused.

• If you do not email (before or in a timely manner after the meeting), it will be considered unexcused.

You can log up to 2 hours for Monday Meetings. Please log what you are in attendance for. 

If the community partner and position is already in BWBRS, you do not have to wait until the CLA has been approved to begin your hours. If the community partner is not in BWBRS, making sure the Hours Approval Form you submit gets approved is a wise step. Once you receive an approval and entered your CLA, you can get started with your hours.

Make sure you do  all the training, background checks, or onboarding tasks the organization requires. 

First, be patient. If you email or submit an application, give them a few days to respond. If they don’t respond after a few days, you may consider calling their office or sending a follow up email. 

During this process, it’s important that you are communicating professionally and providing specific detail about where you are from and your association with the Bonner Scholar Program at Davidson College. This can help get their attention, especially if they have hosted Bonner Scholars at their organization in previous years. If you are truly having difficulty getting in contact with a partner, reach out to the Bonner professional staff and we can help you navigate the process.

You should be doing most of your hours (at least 4 to  5 hours a week) with one and filling in with either a regular commitment for fewer hours or one-off events to reach your goal hours. 

You can engage in regular service with another organization but it does not need to be filed as a Bonner CLA. For example, if you volunteer 2 hours a week at Lula Bell's, you do not need to submit a CLA for that activity.

Before you consider changing your CLA mid-semester, come talk to someone on the Bonner staff. There are things we can do before changing the CLA that might improve the experience. It can also put you at a disadvantage for getting all your hours. If you would like to change your CLA, the best time to do that is in between semesters.

If you would like to start the required training, background checks, and/or volunteering with the organization that will be your CLA the coming semester, you can do that. For the Fall semester, you can begin as early as August. For the Spring semester, you can begin at the start of the new calendar year.

Hours must be logged within the following dates to appear on the desired semester:

Fall Semester: Log between August 22 and December 31

Spring Semester: Log between January 1 and May 14

Summers of Service: Log between May 15 and August 21

This helps with the administrative tasks and payments Bonner professional staff track.

• Volunteer over break. If you go home for Fall, Winter, or Spring break, volunteering at a local nonprofit is encouraged. You’ll need to submit an Hours Approval Form so the organization can be entered into BWBRS.

• Participate in an Alternative Break Trip or other school-sponsored/supported volunteer opportunity. In the past, Bonner Scholars have used grants from various offices to support global volunteering.

• Participate in Bonner Book Club. This usually happens over Winter Break and may be an option in the Summer. These book clubs are dependent on Bonners taking the lead 😊. Contact Bonner staff if you are interested in leading and organizing.

• If it's in your capacity, you can volunteer over 140 hours a semester. Please know that we want you to prioritize your personal wellbeing and academic success, so this is not our first suggestion.

If you cannot find your community partner or training and enrichment event listed in BWBRS, you must use this form to propose it be added to BWBRS. Once your form is approved, a Bonner program staff member will add it to BWBRS. You will receive a notification from Wildcat Sync when it is approved. Then return to BWBRS to follow the steps listed above to add it to the list.  

Bonners can log up to 8 hours each semester for activities that relate to the Wellness Wheel. There are 8 dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, vocational, and financial).  

Examples of what counts include but are not limited to: engaging in physical exercise (self-directed or a class), attending a spiritual service or Chaplain's office event of that nature, utilizing the iGrad platform to grow in financial literacy. 

• Bonner Scholars who take a leave of absence from Davidson College automatically take a leave of absence from Bonner for the duration of the Davidson College leave. If possible, please notify Bonner Scholar program professional staff of your intention to take a leave. When you return as an active student, we will gladly welcome you back to the Bonner Scholars program unless you express the desire to leave the program.

• Bonner Scholars do not typically take a semester away from the program while they are enrolled as a Davidson College student and residing on or near campus. Depending on the circumstances, we would rather reduce your hours and keep you in the program as long as you are enrolled in classes. If this is something you feel you need, please contact Bonner Scholar program professional staff.