FAQ's
Q: What does the typical day-to-day schedule of a fellow look like?
For teaching fellows, there's a morning class and an afternoon class, each 2 hours. Teaching fellows will be in the classroom up to 4 days per week, and will have evening duty one night each week (that may mean a 14-hour day). Student Services fellows (Res Life, Health Wellness, and Outdoor Education), typically work evenings and weekends (Wednesday - Sunday), with one longer day as well. Student Services fellows design and coordinate residential activities like events on or off campus, clubs and groups, and community meetings. They also spend a lot of more informal time with students, hanging out or driving students into town activities.
Q: Who will I be sharing a room with?
A: Currently, and in order to address COVID concerns, each fellow will have a single, private room in Willow House (the Fellow House)
Q: How big are the bedrooms in Willow House?
A: The rooms are pretty cozy - in addition to a bunkbed, closet, shelves and a desk, there isn't much additional space. Definitely don't bring more than you think you'll need! Once you're here and have settled into your space, you can always buy a few extra things, have additional items shipped, or you can pick them up over break. Beds are twin size.
Q: Should I bring my car? What if I don't have one?
A: It's definitely not essential to have your own car, and there are usually a few fellows each year that don't bring one. However, this means you will be at the mercy of others with vehicles to get off campus during your time off, if you want some time away from campus/students. Again, not a necessity by any means and it all works out, but if you have one to bring and can get it out to Colorado, most former fellows would suggest bringing a vehicle. For students, fellows regularly drive them into town in the mini buses and CRV's that we have as part of our Honda fleet. We can't use these vehicles for personal use though. There is no public transportation in Estes Park.
Q: Do I need to bring my computer?
A: Eagle Rock will issue you a laptop to use during your service. No need to bring your own, but you are welcome to use yours instead if you prefer.
Q: What's the dress code?
A: Dress code is fairly casual. You can feel free to wear jeans and a t-shirt (or the equivalent) on most days. The only exceptions will be: Presentation of Learning/Graduation week (bring a few nice outfits, what you would wear to a graduation), and a few business casual outfits in case you attend any conferences or presentations.
Q: Can I defer student loans while I'm at Eagle Rock?
A: At this time we are no longer and Americorps program and therefore are not able to offer loan deferment. If this changes in the future we will offer that option. Although depending on your position you may be able to defer student loans based on federal programs.
Q: What is the food situation like?
A: While students are on campus, all staff receive meals provided by Eagle Rock. There will be a few weeks each trimester when you'll be responsible for your own meals (during staff-only weeks the kitchen is not in operation). Breakfast typically consists of a yogurt bar and typical hot breakfast foods. For both lunch and dinner there is a fully-stocked salad bar and additional hot selections - some combination of protein, vegetables and bread. There is usually a bowl of fresh organic fruit and snacks available at all times. As for food allergies, our chefs are very accommodating - there are a handful of students and staff in our community that have various dietary needs or allergies. They take severe allergies very seriously. While it's tricky to cook for >100 people and address each individual's needs, they will put in the effort. That being said, there would probably be times you would have to supplement (for some meals, it's harder for vegetarians or vegans to have adequate protein or the selection is fairly limited). Willow House does have a full kitchen.
Q: Can I have a 2nd job?
During breaks in trimesters, fellows are completely free to pursue other work opportunities. During the trimester, we highly discourage any work outside of your commitments to Eagle Rock. This position does need to be your priority, and no other job can compete for your time or energy. There are a handful of required commitments that will come up outside of your usual working hours (things like house dinners, evening community meetings, etc). It can also be a common occurrence that, working in a residential community, we call on staff to step in to support unforeseen needs that arise - this may look like covering someone's duty shift, making a run to the airport, or extra hands on deck to manage a student crisis. This is something we encourage everyone to expect as a part of the commitment to our community.
If someone is pursuing work outside of Eagle Rock, it cannot be anything with a set schedule of working hours. Examples of opportunities that would be ok include babysitting on-call, managing a website remotely with no concrete timelines, freelance writing on occasion, etc.