HOW IT WORKS.

Member Expectations

Commitment

Members must be able to serve full-time for the entirety of the service term. Service is in-person at the assigned host site. Accommodations are available upon request.

Community

Members should live within 45 minutes of their assigned service site and have access to reliable transportation.

Expertise

Members must have the appropriate degree for their service program.

AdviseMI: Bachelor's degree
College Completion Corps: Associate

Etc.

Members must pass a federal background check and complete all hiring paperwork before the given deadline.

Training & Professional Development

Beginning of Term Orientation

In October, advisers and coaches participate in an intensive virtual orientation.
Any members who start in another month have a personalized, customized off-cycle orientation.
All training time counts towards the required service hours for the term.
Orientations equip members with the tools, connections, skillsets, and relationships to be successful in the first part of the service term and get everyone energized for making an impact.

Monthly Trainings

After orientation, members will participate in required program professional development. Training topics are designed to continue to build knowledge and connections to best serve students in college access or college success.
All monthly professional development session are conducted virtually.
All training time counts towards the required service hours for the term.

Check-Ins, 1:1s & 2:1s

Partnership Managers regularly convene their regional group to talk about shared challenges and opportunities, review progress towards regional goals, and check-in on members' experiences.
At least monthly, members will have 1:1s with their Partnership Manager and/or 2:1s with the Partnership Manager and Site Supervisor combined.
This is time to check on how things are going, provide customized support and professional development, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

FAFSA Specialist Certification

All members participate in training with national partner uAspire to become a certified FAFSA Specialist.

Other Professional Development

MCAN offers regular webinars that members can participate in, free of charge, to build out their skills .
Free membership to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), including access to the Certified Advisor Badge and other e-Learning courses and badges.

Schedule

Members' daily hours will follow the host site's standard operating hours, plus time to meet with students before or after the standard operating hours as needed. Members are expected to serve 8 to 8.5 hours per day and are expected to serve these hours at the site except for safety or weather-related closures.

Members are expected to report to their service site every day that students, staff, and administrators are expected to report. We recognize events, projects, research, and data input may be needed in the evenings and weekends. Certain activities are allowable hours for evenings and weekends.

Remote or virtual schedules are only acceptable on a pre-approved basis based on an accommodation, and are not generally part of the service term.

Members may not earn service hours on federal holidays. In sum, members serve full-time at their service site during standard operating hours, plus.

Members must complete the agreed upon hours in the Member Service Agreement in order to access the Educational Award benefit. All program training hours count towards this total.

Members are require to submit timesheets bi-weekly in the OnCorps portal.

Travel & Expenses

All training expenses — including room, board, and travel — are covered by the program. Members are not responsible for these expenses.

Supervision

The onsite supervisor is a member of the host site's staff, and provides day-to-day direction and supervision.

The MCAN Partnership Manager is the go-to for program policies, best practices in college access or success, regional or state-wide connections, and more.

Duplication & Displacement

AmeriCorps members cannot duplicate efforts or serve in a position that is held by a staff person. Given examples of staff member roles where duplication occurs are:

• Dual enrollment coordinators

• Transfer advisors

• Teachers or Adjunct faculty positions

• Serving as a student organization adviser

• Any other position which results in the member getting paid by the site, or a 3rd party vendor the site is contracted with

In other words, AmeriCorps members may not also be on staff at their service site. It is allowable for members to have other employment or roles NOT at the service site.

Life After AmeriCorps Day

A term of service is not just about helping others, it's also about members having an experience that sets them up for what comes next.
Annually, each program participates in a Life After AmeriCorps Day to help members explore career paths, network with professionals in the field, and set in place a plan of how to use the service term to launch into what's next.
All training time counts towards the required service hours for the term.

MCAN Annual Conference

Each November, MCAN hosts a two-day conference for the state, focusing on college attainment. This conference brings together hundreds of professionals from K-12, higher ed, workforce, adult education, associations, nonprofits, and government sectors.
All MCAN AmeriCorps members attend conference at no cost to them, including registration, hotel, lodging, and food. This is a fantastic opportunity to attend a professional conference, learn from the field, and network with potential employers.

Diversity & Accommodations

MCAN's AmeriCorps programs are committed to equitable treatment and elimination of discrimination in all its forms across the program. Any benefits and terms and conditions of this program are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. MCAN policy and federal law prohibits reprisal for engaging in protected activity (reporting discrimination or harassment, participating in investigations of such allegations, or intervening to assist those who are subjected to prohibited behaviors), and it will not be tolerated.

MCAN's AmeriCorps programs commit to being accessible to all persons with disabilities and providing reasonable accommodations to the known mental and physical disabilities of otherwise qualified members and applicants. The program commits to providing confidentiality and encouragement for self-identifying as a person with a disability.

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