THE CONSTITUTION OF ALTERNATE SPRING BREAK

I. NAME

The name of this organization is Alternate Spring Break.

II. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Alternate Spring Break is a yearlong, extracurricular, educational activity that culminates in a hands-on experience during the week of Spring Break in March. Members learn about and address important social issues including poverty, homelessness, substandard housing, and volunteer/community relations through hands-on involvement in a variety of settings across the United States. The purpose of the organization is to prepare for and immerse students in a community where they will live, work, and learn with the help of local residents during Spring Break week. Preparations involve all logistical arrangements for sites, including securing housing, work assignments, and transportation to/from work sites. Pre-trip preparations also include training and cultural education specific to the work sites chosen; the work week itself consists of learning from all available community resources. The process is continuous and aims to include all Penn undergraduates that are interested in leading and learning from such a unique experience.

III. MEMBER SELECTION

Member selections occur three times per year. In the Spring, after trips have taken place and have been evaluated, all participants and Site Leaders interested in staying involved the following year will submit their name and contact information to the Communications Coordinator so they can be easily contacted the following Fall. Participants and Site Leaders who are interested in applying to become part of the Coordinator Board and who meet the requirements outlined in the descriptions apply in April for positions and are selected by the current Board members. Outgoing Coordinators seeking to remain on the Board must reapply regardless of the position they are seeking and must abstain in the vote to fill the position they are seeking. Site Leaders apply in early October, interview in mid-October, and are selected by the Board in late October. Participants apply in early November and are chosen for (are matched up with) their sites by mid-November. Every attempt will be made to inform persons of their selections by a personal telephone call; in the event that a person is unreachable via telephone, board members will resort to email or letter. Only persons who are undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania are eligible for selection as a coordinator, Site Leader, or participant. Special consideration will be made for graduate students and students studying abroad during the selection process; however, the ultimate decision rests with the Board.

IV. OFFICERS

The Board of Alternate Spring Break consists of undergraduate students with prior ASB experience. They must be enrolled in classes on Penn's campus for the entire school year. The Board functions together as a collaborative group to discuss, plan, and perpetuate the mission of Alternate Spring Break at Penn. There are six board members, called "Coordinators," and their roles are defined as follows:

Head Coordinator - This coordinator has at least one year of involvement in Alternate Spring Break and preferably either site-leading experience or coordinator experience prior to being selected for this position. The Head Coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Planning and running coordinator meetings
• Reinitiating ASB each September and maintaining prior summer contact
• Evaluating the program each spring after all trips have been completed
• Acting as a liaison between the group and the Office of Student Life
• Overseeing the decisions of the coordinators including the selection of sites and participants
• Acting as alternate SAC representative
• Assisting all other coordinators and filling their positions in their absence
• Continuing to maintain the goals and purposes of Alternate Spring Break

Financial Coordinator - This coordinator has at least one year of involvement in Alternate Spring Break. The Financial Coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Acting as primary representative to SAC and ensuring that ASB meets all SAC requirements for funding
• Conducting all financial transactions of the group and keeping accurate and organized records of such transactions
• Keeping the Board, Site Leaders, and participants informed about the group's financial situation
• Ensuring reimbursement of ASB-related expenses for Board and other group members

Public Relations & Recruitment Coordinator - This coordinator has at least one year of involvement in Alternate Spring Break. The Public Relations Coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Coordinating and staffing ASB's participation in NSO in September and recruitment of new participants during this time
• Coordinating and staffing ASB's participation in Activities Day, Volunteer Fair, Community Service Night, and other events at Civic House and on Locust Walk; facilitating publicity and recruitment at each of these events
• Producing flyers and other materials promoting Alternate Spring Break
• Assisting Communications Coordinator in maintenance of webpage
• Coordinating all publicity of group
• Planning and publicizing two or three Alternate Spring Break information sessions in November and making sure applications are available to potential participants at each of these sessions
• Assisting in filling vacancies in trips

Site Development Coordinator - This coordinator has at least one year of involvement in Alternate Spring Break, and preferably has previous experience as a Site Leader. The Site Development Coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Researching potential sites during the summertime
• Contacting potential sites in September and early October to evaluate for suitability
• Keeping board members informed of potential sites
• Advising board members in site selection in mid-October
• Registering ASB's participation in sites through Collegiate Challenge and Break Away
• Working with Financial Coordinator to ensure that all appropriate deposits are paid
• Establishing routine contact with key persons at each site and assisting Site Leaders in maintaining this contact until trips take place in March
• Evaluating merit of future participation in past sites for future Board

Site Leader Training Coordinator - This coordinator has at least one year of involvement in Alternate Spring Break, and preferably has previous experience as a Site Leader. The Site Leader Training Coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Coordinating application, interviewing, and selection of Site Leaders in October
• Facilitating bonding between Board and Site Leaders through community service days, group outings, and social gatherings
• Advising Board on Site Leader trip pairings following selection in October
• Determining training methods necessary to prepare Site Leaders for responsibility of trips
• Implementing all training methods so as to ensure that all Site Leaders are fit to lead trips and are comfortable in their leadership roles

Communications Coordinator - This coordinator has at least one year of involvement in Alternate Spring Break. The Communications Coordinator's responsibilities include:

• Keeping and publishing contact information of all members (Board, Site Leaders, participants)
• Recording minutes of all board meetings and distributing them to members
• Maintaining group's webpage and email account, and answering all correspondence
• Securing vans for driving sites and ensuring all drivers are van-certified by the University of Pennsylvania Police Department
• Attending CHAC meetings and report happenings back to Board
• Planning and maintaining collaborative efforts between ASB and other community service groups, including CHAC
• Helping facilitate communication amongst all members of the group

In the event that any of the above positions is vacated, the Head Coordinator will either assume or delegate the responsibilities of the position or decide upon a replacement for the remainder of the term. In the event that the duties of persons in the above positions are not being fulfilled, the same procedure for vacated office will go into effect.

V. SITE LEADERS

In addition to the seven-member Board, Alternate Spring Break also relies on Site Leaders, for which there will be two per trip. Site Leaders must be full-time undergraduate Penn students who are enrolled in classes on Penn's campus. While Site Leaders are not board members, they play integral roles in the success of each trip, and therefore in the success of Alternate Spring Break as an organization. Site Leaders must have previous involvement with Alternate Spring Break as participants and should exhibit special enthusiasm and commitment to coordinating all of the plans for their respective sites. The responsibilities of each Site Leader include:

• Initiating and maintaining contact with the site
• Researching and confirming all logistics pertaining to site, including but not limited to travel directions and housing arrangements
• Determining fundraising options and coordinate fundraising activities before trip
• Planning the events of the Spring Break week
• Preparing an informative manual for site participants
• Delegating responsibilities among the participants at the site
• Staying informed about and providing guidance for all that pertains to the site
• Working with Board and fellow Site Leader to incorporate and resolve all financial issues and educational components into the site preparations
• Motivating participants during week and facilitate intra-group bonding
• Providing a forum whereby participants can maintain contact following return to Penn

VI. PARTICIPANT SELECTION

Membership status in Alternate Spring Break is accomplished solely through participation in a Spring Break trip. The process by which Participants are chosen/matched is as follows:

• Potential participant obtains application from information sessions or webpage and completes application indicating personal interests, background, and preferred sites for spring break ranked in order preference
• The Board will read all applications and attempt to place potential participants in the site of their choice until the maximum capacity for that site is already met or if the potential participant does not indicate sufficient interest or desire to commit
• In the event that there are more people interested in attending than spots exist, travelers will be chosen on the basis of their willingness to go to alternate sites, their unique interests in each site, and their willingness to contribute to the mission of Alternate Spring Break.
• The Board's aim is to fill all participant spots for each trip, and members will work to deal with drop-outs appropriately by utilizing a waiting-list for each site and calling upon waiting-list members to fill open spots

VII. PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITIES

Participant responsibilities include:

• Attendance at all meetings called by Site Leaders or Coordinator Board except in cases of serious academic or personal conflict
• Enthusiasm for all stages of preparation and execution of ASB
• Financial commitment of nonrefundable deposit in December, prior to Winter Break; the remaining trip cost is to be paid in February. Money can be raised by various means, and participants are encouraged to fundraise to finance their trips. Every effort will be made by the Board to include and allow participation of students demonstrating financial need.
• Participation in fundraising and planning activities for the member's site
• If a member cannot fulfill responsibilities, they must forfeit participation in the Spring Break week

VIII. SITE SELECTION

The selection of sites takes place during the month of October. The Site Development Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and guiding this process. Sites are selected from at least two sources, including but not limited to Habitat for Humanity through the Collegiate Challenge program, and Break Away, a Spring Break community service organization sponsored by Vanderbilt University. In determining sites, the goal of Alternate Spring Break is to minimize cost to participants and maximize the impact of the experience upon participants. ASB seeks to organize approximately eight trips per Spring Break and each trip is designed to accommodate approximately 14 students including both Site Leaders. Typically four sites are affiliated with Habitat for Humanity and the other four are affiliated with other established community service organizations. The Board seeks to coordinate trips that enable students to participate in a wide variety of community service experiences, for example, construction of homes for low-income families in both urban and rural settings, working with children, and helping to clean up the environment.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Finances are handled year-round primarily by the Financial Coordinator, with the help of the Board. Alternate Spring Break is a very costly activity because the expenses include:

• Transportation costs for every trip taken (flying, driving, or train)
• Housing costs during the Spring Break week
• Food costs during the Spring Break week
• Donations for each site required by Collegiate Challenge and/or Break Away
• Operating expenses of the organization (publicity, etc.)
• Educational material expenses

Alternate Spring Break seeks to raise money from outside sources so as to defray the costs of all trips. ASB also seeks to send any interested student on a trip and will therefore attempt to financially assist needy students. Funding primarily comes from the Student Activities Council; however, outside sources can include any contributions from University organizations, profits from student-run fundraisers, and private donations.

X. MEETINGS

Meetings will be called according to the specific needs of members throughout the trip preparation process. The Board assembles approximately once per week throughout the school year to make decisions, allocate tasks, discuss goals and ideas, and keep informed of important developments. Approximately two introductory meetings will be held in November to cultivate interest and disseminate information. Once Site Leaders are selected, their training will consist of 6-10 meetings with the Board for education, organization, and later, evaluation. Once the site groups are selected, Site Leaders are to meet with their participants approximately 3-4 times to inform participants of responsibilities and developments, to bond, and to participate in fundraising events. All meetings will be casual, discussion-oriented, and held whenever possible in Civic House. Participants are encouraged to participate in additional ASB-sponsored community service events throughout the year.

XI. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROCESS

Any changes in structure, constitution, or goals will be addressed when interested members introduce concerns or suggestions for changes. The Board will convene and evaluate the feasibility and necessity for change; the decision to implement change rests in the hands of the Board. Any amendments to the constitution must be passed by a two-thirds vote of the Board. The revised constitution will be used to guide future selections within Alternate Spring Break.

XII. AFFILIATIONS

Alternate Spring Break is affiliated on campus with Civic House, primarily due to the service-oriented nature of the organization. This affiliation is to provide administrative support and resources to the organization and keep the University informed about the actions of ASB.

Alternate Spring Break is a member of the Civic House Associates Coalition. This affiliation provides a forum for networking and cooperating amongst various community service groups on campus.

XIII. RATIFICATION

This constitution has been ratified by a unanimous vote of the Board of Coordinators and is effective immediately, September 29, 2003.

Serve others, find yourself