Virginia Tech
EN-13: Community Service

School assistance and volunteer service leave provides paid leave for employees to provide voluntary services within their communities. Service may be provided through school assistance or as a volunteer of a community service organization as defined in Department of Human Resources Management Policy 4.40: School Assistance and Volunteer Service Leave. Full-time employees are provided up to 16 hours of paid leave per leave year. Part-time employees are provided leave proportionate to the percentage of hours they work. Leave is credited to current employees on Jan. 10 of each year. Newly eligible employees are credited School Assistance and Volunteer Service Leave immediately upon employment. https://www.hr.vt.edu/benefits/leave.html https://www.hr.vt.edu/content/dam/hr_vt_edu/benefits-perks/leave/schoolassistancevolunteerpolicy.pdf

Virginia Tech's motto is "Ut Prosim," That I May Serve. Service is a huge part of student life at Virginia Tech, and students participate in community service in hugely diverse ways. The Big Event: A national day of service throughout local communities. Virginia Tech boasts the largest Big Event participation in the US. In 2016, 9,200 students participated. Relay for Life: Another national community service event to raise awareness for cancer research. In 2015, 6,000 students participated. Relay for Life Planning Team: For the entire school year leading up to the Relay event, a team of 120 students runs events, has planning meetings, and sets up on the day of. Greek Life: All Greek Life chapters complete philanthropy projects every year. There are 4000 students who participate in Greek Life at VT. Greeks Giving Back: Greeks Giving Back is a student-run organization that seeks to actively promote unity between the Blacksburg Community and Greek Life at Virginia Tech through a day of service. This event is the largest of its kind along the East Coast, having over 900 participants this past fall. YMCA at Virginia Tech: The YMCA works to build leaders in Virginia Tech students, offering over 11 programs in which they can participate and gain valuable experience while contributing to their community. Last year, 1500 students volunteered with the Y. Corps of Cadets: The mission of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is to graduate leaders of exemplary character who are instilled with the values and skills essential for leadership success in service to the nation. Last year there were 1000 cadets. VT Engage: VT Engage seeks to inspire more thoughtful, active citizens by fostering community-university partnerships that improve the quality of life for people within our community. Last year, 370 students volunteered on VT Engage projects. SERVE: The Students Engaging and Responding through Volunteer Experiences Living Learning Community (SERVE LLC) was launched in the 2009-2010 academic year with a mission of creating a nurturing living-learning community that fosters personal growth and civic responsibility. Virginia Tech Volunteer Rescue Squad: This group of volunteer students respond to 911 calls made from campus and the nearby areas. They are EMT trained and are the first responders to emergency situations on campus. Alpha Phi Omega (APO): Alpha Phi Omega is a national coeducational service organization founded on the principles of Leadership, Friendship and Service. Chi Delta Alpha (XDA): Chi Delta Alpha is Virginia Tech's only all-female service organization open to all women on campus. The sorority contributes to the New River Valley through numerous service efforts. Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEP): The mission of this service fraternity is to promote an atmosphere of health and well being through service, leadership, and example. Alpha Omega Kappa (AOK): We aim to help the community and participate in various philanthropies. Alpha Sigma Phi: (ASP): To Better the Man, through the creation and perpetuation of brotherhood founded upon the values of character… Silence, Charity, Purity, Honor, Patriotism. Delta Chi Gamma: Delta Chi Gamma is an Honor Sorority founded at Virginia Tech in Spring 2014. Delta Chi Gamma is based on Service and Scholarship. Delta Psi Nu (Dynasty): Delta Psi Nu is a local co-ed fraternity for undergraduate students founded in 2011 to inspire leadership within its brothers and contribute to the local community. Sigma Alpha Lambda (SAL): SAL works to promote academic excellence, provide a harmonious work environment that fosters close relationships, and engage students in meaningful service projects. Sigma Alpha: Sigma Alpha is a professional agricultural sorority that promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship among its members. Service-learning is defined by Virginia Tech as “a course or competency based credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.” VT Engage works with faculty to coordinate service-learning components into classes. VT Engage personnel paired students with 39 community organizations throughout the region, giving students a variety of projects to volunteer with in a meaningful way throughout the semester. Community organizations benefit from having regularly scheduled volunteers who are dedicated to the organization throughout the semester, as opposed to receiving one-time volunteers. During the 2014-15 academic year, 1,977 students in 103 courses participated through VT Engage’s service learning program. Each student completed an estimated 10 - 15 hours of service.