What counts as service?
Service activities for UCA students are identified and tracked through GivePulse, the online platform UCA uses to allow nonprofit organizations, campus departments, and student groups to share and track service opportunities.
All service opportunities must meet the following criteria:
- Service hours must be completed in partnership with a nonprofit organization, government agency, or education institution, including UCA departments and organizations
- Service hours must be verified through GivePulse by a supervisor of the service activity or other representative of the host organization
Categorizing Service Impacts
GivePulse administrators have the right to dispute any and all impacts that fall into the disallowed category.
Type of Service | Definition | Example | Impact Type | Count as service hours? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Time spent directly or indirectly serving with a nonprofit or organization to meet a community need | Serving at the Conway animal shelter for 2 hours | Time | Yes |
| Money | Funds donated to organizations or the purchase of a good with a percentage being donated to a cause | Buying a cookie from Kassi's Cookies on percentage night | Money | No |
| Goods | Items donated to nonprofits or organizations that help meet a community need | Donating canned goods to the Bear Essentials Food Pantry | Goods | No |
| Research | Gathering & presenting information on an issue directly benefiting the community | Assisting in a lab on campus conducting research | Research | Yes |
| Training | Time spent being trained to work with a nonprofit or organization | Participating in the Bear Essentials Food Pantry orientation | Time | Yes |
| Voted | Voting in a federal, state, or local election | Voting in the 2024 Presidential election | Voted | No |
Service Activities:
The following examples are inclusive of activities that will count towards service. However, this list is not comprehensive of every example available at UCA. Additionally, service is not bound to UCA; students can serve on-campus, within Arkansas, or across the globe.
- Service-learning classes: Courses designated with a “service-learning” attribute that include a direct service, indirect service, research, or advocacy project in partnership with a campus or community organization
- Campus-wide service days: These are service events for all UCA Students to participate in together for one cause.
- Ex: First-Year Experience MobilePack meal packing event, Bear Boots on the Ground, The Big Event
- Campus-wide events: These are events that are hosted by University departments that are open to all students to participate.
- Ex: Move-In Day, Family Weekend, Brake for Bears, Commencement
- Episodic (one-time) service: These are events that happen once.
- Ex: Milestones playground clean-up, Conway ArtsFest art activities, Keep Arkansas Beautiful clean-up event, Green Bear Coalition campus garden work day
- Ongoing service: These are service opportunities that occur more than once over a period of time.
- Ex: SOS Leaders, Ambassadors, Boys & Girls club after-school volunteer, Bear Essentials Food Pantry volunteer, Religious Organization volunteer
- National service
- Ex: ROTC or military service
Disallowed Activities
The following activities cannot be counted towards your service requirement:
- Membership in and regular activities of a student organization
- Ex: Organizing a food or clothing drive as a member of Circle K does count as service; however, attending a Circle K meeting does not count as service.
- Activities that primarily constitute a change in lifestyle
- Ex: Volunteering at an animal shelter does count as service; fostering a dog does not count as service.
- Donating money, food, goods, or plasma, or attending an event for a philanthropic cause
- Ex: Time spent organizing a 5K whose proceeds benefit a philanthropic cause does count as service; running in the 5K does not count.
- Any service for which you are paid a salary or wage for your time
- Ex: Working at the Boys & Girls club as a part-time employee does not count.
How can my service hours be tracked?
Only service hours logged and verified through UCA’s GivePulse will be counted for UCA Commitment requirements, RSO service hours, and service cord recognition.
*Please note that administrators in GivePulse have the right to dispute any and all impacts that fall into the disallowed category.