W & L Bonner Leader Position Descriptions
 

Washington and Lee has two types of positions within its Bonner Leader program: Bonner-Americorps positions and Bonner Leader-“alone” positions. 

It is the case that the Bonner Leader program has students filling both types of positions.  Students eligible for either who are selected for the program may choose which type of position they wish to receive, but they are asked to indicate their preferred position on their application forms.  All choices must be finalized before one officially enrolls.   The number of slots for both types of positions is always limited; the number of Bonner-Americorps slots is always less than the number of Bonner-alone slots available.  In general, there are between 7-12 slots available overall in any recruitment season.

Both types of positions involve the commitment to 900 hours of community service (of which 150 can be training and enrichment hours) and to the group’s monthly meeting and group service experiences.  Both also carry a tuition-and-expenses award of $500.00 per semester each of the 4 semesters one participates in the program, applied directly to one’s Washington and Lee account – a total of $2000.00.  The University provides this award money in recognition of students’ Bonner commitments.  Both types of positions carry some restrictions on one’s service: namely, you cannot count hours spent fundraising and clerical work unless these are directly related to other service work you are doing that brings you into contact with people, generally with clients; and you cannot count work done for a political party.   In addition, both types of position involve a code of ethics and conduct for one’s service sites. 

Bonner-Americorps positions carry an additional remunerative aspect: upon completion of one’s two years of service, one receives education award vouchers whose value totals approximately $2400.00 (values may fluctuate by up to $100.00, depending on the national rates set by Americorps).   These award vouchers may be applied to any future tuition/fees by an accredited educational institution, including tuition and fees at W & L, if a student has remaining semesters. 

            To be eligible for Bonner-Americorps positions, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, and you must provide documentation of that citizenship or permanent residence.

            Bonner-Americorps positions have certain additional restrictions, based upon national rules about service in Americorps:

            --your service must take place within the boundaries of the United States;

            --your service cannot have as its sponsoring agency a religiously-based

                        organization.

            --if your service involves political advocacy, an Americorps official must certify that it does not qualify as party-based or partisan political activity, and this restriction may prohibit counting hours for some activities that are not sponsored directly by political parties

Each person is eligible to receive two education awards from Americorps during her or his lifetime. The award vouchers that you receive at the end of your Bonner-Americorps term of service count as one of your two lifetime awards. 

If a Bonner-Americorps position-holder enters a program during his or her term of Bonner-Americorps service in which there is separate and discrete Americorps education award available (for example, the Shepherd Program Alliance internships), he or she must make a choice: either one can "log" the hours for one’s Washington and Lee Bonner-Americorps term of service, under the restrictions that apply to countable hours; or one can accept the other education award and not log the hours for one’s Bonner-Americorps term of service.

Bonner-“alone“ positions may be held by any enrolled undergraduate student regardless of citizenship or residence status.  These positions carry the $500/semester ($2000.00 total) University award, but students who hold those positions do not receive Americorps award vouchers at the end of their terms of service.

            Students holding this kind of position are exempt from the restrictions on religiously-affiliated organizations sponsoring service, and they are also exempt from the requirement that all service take place within the boundaries of the United States.