By Myriah Saulnier
The co-curricular record program is in its second year and close to 1,800 students are profiting from its use, yet still more than half of the student body are failing to reap the benefits.
The co-curricular record is an official college document that tracks a student’s college-affiliated leadership and volunteer involvement. It’s an online database system where students can go in and choose activities that they want to volunteer for or if they have already participated in something, add it to their record.
“It’s a great tracking tool for students who volunteer because it stays on the record permanently and is available online, so you can still access it from any country or any part of the world that has internet access,” explains program coordinator Rebecca Sun.
The program directly benefits students by helping them stand out in their particular field and can complement a resume, scholarship or any type of application where they want to highlight their skills outside of the classroom.
“Being in police foundations, I need to show recruiters the skill value I have gained by volunteering,” said Chris Brown, a second-year police foundations student. “This is a great way to have all my documentation to pass onto them that might give me an advantage over other candidates, making me more valuable to the police force.”
Brown helps to promote the program and has volunteered for a variety of activities such as participating with Spread the Net, being a residence advisor, and teaching English on the alternative spring break Dominican Republic trip.
“It’s a great reflection tool, and a great way to educate people and give back to the community,” said Brown.
Accessing a student CCR has become easier with a new system that allows one to access it online rather than go through a program coordinator. Now, all a student has to do is login to their ACSIS account, select MyCareerZone and then the CCR Tab at the top of the page.
From here, the student can search for activities or organizers’ contact information, add activities to their profile that have been completed, request to add a new activity to the CCR database and even print out a copy of their CCR.
Perth and Pembroke campuses have joined this year to offer the Co-Curricular program as well.
Jodi McComb, an executive office administration student from the Perth campus, said she has enjoyed every minute of her time volunteering at the college. She has volunteered for the Perth campus United Way Campaign, and was involved in Christmas caroling and parades.
“I hope that in my future having a CCR will help future employers see that I am committed to more than just the nine to five hours and that I am willing to give back to customers or clients and help out the company to the best of my ability,” McComb said.
This year, there were around 900 approved applications, which includes duplicates from students who have one or more activities accepted.
“It’s a nice way for students to venture out, meet new people, try different things and also connect with the community,” said Sun. “You never know if you will make that connection and get that job in the end based on a networking opportunity.”