Complementary Learning
Complementary Learning
Complementary Learning is an integral part of the Honors experience at RIT that supports student participation in activities that complement traditional academic work.
There are three main categories of activity that are approved for complementary learning:
Volunteerism and Service - Volunteering your time and talents to a nonprofit or community agency (RIT is a non-profit) without being compensated in any way.
Leadership - Engaging in leadership through named leadership positions on campus groups or organizations, taking part in leadership development programs like the CLCE's momentum program, serving as a delegate on Honors Council, as an Orientation Leader, Honors Orientation Mentor, or and Resident Assistant.
Participation in the Cultural or Intellectual Life of the University - Attending university or college-wide lectures and participating in university or community facilitated group discussions.
Activities that are academic in nature or are considered professional development are not approved for complementary learning. Check the Honors Handbook for more detailed information about what counts as complementary learning, how to report what you've done, and how many hours you need each year to maintain good standing in the program. Here are a few reminders to help you stay on track:
- The complementary learning cycle runs from Sept. 1 - Aug. 31 each year
- Complementary learning is an annual requirement that does not accumulate year over year (check your entry year handbook for specific information)
- The maximum number of hours you can submit for any one activity or for activities with a single organization is 15 hours
- Hours should be submitted contemporaneously, within a month of the activity
- Progress towards your annual requirement is checked after the cycle closes in August. If at that time you have not met the annual requirement you will be placed into conditional standing and will have one semester to make up any deficit from the previous cycle
Need help submitting your complementary learning hours?
Current and Ongoing Opportunities:
Please see below events and activities that are approved by the Honors Program office for Complementary Learning. This webpage is updated regularly to add new opportunities; however, the events listed here are not the only activities you can take part in to earn complementary learning hours. Please reach out to the Honors office if you have any questions.
Walking for Rochester Community Cleanup with SLC
Walking for Rochester is a non-profit organization dedicated to picking up trash off our streets. If you're looking to get involved in community efforts and reducing littering, this is for you! WFR cleanup events typically last about one hour and make sure you check in at the table before picking up litter! We provide gloves, bags, buckets and litter grabbers at every event—no need to bring your own unless preferred. Learn more about Walking for Rochester here, and register for the event on CampusGroups here.
Sep 26
1PM - 2PM
Meet at the Sentinel at 12:30 for pick-up
Location: Intersection of North Clinton and Andrews St.
Complementary Learning Category: Volunteerism and Service
Volunteer for the Rochester Fringe Festival
As a non-profit organization, the Rochester Fringe Festival relies on the kind hearts and strong shoulders of those who love the Fringe. They are looking for outgoing, dependable and friendly candidates to usher, scan tickets, help with production and pre-production activities and generally fill in wherever an extra hand is needed. If you are a returning volunteer, click this link. If you are a new volunteer, click this link.
Sep 15-26
Off-campus
Complementary Learning Category: Service and Volunteerism
Volunteer for Brick City Weekend
Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend is a longstanding RIT tradition of celebrating families, students, alumni, staff, and friends of the University with one spectacular weekend in October. Volunteers are needed to ensure that this event runs smoothly. Sign up here, and for more information about Brick City Weekend, click here.
Oct 16-18
On Campus
Complementary Learning Category: Service and Volunteerism
Together RIT
Together RIT creates a space to ask questions, empathize, build solidarity, and give recognition to our unique experiences. The day is also an opportunity to highlight the positive contributions, joy and pride that come along with identifying with a particular religion, faith, or spirituality. It is a day to seek understanding of political divisions in order to discover what we also have in common.
Together RIT will provide RIT faculty, staff, students, and alums with the opportunity to share their work, passions, ideas, informed critiques, initiatives, performances, and artistic projects. Together RIT is a brave and accountable space, so different perspectives are welcomed. Proposals have closed for this year's Together RIT, but you can volunteer for the event by clicking on this link.
October 23, 2026 from 10:00am - 4:00pm
On Campus
Complementary Learning Category: Service and Volunteerism
Fram Signature Lecture with Kerrie Holley
Kerrie Holley is a technologist and engineer whose career spans more than five decades of computing. Since beginning his career in 1969, he has engineered systems across a variety of technology eras, from banking mainframes and the web to e-commerce, cloud financial platforms, and AI-powered healthcare. Holley has helped create technology at some of today’s most influential companies, including Google, Cisco, IBM, and Optum, the world’s largest healthcare company. His contributions to technology have been recognized through his induction into the National Academy of Engineering (2023) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2025). More Information about this event can be found here.
Nov 3
3:30pm - 5:00 pm
Ingle Auditorium
Complementary Learning Category: Engaging in the intellectual and cultural life of the university
momentum I
momentum is a portfolio of leadership development programs designed to introduce students to and cultivate the core competencies needed to step into key leadership roles on campus and in the Rochester community. Momentum I is RIT’s centralized leadership launchpad to introduce students to meaningful competency development and to increase their sense of belonging through connections to key leadership opportunities, including Orientation Leaders, Resident Advisors, RIT 365 co-facilitators, and student club and organization e-board roles. After completion of momentum I, students can go on to momentum II & III. Learn more about the program here and register here.
Varying dates and times
CPC-2610/2650 Bamboo Rooms
Complementary Learning Category: Leadership Activity
International Conversation Partner Program
The International Conversation Partner Program is a campus-wide program in which students, both domestic and international, meet in groups and immerse themselves in each other's cultures. The implementation of groups ensures that there is more flexibility for conversation and less pressure on a single partner to always attend. The program is no longer a Mandatory English only hour and participants are welcome to speak in whatever language they would prefer. Apply for the program now using this link!
Complementary Learning Category: Engaging in the intellectual and cultural life of the university
SMASH THE CRASH
Did you know that more than 1 billion birds die per year from fatal window collisions in the United States? That’s nearly 2,000 birds/minute, making buildings one of the top human-caused threats to avian wildlife. Join Smash the Crash to help put an end to this preventable environmental problem. They are an RIT-based university-and-community initiative devoted to studying and preventing bird-window collisions.
If you are interested in getting experience with scientific research and working on a team committed to campus sustainability, please email them at SmashtheCrashROC@gmail.com. They're currently looking for volunteers who can dedicate 30-60 minutes every week to monitoring the campus for collisions. No past experience is needed; training will be provided for new volunteers. Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome to join. Need more info? Click here. Feel free to email Dr. Fadok (rxfgla@rit.edu) with any questions you may have. This is also a vertically integrated project.
Various Dates and Times
On Campus
Complementary Learning Category: Volunteering & Service
Breaking Bread Program
The Breaking Bread program is facilitated By Dr. Taj Smith, Executive Director for Community and Education, Division of Access, Engagement, and Success. This program offers a group of participants a practice opportunity to learn how to dialogue rather than debate. Debate is often focused on winning. Dialogue focuses on how we can effectively communicate our ideas, make connections and demonstrate empathy. Registration for events is encouraged, but drop-ins are allowed for the special edition options. There are 5-week commitments and also one-time events that can be looked at under the Programs section on this webpage. Register for these events here.
Circle 1: Fat, thin, tall, and short: Is size bias stereotypes, or discrimination a thing at RIT?
October 5th, 19th and 26th
3:00pm - 4:00pm
CPC 2050
Special Edition Circles
Is resisting AI worth it? September 29th 11:30am - 1:00pm
Dominance, transitional, or liberated: What kind of world do you want to live in? October 27, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Class act: How do you experience socioeconomic status at home and at work? November 10, 11:30am - 1:00pm
SAU 1500
On Campus
Complementary Learning Category: Engaging in the Intellectual and Cultural Life of the University
Honors Council
Honors Council
Attend an Honors Council meeting to learn more about getting involved in the Honors Program! Council meetings are a great way to meet and talk to your college's delegate, hear updates on Honors events, and provide feedback and suggestions for what you want to see. Honors Council dates and locations for the fall semester will be announced soon.
Attending Council meetings counts for 1/2 hour of complementary learning.
Alternating Mondays from 8/31 at 4:00pm - 5:00PM
On Campus
Complementary Learning Category: Engaging in the Intellectual and Cultural Life of the University
Approved Virtual and Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer this summer by getting involved in your community - in person or virtually! There are many online organizations that run on volunteers. These include transcribing documents for the Smithsonian, captioning TEDTalks, and contributing to conservation efforts by tagging animals in photos.
A list of approved virtual opportunities can be found here.
A list of approved nonprofit organization volunteer opportunities can be found here.
If you find an opportunity not listed and would like it checked, send an email to honors@rit.edu to see if its eligible for comp learning.
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
Connect with Rochester! The CLCE has an ongoing list of local organizations looking for volunteers that can be found here. They have a variety of focuses to explore, including Food Justice, Housing, Community Development, Environment, Animal Welfare, Activism, Youth Development, Health and Wellness, and Parks and Recreation!
Check out our other opportunities below!
Testimonials
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“Throughout my experience with the American Cancer Society, I had the opportunity to learn about many different types of cancer, listen to the stories of many cancer survivors/fighters, educate others on cancer, and help bring awareness to the disease through a variety of activities. I had the opportunity to listen to many people's stories about how cancer affected them personally and relate to them and support them on an emotional level. I was able to help bring awareness to the disease by participating in many different fundraising events, and this opportunity helped me meet a new community of people who all shared the same interest. It taught me a lot about a relevant disease in our world currently and having the ability to come together with a group of people and participate in different events to raise awareness was very meaningful to me. I felt like this opportunity helped me feel welcomed in the RIT community, and I feel like I gained a lot from the social and intellectual aspects of my comp learning.”
-Mikayla Leibenguth CHST
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“It's really easy to get bogged down with the expectations you fail to meet for yourself. Then you start just focusing on all the things you can't do and you fail to realize all the things you can. This year's comp learning helped me to realize that there is nothing wrong with changing your goals and expectations if you need to because at the end of the day, any efforts are better than none.”
-Isaac Buswell COS
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“Complementary Learning helped me begin to find my place in the RIT and Rochester Area Community. As a first-year student, Complementary Learning helped me start exploring the Greater Rochester Area through the Into the ROC activities. I also learned more about the different organizations and opportunities on the RIT campus to help other students such as RIT Food Share. When I returned home on winter break, I was excited to get involved and connected with my community again through the FIRST Robotics Tournament”
-Rachael Tobey CET
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“Many of the hours I completed for complementary learning this year were focused on leadership for alpha Kappa Delta Phi and other organizations I am passionate about. This leadership position has taught me how to effectively voice my opinions and communicate effectively with other members of the organization, the International Leadership Board, and other organizations on campus. Additionally, it taught me how to organize weekly chapter/e-board meetings and lead workshops to fulfill our Risk Management requirement from International Leadership Board. This experience has given me the ability to separate my personal feelings in a professional environment, a skill necessary which was necessary for me to succeed in my internship/co-op that I took for summer 2022 and fall 2022.”
-Crystal Qu KGCOE
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"I've learned the importance of volunteers and those who donate their time, skills, and resources to the impoverished. Thanks to the help of volunteer lawyers, doctors, and even college students like me, we've helped keep these families afloat, whether it be through providing them with emergency food supplies, legal counsel they couldn't normally get, preventing shutoffs of their utilities, helping out with housing problems, and so much more. Even if it's just something little, the contributions of every volunteer matters."
-Albert Hynes GCCIS -
"I do not volunteer for the recognition. I volunteer because I care, I enjoy it and because I believe that it is a responsibility for all to partake in. A responsibility that entails giving back to others, giving back to those less fortunate, or to simply help others.”
-Zayneb Ghazle CHST