Complementary Learning

The 2024-2025 complementary learning cycle is underway running from Sept. 1, 2024 - Aug. 31, 2025. Beginning next week the Honors office will begin the continuation review of all student accounts, assessing whether or not each student earned the required 20 hours in the previous cycle. Students who did not reach 20 hours will be moved into "conditional" standing and will have the fall semester to make up their hours deficit. The office will review accounts again during the Dec. / Jan. break and students' standing will be updated accordingly. Please remember:

• Submit your hours contemporaneously - within 30 days of when you took part in the activity
• The maximum number of hours that can be submitted for one activity is 15
• All submissions must be made through the Honors webform - we no longer use the CLCE submission site 
• If you are unsure if an activity will count for complementary learning send us an email first
• And always reach out to honors@rit.edu with any questions, or stop in the office to ask us about complementary learning

Some kinds of learning are best accomplished outside the classroom, so an important part of the Honors Program is participation in activities that complement traditional academic work. Complementary learning activities typically involve service to the community, and participating in events that expose students to new cultures or challenge their ways of thinking about their relationship to the larger society.

Check out the Honors Handbook for information about what counts as complementary learning and how to report what you've done.

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 - but they are in no way 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. 

TAW connects design students to industry professionals through their annual fall speaker conference. They are seeking volunteers to help during prep week (packing welcome bags, folding pamphlets, making decorations) as well as for during the conference (assisting check-in, info-tables, and guiding attendees). Volunteers will recieve free entry to the entire conference and will have full access to all speaker talks, panels, and networking events. Their first volunteer interest meeting is on Firday Sept 20th from 4-5pm in Booth 46212. Sign up using this form! 

Saturday, October 5th, 2024 from 10:00am-1:00pm. A bus will leave promptly from the Sentinel Statue at 10 a.m, taking students to Mount Hope Cemetery. Register for the event and learn more HERE!

Join Into the ROC as we help The Daffodil Project clean up for fall and prepare for thousands of spring blooms!The Mount Hope Cemetery is where many famous Rochesterians are buried, including Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. The Daffodil Project was started in 2022 and has planted over 20,000 daffodil bulbs throughout the cemetery as a sign of hope and peace. Projects for the day will include: raking leaves, cleaning pathways, and digging holes.

Join Into the ROC for Genesee Country Village & Museum's Agricultural Fair!

Celebrate the bountiful Western NY harvest as the Museum shines in its finest fall colors! Enjoy livestock and cooking demonstrations, entertainment for the whole family, and browsing for unique finds at the market in the tradition of the country fairs. Visit the historic village, art museum, and nature center. Explore exhibitions in more than 150 categories of judged baked goods, preserves, hand-made needlecrafts, photography, and 19th-century industrial arts.

There will be two buses for this event, which will be on rotation every half hour. The first bus will leave promptly from the Sentinel Statue at 10 a.m.

Please visit myaccess.rit.edu to request access services. 

Registration: Into The ROC: Genesee Country Village & Museum Agricultural Fair - Center For Leadership And Civic Engagement (rit.edu)

With the Presidential election just 40 days away, this month's speaker couldn't be more timely! Join your Honors peers in dialogue with Presidential historian Timothy Naftali, a graduate of Yale, Johns Hopkins and Harvard, and a senior research scholar on International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Naftali is a regular contributor on CNN, highlighting his deep knowledge of US Presidential history and our unique approach to the electoral process. Naftali is the author, co-author or editor of 8 books, including the biography of George H. W. Bush in the American Presidents’ series.

In this highly polarized and partisan moment this is an opportunity to move past the noise of the race to investigate and discuss the politics of the moment and the potential impacts on our society and the world. Naftali's expertise in foreign affairs will help participants look beyond the Americentric view of the race and think about how the outcome will impact global politics and policies and potentially change our standing in the world. 

Participants meet with Dr. Lutzer off campus for breakfast on Sat., Oct 5 to review preparatory texts and plan for the discussion. Then join your peers in the small group dialogue on Thurs., Oct. 10 at the Irondequoit County Club, meeting with Naftali before enjoying a wonderful dinner and listening to his prepared remarks. 

RSVP on CampusGroups: World Affairs Council - Presidential Historian Timothy Naftali - Honors (rit.edu) 

Join your fellow tigers in welcoming families and friends for this annual campus-wide tradition. Shifts are available at the information booth, driving guests in golf carts (valid driver's license and brief training required), and at the fun night. Follow this link to sign up: Brick City volunteer registration. 

Help spread some spooky vibes this Halloween! The Center for Disability Rights in Rochester is hosting a Trunk or Treat event for children with disabilities at Innovative Field in Downtown Rochester.

This is a community service opportunity with many different ways to engage. An email will be sent to all participants to share details on the myriad of different service opportunities at this event. You will be asked to complete a short training and waiver before this event to ensure compliance with RIT's Youth Protection Policy. This will be sent out to you via email.

To register follow this link: Trunk or Treat

Together RIT creates a space to ask questions, empathize, build solidarity, and give recognition to our coexistence as creators, learners, scholars and peers. The day is an opportunity to highlight the positive contributions, joy and pride that all kinds of doers, communicators and learners experience. Having a diverse student body and workforce made up of a large Deaf community, neurodivergent individuals and people with disabilities is something that we need to better leverage and understand.

The event 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.

For more information follow this link: 2024 Together RIT

Come join RIT Sustainability as we destress on the top of GIS rooftop. We will be weeding the gardens as we prepare it for the winter months. We will not be providing gloves so if you need any, please bring your own. You can stay for as little or as long as you would like. Please wear closed toe shoes.

Follow this link to register: Rooftop Restoration

Volunteer with the Friends of Washington Grove as we work to remove invasive species and perform basic trail maintenance in Rochester's old-growth forest!

You will be given the opportunity to tour the area with a guide before trail maintenance begins. Free transportation will be provided. The bus will depart from the Sentinel Statue promptly at 10 a.m. Please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather (comfortable clothes that can get dirty and closed toed shoes). Water and work gloves will be provided.

In case of severe weather (thunderstorm, windstorm, ice storm, etc.) you will receive an email from gacrli@rit.edu the morning of the event. In this case, a rain date is scheduled on Sunday, October 27 from 10a.m. -1p.m.

If you require ASL interpretation or access services of any kind, please reach out directly to RIT Access Services to make a request.

Register here: Into The ROC: Friends Of Washington Grove - Center For Leadership And Civic Engagement (rit.edu)

Discover the history of queer art as it has achieved greater prominence in recent years. The Queering Democracy exhibit at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center invites artists to showcase their art as a poignant response to alarming rise of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation sweeping the nation. There are currently over 540 state-legislated bills threatening the rights and needs of non-binary individuals, including targeted measures against transgender people. From restricting Drag performances to censoring school curriculum and banning books, the echoes of past discrimination are hauntingly reminiscent.

A bus will be departing from the Sentinel Statue promptly at 1pm.

Follow this link to register: Queering Democracy

Join in on RIT's annual Giving Tuesday event on Tuesday, November 19th. 300 RIT volunteers will be teaming up with US Hunger to package and prepare 30,000 nutritious meals for RIT FoodShare & Rochester's FoodLink.

With music booming, lentils flying, and a sea of orange hairnets, volunteers will work together to create a truly dynamic experience...and the by-product? Healthy meals packaged for hungry community members along the way.

 Follow this link to register: Hunger Project 

With direction from Humanities NY, Honors program Assistant Director Garth Freeman will be leading a series of reading and discussion sessions meant to engage students in dialogue around what it means to serve. This text-based discussion forum will use selections of poems and excerpts from larger works taken from The Civically Engaged Reader to generate dialogues about our roles and responsibilities as citizens and members of our local, regional, and global communities. These sessions will activate ideas about how we can individually and collectively address social challenges and work towards positive change in our personal and professional lives. These one-hour sessions will count towards Complementary Learning. Dates and additional details to be shared next week.

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!

Volunteer at the National Kidney Foundation

🌟 The National Kidney Foundation of Upstate and Western NY is on the lookout for passionate volunteers! Whether it's diving into administrative roles or capturing the heart of their events with photography - there's a spot for you! 📸
Connect with Kristen West Ryan for more information

• 📞 : 585.598.3963 x373

kristen.ryan@kidney.org
By volunteering, you’re not just helping out - you're championing the Kidney Foundation’s vital programs and showing immense love to our local Kidney Community.
🌐 Learn more: National Kidney Foundation

(Please note to submit hours to CLCE and select Honors as your associated club/org to receive comp learning!)

Volunteer with Shift2

🌟Shift2 is a non profit organization on a mission to maximize the usefulness of existing technology to make a positive impact on people’s lives. They are conveniently located on Jefferson road.

Volunteer Duties Include:

• Wiping hard drives
• Troubleshooting devices
• Installing Operating Systems
• Physically cleaning computers
• Dismantling and recycling parts
• Sorting RAMs for resell
• Matching Computer Monitors

Available Monday- Friday anytime from 9am-6pm
📧Contact Lisa M. Muhammad at lisa@shift2nfp.org for more information.

Volunteer at Deaf Refugee Advocacy

Seeking enthusiastic volunteers to further their mission. Presently, they have openings for the following positions:

1. Teacher Resource Aide: Assisting in teaching ASL, English, and other subjects to our students.
2. Special Projects: Involvement in various special initiatives.
3. Transportation Provider: Offering support to clients requiring transportation to and from the office or specific locations.

Should you have any queries about volunteering, training, or require further information, please don't hesitate to contact them at
📧 (inquiry@deafrefugeeadvocacy.org) or via video phone 585-286-3440.

Volunteer with Tru-impact

Join TRU-Impact Inc. and Empower Rochester's Youth!
🌟 Passionate about making a difference? TRU-impact is looking for student volunteers to tutor and mentor local youth. Be a part of a dynamic team, helping children reach their full potential!

📚 Schedule: 1-2 times a week, 4:30-6 pm, Mon-Thurs.

Contact TRU-impact:

📩 Deanna Baddley:
deanna@truimpactroc.org
🌐 Learn more: TRU-impact

The YWCA is a powerful resource in our community, helping women and girls by empowering them to regain control of their lives and get on the path to a healthy, successful future. YWCA is seeking volunteers who want to make a difference.
For more information, please reach out to April Allen at allen@ywcarochester.org or sign up here

Volunteer at the Willow Center

Willow Center is the only New York State certified domestic violence service provider serving Monroe County. Our mission is to prevent domestic violence and ensure every survivor has access to the services and supports needed along the journey to a safe and empowered life.
If interested, reach out to volunteer@WillowCenterNY.org

Volunteer at the League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. Volunteers help set up registration tables and engage in activities like postcard writing and distributing non-partisan literature.
If interested in volunteering, please fill out this form.

Volunteer at the the Agape Haven

We are a growing grassroots organization meeting needs of the under-served population, especially women and girls. We empower our community using a holistic approach by providing access to educational resource, social emotional support and food security. 

To volunteer, contact Julia Oakley at info@agapehavenofabundance.org or Sign up Here!

Volunteer with Flower City Pickers

Flower City Picker's mission is to support the local community with free food through the recovery and redistribution of safe but otherwise landfill-bound food. By enriching other hunger relief agencies and local farms, Flower City Pickers strives to establish and grow a platform for waste prevention and civic engagement. Since our start, we have recovered and redistributed one million pounds of food, keeping it in our neighbors' hands and bellies instead of the landfill.

Volunteers meet at the Rochester Public Market Saturdays between 2:30-4:00 pm to collect unsold food from the vendors that would otherwise be thrown away. These items are packaged and are then distributed to local agencies that directly serve the people in our community that can benefit from these donations. Follow this link for more information and to sign up: VOLUNTEER — FLOWER CITY PICKERS | FEEDING PEOPLE, NOT LANDFILLS

Volunteer with Rochester Greenovation

Rochester Greenovation helps people in Rochester NY keep things out of the landfill by running a second-hand store where you can donate items others can use, and where people on a budget can buy things at a very reasonable price. They sell a huge array of items needed for every-day living: furniture, clothes, tools, plates and glasses, pots and pans, as well as records, artwork, and odd bits of Rochester history and culture.

Volunteer at the store or to help with special projects by visiting: Volunteer — Rochester Greenovation (rocgreenovation.org)