Officer Descriptions
Applicants to the CCESP have the opportunity to hold a leadership role within the team. These positions require extra time commitment and responsibility than that of the other participants on the CCESP. It is not required to have participated in the CCESP to apply to these positions—in fact, students new to the CCESP are very much encouraged to apply!
Three officer positions are recruited prior to the general application pool. These are the Student Director and Co-Seminar officers. During the general application deadline, students may apply for the leadership positions of Community Development Officer, Public Health Officer, Clinical Health Officer, Logistics Officer and Public Relations Officer.
To apply to an officer position, you must complete the officer application section of the application in addition to the general participant section. Below please find the officer descriptions for each position. In your application, you may designate up to three ranked preferences for officer positions. Please write the full name of the position in your application so it is clear for which positions you are applying.
Students who are new to the CCESP:
If you are new to the program, apply to an officer position and are not accepted for a position, your application will be added into the general pool of applicants. You will then be considered for a participant position on the CCESP. In the participant pool, all students will be judged on the merits of their general application, regardless of whether they applied for an officer position.
Students who have participated in the CCESP:
We only consider program veterans for officer positions—i.e. you may not participate in the CCESP again as a participant. Program veterans who are not accepted for an officer position will not have their application considered further. Students should also be aware that if you have participated in the Dominican Republic ASB, you are highly encouraged to apply for an officer position.
If you have questions about positions or the commitments and responsibilities they entail, blitz “Nicaragua.”
Position Descriptions
Student Director
The CCESP Nicaragua Student Director is a 12-15 hour a week paid position for summer, fall (will be up to 17 hours in fall term), winter, and spring term for the 2009-2010 year. The Student Director is advised by the Senior Officer, Community Service & Education Program Team - International Portfolio at Tucker and they devise structures to uphold the program's essential learning outcomes. The Student Director is responsible for coordinating and managing all aspects of a service learning trip to Nicaragua in December 2009 for a thirty-person team of undergraduates, medical students, and faculty. The Student Director also supervises a group of seven undergraduate student officers. The CCESP program is a faculty/student collaborative leadership and decision-making model that amplifies student leadership roles.
The Student Director must work collaboratively to coordinate with Tucker Staff, Dartmouth Medical School, and external NGO partners. The Student Director oversees the application process and selection of the next year's team, and helps facilitate transition between undergraduate student officers. The Student Director works with the Tucker Student Director for Research and Development on program assessment. The Student Director is also responsible for establishing goals for the future development of the program. The Nicaragua CCESP Student Director is a member of the Tucker Foundation Student Advisory Council.
Previous involvement in Nicaragua CCESP is not required for this position, but is preferred -- applicants who have previous experience with other service-learning programs are very welcome to apply. The Student Director must be dedicated and passionate about this CCESP, highly organized and detail-oriented. She or he must be able to be both a leader and part of a team. The Student Director should not have additional substantial extracurricular commitments during the fall and winter term. The Student Director will be asked to contribute to the interviewing and team selection process in the spring 2009 and will be engaged in some unpaid, ongoing training and decision-making before fall 2009. (Note: this position is filled prior to the general applicant pool.)
Seminar Officer
The Seminar Officers are a pair of students responsible for planning and implementing the pre-trip seminar which runs through the fall term 2009. This position requires substantial commitment during both the summer and fall terms (8-10 hrs/wk). The Seminar Officers develop a syllabus for the weekly two-hour preparatory seminar for the program during the summer term, and select summer reading for students before the end of spring term. Most importantly, they are responsible for implementing the program's Learning Outcomes, a governing document of the CCESP which describes particular educational and reflective goals for both individual participants and the program as a whole. The CCESP program is a faculty/student collaborative leadership and decision-making model that amplifies student leadership roles. The seminar is developed in consultation with the Student Director, Medical Director, Faculty Fellow and Senior Program Officer for International Service and Education. The Student Director and Senior Program Officer must approve the curriculum. CCESP officers participate in an orientation in late spring term to prepare for their upcoming roles.
During the fall term, Seminar Officers are responsible for the successful execution of each weekly seminar, with tasks including communicating with guest speakers before and after seminar, introducing speakers, and sending out seminar reminder blitzes for meetings. Seminar Officers are responsible for working with team officers on developing and implementing reflection sessions prior to the trip. They are responsible for determining what type of Spanish Language retreat or classes will be conducted and running these additional sessions.
One Seminar Officers will be members of separate teams (e.g. one on CH and other on CD). They will be responsible for collaborating with the each team's student and faculty leaders for developing in-country reflections sessions. The Seminar will be responsible for co-facilitating reflections session in Nicaragua.
Seminar Officers must be able to work in a team and collaborate with his or her co-officer, the Student Director, student and faculty team leadership, and Tucker staff. Seminar Officers are also responsible for collaborating with the team leadership (Community Development Officer and Health Officers) for development of pre-trip and in country reflections. In coordination with the Student Director, they will help plan and carry-out team building activities during the seminars and retreats. The Seminar Officer must be well organized, detail oriented, professional, a collaborator and team player. The Seminar Officers will be asked to contribute to the interviewing and team selection process in the spring 2009, but will have minimal duties in Winter term and no duties in Spring 2010. (Note: this position is filled prior to the general applicant pool.)
Community Development Officer
The Community Development Officer leads the CD team while in-country. In collaboration with Bridges to Community Staff, the CD Officer acts as the on-site coordinator, and organizes and relays information to the group about projects and worksites. Pre-trip, the CD officer is responsible for collaborating with the Student Director on possible projects or collaboration with URACCAN, the region's university, and the CD Officer manages and oversees the exchange at the university. The CD officer is responsible for ordering team supplies, assembling a packing list, and organizing first aid materials. The CD officer also assists with the educational seminars during the fall term and supports the other leaders in their roles, such as assisting with the team and Spanish retreats. This position requires about 5-6 hours per week in the fall term. (This position may be filled by either student who has participated a prior CCESP Nicaragua or a student new to the program.)
Public Health Officer
The Public Health Officer is responsible for designing and managing the Public Health workshops which the Community Health Team conducts in the community. In collaboration with community requests, the Public Health Officer determines and delegates the preparation and presentation of the workshops to CH Team members, and manages their preparation and quality. In country, the student is responsible for organizing and executing the workshops each day. This student is also in charge of any special "Health Days" which are conducted in the community (in the past this has included an HIV/AIDS awareness day.) This student works closely with the Clinical Health Officer and an advising medical professional. The Public Health Officer is responsible for collaborating with the Finance and Clinical Health Officer for the purchase of public health supplies. The position necessitates strong leadership, attention to detail, ability to work in a team and organize a group and a passion for public health. (This position may be filled by either student who has participated a prior CCESP Nicaragua or a student new to the program.)
Clinical Health Officer
The clinical health officer is responsible for working with the Medical Director on the planning and execution of the clinic. The job involves close collaboration with the Medical Director in planning the formulary and equipment needs, as well as devising a plan for the organization of the clinic. Pre-trip, the Clinical Health Officer is responsible for the procurement and inventory of all medical supplies, and organizing training sessions during the fall for undergrads in basic clinical skills (blood pressure, interviewing skills, medical Spanish). On site, the Clinical Health Officer works with the Medical Director to coordinate the daily activities of the clinic and is responsible for troubleshooting issues or emergencies that arise, in collaboration with Bridges Staff. This position requires about 6-8 hours per week in the fall term and 3-4 hours per week in the winter. (This position may be filled by either student who has participated a prior CCESP Nicaragua or a student new to the program.)
Logistics Officer
The Logistics Officer is responsible for securing the teams travel plans and finances for the CCESP prior to the trip and on ground in Nicaragua. Beginning in the summer, the Officer will begin his or her role through contact with students regarding financial aid, fundraising, and student fees. This responsibility entails about 5 to 6 hours of work per week through the fall term. The officer is responsible for ensuring that students are on time with their payments by sending out reminders and compiling a list of payments in conjunction with Kathy Boivin, as well as problem-solving financial issues that may arise. The Logistics Officer is also responsible for booking group travel arrangements for all the trip participants, securing passports, visas, and other documentation for travel and our NGO partner. She or he is responsible for all team finances while in country, handling traveler's checks and cash securely. The position requires an officer who is detail-oriented, organized, independent and responsible. In addition, the Logistics Officer must be able to handle confidential matters flexibly and be able to work in a team. (This position must be filled by a student who has not participated a prior CCESP Nicaragua.)
Public Relations Officer
The Public Relations Officer is responsible for coordinating and fostering communication between the CCESP cohort and the Dartmouth community. Unlike other officer positions, this officer must be on campus F09 and W10. The bulk of the Public Relations Officers job will occur W10 and includes but is not limited to: writing an article for The Dartmouth, Tucker Points and/or other Dartmouth and Upper Valley publications; planning and executing a community event to publicize and share the CCESP experience with others from the Dartmouth community; compiling photos from the trip and creating an archive; supporting the Student director in the preparation of materials for special presentations and campus distribution. In the fall, the Public Relations Officer is responsible for maintaining and updating the Tucker website through the Tucker Webmaster (No technical experience is necessary. The Officer will be responsible for submitting materials to the Webmaster and following up on the posting of the materials). The Public Relations Officer and Student Director will collaborate on a Public Relations plan for the 2009-2010 CCESP in the summer of 2009, and the Public Relations Officer will be responsible for executing the plan, which will encompass the above responsibilities and any additional public relations initiatives the officer and Student Director would like to pursue. In the summer and fall, the position requires 3-5 hours of work a week, and in the winter approximately 4-6 hours/week. (This position must be filled by a student who has not participated a prior CCESP Nicaragua.)
