40.15.0 Volunteer Policy
SUNY Canton welcomes the assistance of individuals who are willing to support the College and its programs and services as volunteers, without remuneration.
Individuals who provide direct service in support of SUNY Canton and its programs and services without remuneration are volunteers. In order to both protect SUNY Canton's interests and those of its volunteers, these individuals must receive an official appointment letter as volunteers. The College’s Human Resources (HR) Office will maintain records of such appointments.
Examples of volunteer duties include, without limitation, supervising of field experiences for students; assisting in libraries, theaters, and laboratories; assisting coaches for athletic teams; assisting in activities relating to fundraising and campus improvement projects; and serving as guides.
Important considerations for volunteers:
- Properly appointed and recorded volunteers are covered under SUNY Canton’s Worker's Compensation Coverage should they be injured while performing their volunteer duties.
- Section 17 of the N.Y. Public Officers Law provides that the New York State Attorney General will defend, and New York State will indemnify, volunteers should they become involved in litigation that pertains to an incident involving their volunteer duties as long as the volunteers did not intentionally engage in wrongdoing.
- Properly appointed volunteers may also be granted permission to operate State vehicles and operate State equipment as required for fulfilling their volunteer duties.
- Duly appointed volunteers are not covered by the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Where appropriate, volunteers may be paid actual expenses, reasonable benefits, nominal fees, and/or a combination of these.
An employee of SUNY Canton may not volunteer services of the same type the individual is employed to perform. Volunteers will not be given responsibilities generally assigned to employees represented by collective bargaining agreements.
Specific procedures outlining appointing volunteers, volunteer responsibilities, and the approval process for becoming a volunteer can be found at the Human Resources (or by emailing hr@canton.edu).