Service Learning

Travel Information

Carpooling

We support responsible travel to service-learning sites. To be eligible for travel support, we require that students carpool. This lessens our impact on the environment and ensures that we will have sufficient funds to continue supporting student travel to service-learning sites. The CCBL will provide assistance to students who are looking for a carpool partner. Exceptions to this rule may be granted to students who seek support from CCBL and are still unable to make reasonable carpool arrangements. Students are of course welcome to drive to their sites without seeking an option for carpooling, but this will make them ineligible for travel resources. Requests submitted for individual travel without prior approval from the CCBL will be denied.
To request assistance with finding a carpool, contact the Center for Community-Based Learning. For assistance, contact the ACE (student worker) for your site or Debbie Abel at abeld@central.edu.
Visit the CCBL Community Partner Map to see what other sites are located near yours.

To Request Travel Assistance for Gas When Using Your Own Vehicle You MUST:

Submit Proof of Insurance: Iowa law requires you to carry proof of insurance in your vehicle; it’s probably found in your glove compartment. Submit a copy of your card to Community-Based Learning in the Center for Global Experiential Learning, 2^nd floor North in Geisler Library. You may also take a clear picture of the entire card and email it to Debbie Abel at abeld@central.edu or mail to Campus Box 0112. Please be sure the card has not expired and is your most recent copy. Requests for travel assistance will not be granted until proof of insurance is received.
Submit Your Information to the Shared Carpool Travel Document: All students requesting travel assistance must provide their travel information to the shared carpool document before travel assistance can be granted.
Submit Requests for Travel Assistance: College policy dictates that requests for travel expenses must be submitted no later than 60 days after the trip is made. No requests will be honored if received more than 60 days after your trip. Most students find that it is easiest to request travel assistance monthly or every two weeks but you may submit weekly if you prefer.
- You must submit your request online by 8 a.m. Monday to receive a check the following Monday. You may pick up your check and cash it on-site at the Central Service Center located on the second floor of Central Hall.
- Do not request travel assistance for trips that you plan to take—travel assistance can be made only for trips that you have actually taken.
- Requests will be accepted through the Friday of finals week at the end of the semester. Requests submitted later will not be considered.
- If you submit a request for travel assistance but have not yet turned in a copy of your proof of insurance, your request will not be considered submitted until your proof of insurance has been received.

Travel assistance amounts are as follows:

Destination	Amount
Des Moines	$12
Ottumwa	$12
Newton	$8
Oskaloosa	$5
Knoxville	$5
Prairie City	$8

Note: It is academic dishonesty to request travel assistance for a trip that was not made, thus requests may be audited at any time and will be cross-checked with the student’s signed orange log at the end of the semester.

Whether you drive a college vehicle or your own, we expect that you not drive when the roads are hazardous. Service-learning partners understand the importance of safety and will excuse this absence, but you must call to let them know that you are not coming.

To Reserve a College Vehicle

We understand that not all students have access to a vehicle on campus. To ensure that all students have the opportunity to serve at out-of-town sites, we provide access to college vehicles. The use of college vehicles is reserved for those students who do not have a vehicle registered on campus. Exceptions to this rule may be granted for extenuating circumstances presented to the Director of the Center for Community-Based Learning.

Register as a college driver: Take your current driver’s license to be copied to facilities planning and management located on the main floor in the west suite of Hoffman Hall.
If you are registering after September 30th of each academic year you must provide a certified driving record from the Iowa Department of Transportation:
Visit the Iowa DOT website to request a copy of your certified driving record. Records are now available online for a fee of $5.50 plus an online processing fee of $3.00. When you receive the results, forward or deliver to Debbie Abel in the Center for Global Experiential Learning, 2^nd floor North in Geisler Library.
If you have questions, contact Debbie Abel at 641-628-7477 or abeld@central.edu.
Reserve vehicle: Contact Debbie Abel at 641-628-7477 or abeld@central.edu and she will work with Facilities Planning & Management to secure your reservations.

Please note:

Vehicles are limited, the sooner you request, the better your chance of getting a reservation.
If you plan to travel on the same day and time each week a reservation can be made for this entire time. If have to cancel your reservation for any reason be it weather-related, sickness or personal—you MUST contact Debbie Abel and let her know you will not need the vehicle for that particular date as well as notifying your service-learning site that you won’t be there.