Regulations and Reporting

1. Regulations and Reporting Rotary International Department of State

2. Host family application • Required by Rotary International for all host families, all Rotary and non Rotary Volunteers • The same is required by DOS

3. References • A minimum of two personal references for Rotary International. One can be a Rotarian and must be non-Rotarian. • A minimum of two personal references required by DOS.

4. Checking References • You must talk with the listed references to get their recommendation (or lack of a recommendation) • This is true for both RI and DOS

5. Retaining the Applications • Whether the application is for a host family or a Rotarian/non Rotarian volunteer, the district must collect the applications from the participating club. (dist may have separate procedure-discuss) • District keeps the original. Sends copies to the Responsible Officer.

6. Action to be taken • Each applicant must have a criminal background check. District Chair or designated person must keep a copy of the results of the background check for RI Certification purposes. • A copy of every criminal background check must be sent to the responsible officer. • Copies of host family and student monthly checks are required by both RI and DOS.

7. How Long to Retain? • The district chairman, or designated person must keep all documents for a period of 10 years. • Responsible officer must keep copies for three years.

8. Why double records keeping? • We had to comply with RI guidelines in order to become fully certified. With this certification, we are allowed to conduct a Rotary YEP. Part of RI guidelines is records keeping. They specify 10 years. • The second set is a result of DOS implementing a new program at the same time RI was doing certification. They have records retention requirements by Responsible Officer as well.

9. Who checks? • For RI requirements, it is not yet clear how they will enforce retention requirements. • For DOS, there will be an annual audit. To keep our certification with DOS the auditor must confirm compliance with DOS requirements. Thus it is essential that all information regarding the inbound student be forwarded to the Responsible officer.

10. What does Responsible Officer need? • 1. A face copy of each inbound application. • 2. A copy of the name page of the inbound’s passport . • 3. A copy of the inbound guarantee form. • The above items are secured by the Country Contact and must be sent to Responsible Officer as soon as received.

11. What else for Responsible Officer? • 1. Validation that the inbound student has arrived at the sponsoring club and host family within 10 days of arrival. • 2. A written notice of any change of host family address (change of host family) within 10 days of the change. • 3. A notice of any student returning home within 10 days of the return. • 4 Immediate notification of any accusation of sexual abuse or harassment. The above can come by email or postal mail. Please do not report on more than one student per each email. In the case of sexual abuse or harassment, a phone call should be the method of reporting, with a follow up written account. Can use same reports that are sent to other Rotary people such as O-E chair, etc.

12. What do we include on moves, etc. to Responsible Officer? • 1. Students passport (or application) name. • 2. Previous host family name and address. • 3. New host family name and address. • 4. Date of move. • 5. New Phone number. • 6. Family email address if available. • 7. Return Date. If return is before June 1st, give the reasons. For example, completed High School, disciplinary (give nature), homesickness, etc. DOS needs a reason entered in SEVIS for every returning student.

13. What about students returning in July or Aug? • To clear out the SEVIS records, I need to make an entry that the student has returned home. I still give a reason. For everyone leaving after school is out, I simply list them as having completed the program. Others need more specific reason supplied by Districts.

14. Why is it so important to be on time with reports? • We have to get a re-designation from DOS every two years. They review us according to past performance. They could pull our designation at any time, and they have done so for at least one other program. By the end of July every year I have to send a report to the department of State outlining our performance over the past year. The audit procedure is new, beginning July 2007.

15. Does DOS care about getting students placed on a timely basis? • This is critical. There have been several high level meetings at the Department of State to discuss planned inbounds for whom programs had not secured school placements by August 1st. Stanley Coven expressed dissatisfaction with this and had his office call all program RO’s to ask specifically where they stand. Fortunately, when I received my call, all students had host schools and host families in place.

16. So we have until July 31 to make our placements? • NO! NO! NO! The program start date for each student is the first day of school. If school starts on August 6th, for example, and the student is placed on July 20th, it is virtually impossible for that student to arrive for the start of school. By DOS regulations, the student record is automatically listed as “INVALID” or “NO SHOW” in SEVIS if he/she has not entered the country within 30 days after the school start date. In this example, the record would change on August 19th. Even though the school may accept a late student, he/she cannot get here within 30 days of placement in most cases. In specific cases, the RO may get an extension of time with good reason.

17. Why? • There is processing and mailing time. • The student has to pay an I 901 fee before going for VISA interview. • The fee cannot be paid without the DS 2019 number. • After fee is paid, an appointment is made with a US Consulate. • Sometimes it takes 60 days for the VISA interview. • The desirable time frame is to place the student at least 75 days before the first day of school. Most of our schools start around August 26th. Count backwards. Obviously the students must be placed and all paperwork in the hands of the Responsible Officer by the beginning of June.

18. Interesting! Anything else? • Do not attempt to place a student who will be more than 18 years and six month old on the first day of school. • Country contact must make first check. District officers must make a second check before sending app to club. For example, a student may be to old for Tennessee but OK for Michigan. Let’s catch these and move applications around as necessary. Don’t wait until June to discover the student is too old for your district.

19. How do contacts determine this? • Country contacts do not necessarily know school start dates. District officers, in general, do know this. Compile this information and send to the Chief Country Contact to avoid pitfalls with the older students. Also, If your schools will not take students over 17 ½, let us know that as well.

20. Can you review other aspects of our DOS certification? • Sure. • 1.The Sponsoring organization (O-E) must be a 501(C3) Organization. • 2. Must conduct the exchange program on a US academic calendar year basis except for those coming from Southern Hemisphere. • 3. All officers, volunteers and host families must be given adequate training. • 4. No organizational Representative can act as both host family and area supervisor.

21. Continuation of regs • 5. Sponsors must maintain a log of host family and student contacts. A minimum of a check of each on a monthly basis is required. • 6 Assure the school has contact information for the local organizational representative and the sponsor’s main office (Responsible Officer or Dist Chair).

22. Continuation of regs: • 7. Maintain copies of all written acceptances, applications, logs, background checks, etc. and make available to the Auditor. • 8. Sponsor must notify the accepting school of any student who has already completed secondary school in his/her country.

23. Continuation of regs: • Sponsors must provide the following to each inbound student before they arrive: • 1. Summary of operating procedures, rules and regulations governing participation in the EVP. (part of our application process) • 2. Detailed summary of travel arrangements. (Country contacts get copy of itinerary. Send to Rotary counterpart) • 3. A detailed profile of school, community and host family. • 4. An ID card. (can be given to student upon arrival. Card must include student’s name, US address, phone numbers. • 5. Age and language appropriate information on how to identify and report sexual abuse or exploitation. (Our abuse brochure, DVD, first orientation, etc.)

24. Anything else? • 1. Host families must be carefully screened. • 2. They must be given a detailed summary of our program and the parameters of their participation, duties and obligations. • We must use standard app forms that must be signed and dated by all potential host family applicants. • Exchange students are NOT permitted to live with relatives. • Conduct an interview of all family members residing in the home. (Just mom or dad alone is not satisfactory. Also, children over 18 must be interviewed as well.)

25. Of Special Note: • Sponsors must immediately file with DOS the following information: • 1. Any incident or allegation involving the actual or alleged sexual exploitation or abuse of an exchange student participant. The incident must also be reported as required by local or state statute or regulation, to local law enforcement officers. • 2. Failure to make such reports shall be grounds for summary suspension and termination of the Sponsor’s designation.