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I attended the Canadian Association for Physical Anthropology Conference and took part in the poster session to showcase my research. During the session I was responsible for discussing my research with several professors, doctorate students and masters students. Through this experience I familiarized myself with the research and presentation process that will be so critical to be comfortable with in graduate school.

Student Experience Grants (formerly Student Project Grants) are designed to provide financial support for student-initiated experiential learning opportunities, on- or off-campus, that allow students to engage in practical applications of theories learned through their Social Sciences education.

This is not a source of funding for agencies/clubs and/or "causes". The key criteria for funding must be the merit of the learning experience for the student and the degree to which the initiative is "experiential".

In addition to EE eligibility requirements, please note that the activities associated with the grant can occur up until October 1 of the following academic year, with the following condition:

• students in their final year can only apply for funds if the experience will conclude prior to the completionof requirements for their graduation (e.g. Students whose final academic term ends April 30, can only apply if their experience will be completed by April 30 of that year).
  
  

Students who have already received two (2) Student Experience Grants (formerly Student Project Grants) are not eligible to apply for or receive funding.

• Conferences and workshops (presenting at or attending)
• Local, national, and international extra-curricular learning opportunities
• Faculty-supervised, non-credit, independent research

Normally the following items are not considered for funding:

• experiences leading to academic credit, certification or accreditation for the student;
• costs associated with mandatory travel related to a course, including student exchanges;
• payment for the time of the student, guest speakers or research participants, or for experiences in which the student receives remuneration;
• expenses related to research where the principal investigator is not the student;
• retroactive funding for any experience commencing or project expenses incurred prior to the deadline date to which the student applies;
• food or beverages, unless the cost is included in mandatory program/conference fees;
• equipment that will become the property of the student or an outside group related to the student experience (e.g. tape recorder, technology, furniture, books etc.) However, an exception could be made if that item could be donated to EE or the home department of the student for future use by other students or faculty members;
• medical or legal costs related to the experience (e.g. vaccinations, passports, travel insurance etc.);
• any experience for which the student has received previous Student Experience Grant (formerly Student Project Grant) funding;
• recruiting or fundraising for organizations;
• payment towards an organization's administrative costs or customization of volunteer placements for students;
  
• payment of agency fees of finder's fees or costs associated with project development;
• expenses related to leadership and team training; and
  
• experiences for which students cannot provide individual itemized receipts for grant expenses incurred (e.g. some organizations that host student volunteer experiences abroad supply a receipt for a flat program fee. These students must be able to also provide a receipt for their specific flight, and a breakdown of the remaining fees, as required. Sometimes portions of the program fees are used as donations towards the organization rather than the student experience. Donations are not covered by Student Experience Grants).
  

Listed below are the levels of funding:

• Students may apply for up to $1500.
• Students may be awarded funds only once per academic year.
• Students may apply for only one Student Experience Grant per deadline date
  

Review Decisions

After reviewing proposals, the committee may make any of the following decisions:

• approve the proposal and award the full amount of the request;
• approve the proposal and award a partial amount of the request;
• reject the proposal;
• reject the proposal, and encourage to reapply, identifying the issues that need to be addressed to be more successful; or,
• unable to decide with an opportunity to submit missing information, and decision will be granted after that.

All proposals should be type-written, up to 2 pages in length, plus a learning plan, a completed Student Experience Grant Proposal Cover Sheet, and a letter of support (if appropriate).

Students MUST submit six (6) complete copies of their Student Experience Grant application package at the time of application. One (1) copy must include original signatures, and the remaining five (5) copies can be duplicates of the original application.

It is also strongly recommended that students use and submit one (1) completed Student Experience Grant Checklist at the time of application to ensure that they have submitted all required documentation. It is the student's sole responsibility to ensure that applications are complete and that all information is accurate.

*Student Experience Grant Proposal Cover Sheet, Student Experience Grant Checklist, and Experiential Education's Guide to Creating Learning Plans and Learning Objectives are available in KTH 102 or online at http://experiential-ed.mcmaster.ca/ee-forms

Students traveling with a volunteer organization MUST also include two (2) pieces of promotional material (e.g. brochure, copies of relevant website pages, etc.) for the particular organization they are looking to volunteer with to be considered for evaluation.  These documents will be in addition to the two (2) page proposal and will be placed in the appendix of the application package.  The promotional material will provide the Student Experience Grant Review Committee with additional information regarding the volunteer organization (e.g. vision, mission, structure of the organization, etc.).

Each proposal will be evaluated based on the following items as well as overall quality. All items must be addressed to be considered for evaluation:

• Provide a complete description of what the experience includes. What will you be doing- larger experience and specific tasks/activities? With whom- demographic of people, host organization, etc.? For how long?, etc.
• Describe how this opportunity is "experiential" in nature.
• Provide a learning plan answering the following three questions: What are your learning objectives? What strategies will you undertake to achieve your learning objectives? How will the successful completion of your learning objectives be assessed? *See Experiential Education's Guide to Creating Learning Plans and Learning Objectives for more information.
• Describe the connection between your proposed experience and your academic studies in Social Sciences.
• Describe any mentorship you will receive to successfully plan, participate in and reflect on this experience.
• Describe how you will reflect on this experience and how this experience will impact others beyond yourself (McMaster community, Hamilton community, etc.) What will you do with what you learned?
• Please provide a detailed budget. *Student Experience Grant Budget Guide is available in KTH 102 or online at http://experiential-ed.mcmaster.ca/ee-forms

A written letter of support may strengthen the proposal, and is strongly encouraged, but not required, to receive a Student Experience Grant. (Please note: this is NOT a reference letter for the applicant, but a letter of support for the experience, stating that the experience has academic value to the student and is related to his/her program of study, and is normally written by a McMaster instructor.) Some proposals may also be strengthened by a letter of support from external parties that are supporting the project (e.g. community agencies, schools, campus departments, etc.)

Application Deadline Dates

Deadline dates will be selected and chosen annually, but will generally fall within the same time frames each year. The deadlines for the 2010/2011 academic year are:

• Wednesday, October 12, 2011
• Wednesday, November 16, 2011
• Wednesday, January 18, 2012
• Wednesday, February 15, 2012
• Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Normally proposals will not be considered at other times. All proposals are to be submitted to
KTH 102 by 4pm on the deadline date. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered, nor will applications submitted by email.

Several information sessions will be held in the fall and winter terms to review proposal guidelines, provide tips on how to write a successful proposal. Register on OSCARplus at http://www.oscarplusmcmaster.ca/home.htm

The Student Experience Grant Review Committee normally consists of two faculty members from the Faculty of Social Sciences, two students from the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Director of EE. It is facilitated by a Programming and Outreach Manager.

Please note that any and all information provided in any application to Experiential Education, including supporting documentation, may be subject to clarification and/or verification for authenticity and accuracy. For example, individuals/organizations mentioned in your application may be contacted.

The committee will review all eligible submissions and candidates will be informed of the funding decision by email (as listed by the student on the proposal cover sheet) within a three-week period following the deadline for written proposals.

Release of Funding

Upon funding approval, each student must submit the following documents to the EE office before funds are released:

• completed and signed Student Experience Grant agreement;
  
• proof of ethics approval (if required); and,  
• A complete Student Travel Safety Plan Check List (if travelling as part of the experience). Please note: Faculty of Social Sciences, Experiential Education (EE) reserves the right to deny funding if participation in the proposed project/activity puts the student in perceived harm. Be sure to visit the following website before submitting your proposal, to view travel warnings issued by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (as we may not support your proposal if your destination is listed under one of the warnings): http://www.voyage.gc.ca.

Similarly, within two weeks of return from travel or completion of the experience students must submit all original receipts.

Students must also agree to complete both of the following tasks within the time frames agreed upon in the signed Student Experience Grant Agreement;

• a written summary reflection paper at the conclusion of their grant AND
• a visual representation of the experience, to be used for EE promotions, in the form of a testimonial quote with photo, PowerPoint slideshow, video, or other approved format.

Failure to complete the terms and conditions of the grant will make students ineligible for future Student Experience Grants. Click here for more information about limiting student access to participate in EE activities.

Please direct questions to:

Ruthanne Talbot, Programming and Outreach Manager
talbotr@mcmaster.ca