V.C. Habitability Improvement

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V.C.1. BSC HOME IMPROVEMENT (HI) / COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT (CI) POLICY

As a member of the Berkeley Student Cooperative, each member -- resident or boarder -- owes a certain amount of time to habitability and community improvement in the organization. In the houses, each resident owes a minimum of 4 hours per contract period and each boarder owes 2 hours per contract period, though individual houses can vote to require a larger number of HI hours in their bylaws. Each member at the apartments owes half an hour of HI/CI per contract period.

Unless there is a central-level HI/CI project, HI/CI is to be done at the unit where a member lives. Boarders contribute their HI/CI at the house where they board. In the case of a central-level HI/CI project, individual members can apply through their workshift managers to take part in those projects and satisfy their HI/CI requirement.

V.C.2. HI/CI PROJECTS

1. HI projects are small capital improvement projects, maintenance projects, or deep cleanings that are not addressed by a unit’s regular workshift policy.
2. CI projects improve the broader community (and our relationship to it) by leveraging members’ skills and energy to help low-income and underrepresented groups, improve neighbor relations and ties to external partners, and/or help the community at large.

V.C.3. HI/CI PROCESS

1. The MM must submit a list of at least 5 prioritized HI projects to Operations Assistant (OA) before the second week of the contract period. This list should include at least two projects recommended on previous habitability reports, a project description, the expected number of HI hours it would take to complete each project and completion deadlines for each project. The dates will span throughout the semester.

I. Project lists submitted after the deadline or incomplete lists submitted in time, will result in warning letters being issued to the MM per the Central Level Support & Supervision Policy, and a fine equivalent to two hours at the workshift rate will be assessed to the unit, which can be passed along to the Maintenance Manager(s) at the unit’s discretion.
II. Should a member with disabilities not be able to complete any of the projects on the approved list, the WM must make arrangements to allow them the opportunity to complete HI.

2. The first five projects on the approved list must be completed before the assigned completion date. The OA will track completion of the projects, and suggest future HI project ideas via the unit’s habitability reports.

3. At the end of the semester, CM and the OA will review the HI projects that have been completed at each unit.

I. If any of the first five HI projects from the initial list are not completed, the unit will be fined at the central level equal to the number of HI hours (as delineated in the HI list) forfeited for the missed project . Each hour of HI is worth double the workshift rate.
A. It is at the OA's discretion to decide whether a project was not completed for a legitimate reason (e.g. if the unit successfully addressed other unexpected habitability conditions during the term). If the OA deems the reason legitimate, the fine can be waived.

4. Members will be fined at the unit-level for incomplete HI/CI at double the workshift rate per every missed hour.

5. Members shall be able to fulfill their HI hours by doing Community Improvement (CI) Hours.

I. Community Improvement shall be defined as:
A. work that benefits the neighborhood, the city, or any other local community.
B. work that helps to build lasting relationships with organizations or communities.

6. The External Affairs Committee (EACom), must organize 1 or more CI projects per contract period.

I. These projects should be highly visible efforts to improve a community and build stronger external relationships between the BSC and other local organizations.

7. Tracking of CI hours shall be conducted at the unit-level by the manager in charge of tracking HI hours.

I. At the end of each semester, the relevant manager shall submit their records of CI hours to the House Manager, who will include this information in the house bill that is submitted to Central Bookkeeping.
II. CI hours must be signed off by relevant supervisors in the field, and signed evidence of hours must be submitted to the relevant management within the units.

8. CI hours shall be capped as follows, based on the need for small-scale capital improvement projects to meet habitability standards.

I. This ratio shall be set at 25% availability of CI Hours (75% HI) in all units.
II. A collaborative group made up of the MM, WM, the relevant HI/CI managers, the OA, and/or the OM, may meet at the end of each semester to determine if a unit's ratio should be adjusted.