Volunteers/Visiting

Volunteers at VIMS

If a volunteer will be working for you for more than 3 days, they must go through the VIMS check-in process as described below. A volunteer is considered anyone that will be completing work for you and is not on the VIMS/W&M payroll. This includes W&M students, high school students, interns, and visiting scientists/post-docs/students. Anyone conducting work for less than 3 days does not need to go through the check-in process, but does need to sign a liability waiver before they complete the work. Liability waivers should be turned in to the Safety Office before the work commences.

The volunteer check-in process includes:

• Safety training through the Office of Safety and Environmental Programs—must take place before any work commences.
• Liability Waiver—turned in to Safety Office at time of safety training. Liability forms for minors (under the age of 18) must be signed by their parent/guardian and notarized.
• Volunteer Check-in Form—The check-in form should be returned to the Outreach Coordinator once completed. All Volunteers must also complete the check-out process, by retrieving their check-in form from the Outreach Coordinator and having it re-signed, prior to ending their service at VIMS.
• If the volunteer is under 18, they must also complete a consent for emergency medical treatment form. A copy of this form should be turned into the Safety Office with the liability form.

Contact the Outreach Coordinator with any questions you may have about working with volunteers.

Volunteers Under the Age of 18

Volunteers at VIMS must be at least 16 years old. Persons under the age of 18 may not work with radioisotopes. When working with volunteers under the age of 18, you must follow William & Mary's Policy on Protection of Minors and Reporting Abuse in addition to the VIMS volunteer check-in process described in the section above. 

Visiting Scientists/Visiting Post-Docs

If you are hosting a visiting scientist or visiting post-doc please follow PPD-0025. Before your visitor arrives, you must submit a Visiting Scientist/Visiting Post-Doc Application (found in PPD-0025) to the Dean and Director’s Office for approval. When your visiting scientist/post-doc arrives on campus, they must follow the volunteer check-in process outlined above.

Visiting Students

If you are hosting a visiting student please follow PPD-0608. Before your visitor arrives, you must submit a Visiting Student Application (found in PPD-0608) to the Office for Academic Affairs for approval. When your visiting student arrives on campus, they must follow the volunteer check-in process outlined above.