AMERICORPS: WHAT GOT DONE; VOLUNTEERS PRAISE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WHILE OTHERS VOICE GRIEVANCES AGAINST PROGRAM

Although many members and former members of the Southeast Missouri State University AmeriCorps program agree on the overall excellence of the program, opinions remain mixed about its local management.

Most praise local efforts for assisting with a broad range of educational, environmental and community-related projects in the region.

Others point out that many volunteers have quit the program in the last three years. Only a small percentage of members put in the hours required to earn educational awards.

The number earning awards has declined each successive year, from 50 percent in the 1994-95 school year, to 48 percent during 1995-96, to 30 percent in 1996-97.

AmeriCorps is a national service organization created by President Bill Clinton to provide educational awards to members who devote service hours to non-profit groups. The university implemented the local program in 1994 and provides manpower for non-profit agencies in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi and Scott counties.

The program's motto is "Getting Things Done." Participants sign one-year contracts to complete service hours on a full- or part-time basis. Educational awards are given to those who successfully complete their service hours -- 1,800 hours for full-time and 950 for part-time members -- and must be used within seven years. If they complete the full-time contract, members receive an educational award of $4,725. The part-time award would be $2,363.

Members also receive a living allowance, whether they complete the contract or not. The yearly full-time allowance last year was $13,800.

The local program has a number of very vocal supporters in its ranks. A number of current and former members say AmeriCorps is a beneficial program that helps its members develop personally and professionally as they provide service to their community. They said local management plays a big part in that development.

A contingent of mostly former members tells a different story. This group alleges the program suffers from poor management at the local level. For that reason, they contend, many members quit the program.

The Rev. David Allen, pastor of St. James A.M.E. Church, is a member of that contingent. Allen, whose contract ended earlier this month, did not complete the hours needed to earn his educational award. He blames administrators for this, saying they altered his time sheets and "set him up for failure" by not providing him with sufficient hours each week.

"Many times I had to go out and find my own assignments because they weren't scheduling me enough hours each week to be on track to complete my contract," Allen said. "They're supposed to be the administrators, and yet I had to go out and do all of their work for them. How can you expect anyone to succeed when that's the case?"

Other people associated with the program had similar complaints, although most wouldn't go public. One current member said he remained in the program because he enjoyed working the service and wanted to pursue a college education. However, he is considering transferring to a program in another state because of problems he has encountered with management.

Only one of the members who recounted negative experiences with local management said she properly filed grievances with management. This member, who successfully completed the program, said her grievances were always taken care of because she kept documented records.

"Keeping copies of your own records is very important if you have a grievance," she said. "When filing grievances, the time frame is very important. For those who didn't follow this procedure, their options are limited."

Glenn Forsythe, a member who signed a letter printed in the Southeast Missourian in support of the program, said AmeriCorps is getting a bad rap from disgruntled members. The negative experiences some members are expressing are exaggerated and for the most part amount to personal vendettas, he said.

"If a certain person didn't have a good experience, they shouldn't attack the organization," he said. "If there is a problem, it should have been handled in a different way. I think the people we have in the SEMO AmeriCorps have treated us very fair. I personally have never seen or suspected anything like that."

Member Ellen Watkins, who was a recipient of the 1997 Lieutenant Governor's Award for community service, agreed. "I'm not real sure why those people made the comments," said Watkins, who is within 100 hours of completing her service contract. "My experiences with AmeriCorps as a whole have always been positive. The staff has always been very supportive."

Program director Bill Thompson said some of the members who have had negative experiences with AmeriCorps may not have understood what they were getting into when they signed their contracts.

The local AmeriCorps program is responsible for a large service area, he said, and members are required to be dedicated self-starters whose focus should be primarily to provide service to the community. When people come in with other focuses, they will fail, he said.