| Make-up Work
Background
The starting place for any conversation
about make-up work is that in agreeing to participate in CDI you are
agreeing to arrange things so you are able to be fully involved in the
program. The expectation is that you will participate in all work
sessions, worship and the social activities. We are building a learning
community and your participation is essential to that. So, make-up work
should rarely be necessary.
There is a range of situations that
participant's face, which surface the make-up question. Here's one way
of looking at that range. In all cases missing program time requires
make-up work.
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Serious family emergencies; you
get sick for a day or two during CDI. You are from a local parish
and a friend in that parish has died or you forgot and scheduled a
meeting during CDI. |
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A member of your family, or a core
parishioner, dies or gets seriously ill, and you just have to go
home |
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You discover that you don't really
want to follow the norms of the program, e.g., you are feeling
tired or overwhelmed and need to take a few hours off; you decide
you want to go out to dinner with your spouse or partner instead
of coming to the Tuesday social; that you will forgo receiving a
certificate. etc. |
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Only involves a limited amount of
time. Not something you could have foreseen and planned for; or
simply an honest mistake. Etc. |
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Something that means you will miss
a significant part of the experience. Or a series of things happen
from the first column and the time you are missing adds up. Etc. |
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Signs that you have not really
accepted the conditions of the program or simply have a high
degree of discomfort with them. Indications that you are not able
to manage the demands of the program. Etc. |
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We will work with you to reconnect
you with the group and provide make-up work. |
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We will work with you as possible,
e.g., you may be able to do make up work at another CDI or attend
a couple of days of training in the work you missed. It is
possible that you will need to drop out and rejoin in another
year. Given the circumstances we will give you credit for most of
the conference fee toward the next appropriate year (but the fee
is not refundable). |
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You will be asked to leave the
program; these are indicators that you selected the wrong program.
This does not in any way assume that you have done something
"wrong"; just that this is not for you. Some of us don't
see that until we are engaged in something. Fees are not
refundable
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Make-up Work Arrangements
There are several factors that go into deciding on the make-up
arrangements:
Impact on the group
Being up to speed with the group's work
(as much as possible)
Making up the time missed and some of
the learning
Staff time cost
A CDI staff member will suggest an
appropriate make-up assignment. You may suggest other options. Or when
you are asking for a make-up assignment you may propose something that
seems to address A - D above. Here is more detail about the factors.
A. Impact on the group
1. You need to have a way of
minimizing the impact on the whole group and on any smaller group you
are working with. You need an approach that both acknowledges the impact
your actions may have on the group and that doesn't draw them away from
the work at hand
2. You may need to actively work at getting reconnected with people.
3. You need to communicate to the group that this is an exception and
that you are committed to a full presence during the remainder of the
program - no late arrivals, early departures, etc.
B. Being up to speed with the group's work (as much as possible)
1. You need to review any content
material you missed
2. You may need to be taken through an exercise by a staff member or
another participant (you will need to ask for a favor)
C. Making up the time missed and some of the learning
In creating the assignment the staff
will try to come as close as possible to the time you have missed and
the learning involved. Some examples, you miss a session on Benedictine
Spirituality to attend a funeral for half a day -- you are asked to
write a 3 - 4 page paper relating what you experienced at the funeral
with Benedictine Spirituality; or you have been late several times and
have been missing part of MP -- you are asked to write a paper on the
relationship of common prayer to community formation, or you are asked
to write on how your lateness relates to self-differentiation or some
other theory that is appropriate.
D. Staff time cost
Having to work on a make-up
assignment requires a staff member to do additional, unanticipated
work. You will need to compensate the staff person for that time. A
minimal cost will be a check for $25 made out to the staff person. If
the make-up involves significant amounts of time more may be required.
This might happen if what you missed requires the staff member to meet
with you to review work or repeat an exercise.
- Timely action helps a lot. Discuss
the issue as soon as possible with a staff member. That allows more
options for you and the staff. It may also allow you more time to
complete the make-up assignment.
- During the summer CDI - make-ups need
to be completed during the two weeks. In a diocesan CDI make-ups
need to be completed before the next weekend session.
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