engineers without borders
university of washington chapter

Guidelines for choosing students who will travel to sites

University of Washington chapter of Engineers Without Borders
July 27, 2006

In the two years since the formation of our student chapter here at the UW, we have been able to agree amongst ourselves who would have the opportunity to travel to sites for assessments and implementations. However, as we continue to grow as an organization, it will become progressively more necessary to be able to choose who will travel in a manner that is equitable, transparent, and serves the best interests of the group and its members, as well as the site. Therefore, some general guidelines regarding this process are as follows. This is not meant to be inclusive and is certainly subject to change upon further input from the group.

  • In the case where an agreement can be reached amongst those interested in travel, no further action should be necessary
  • When there are more students interested in traveling than spots available, the following process will be initiated:
  • Students should write a brief (less than one page is sufficient, although longer is acceptable) statement of interest. This document should include the following:
    • Discussion of the student's involvement to date in UW-EWB.
    • Discussion of the student's qualifications for this particular trip, including but not limited to prior experience, applicable area of training, technical skills, language skills, travel experience, etc.
    • Availability to travel during the time frame under consideration
    • Ability to front the full costs of the trip, recognizing that reimbursement from EWB-UW will be delayed, and may not be for the full amount (although the amount available for reimbursement will be made clear prior to the trip, and will depend on available funds). Please note that it is unlikely EWB-UW will be able to fund the full costs, and in particular that it is possible additional costs may accrue. Given that the EWB-UW contribution will already most likely be locked in, these additional costs, if any, will fall on the student. Best efforts will be made to minimize surprises, but there are no guarantees, although EWB-UW would of course endeavor to assist to minimize these impacts.
    • Expected availability following the trip and long term commitment to the group, including anticipated departure date from the UW. Please note that if you do have the opportunity to travel to the sites of one of our projects, you are assuming a large responsibility upon your return for giving multiple talks on the trip, for assisting in outreach and fundraising relevant to your experiences, and for playing a key role in the continued success of the project. Travel is just the beginning of your responsibilities: those who do travel become an even more valuable resource to the group, and we cannot afford to lose you afterward.

The Executive Committee will consider the applications and arrive at a decision which is, to the best of their ability, fair, equitable, and transparent. This decision process will take into account the following considerations:

  • Seniority within the group
  • Level of commitment to, and participation in, the group
  • Prior travel for EWB-UW, given that every effort will be made to spread trips around fairly
  • Applicable skills to the project at hand
  • Balance of skills of those traveling
  • Time frame of the individual