UPC HOUSING POLICIES
(November 14 - January 14, 2006)
GENERAL INFORMATION
PLEASE NOTE: It is important to remember that the UPC Volunteer Housing is located in a church that is continuing its ministry, worship schedule and congregational life. As a part of our on- going service to the community, the members of UPC have created this dormitory. Please respect worship space, church classrooms, offices, and church schedules, and be aware and respectful of established routines. UPC asks that volunteers be particularly aware of church schedules on Sunday mornings when church school and services are taking place in the same vicinity as the dormitory room. Keep all personal belongings and shared spaces as neat as possible at all times. Please be considerate of our budget constraints by turning off lights as you exit rooms.
AGE REQUIREMENT
It is UPC policy that:
1. All youth groups must be accompanied by at least one adult over the age of 25.
2. Minors must at least be of senior-high age.
GROUP SIZE
Groups of 10 people can be housed in the UPC dormitory. If you have a group that is larger, please contact the hurricane relief coordinator to discuss housing possibilities.
LOCATION OF THIS VOLUNTEER HOUSING
University Presbyterian Church is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We feel it is important that volunteers who will be commuting to disaster sites around the state understand the driving time from this dormitory to these areas.
Baton Rouge is approximately:
- 1 hour and 15 minutes from New Orleans; because of heavy commuter traffic, at peak hours driving between the two cities will probably take even longer.
- 1 hour and 45 minutes from Houma.
- 1 hour and 50 minutes from St. Bernard.
- 2 hours from Lake Charles.
WHAT TO BRING FOR USING DORM ROOM
BEDDING:
Bath Towel
Shower sandals
UPC has linen for the extra long bunk beds that our volunteers sleep in, but we do require that volunteers wash, dry and fold any borrowed linen before they leave. If your group will not have time to do laundry before departing, please bring your own bedding.
ACCOMMODATIONS
UPC has one co-ed dormitory room which sleeps 10 people in extra-long bunk beds. The dormitory room is located on the second floor of our sanctuary building. The dormitory room is NOT handicap accessable.
RESTROOMS AND SHOWERS
UPC has a men’s and ladies’ restroom on the lower level of the sanctuary building. During your stay, we will provide you with toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap. UPC has one shower on-site. If you feel your group will need greater shower capacity, please discuss this with Hurricane Relief Coordinator prior to your arrival.
LAUNDRY
UPC has one washer and one dryer on site which volunteer work groups will have access to during their stay. UPC provides laundry detergent. There are also laundromats within close range of the church. UPC itself does not provide any laundry service.
KITCHEN
On the lower-level of the sanctuary building is a small galley kitchen containing a microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, toaster, coffee maker, electric burner, and several other electric cooking appliances. We also provide volunteers with flatware and dishes. Our kitchen does not have a stove, but we welcome our volunteer groups to use the resources we have to store food and cook during their stay.
MEALS
For your convenience we provide volunteers with breakfast for the morning after their arrival. We also provide volunteers with at least one dinner during their stay.
SUNDAY MORNING POLICY AND CHURCH EVENT POLICIES
The Sunday morning schedule for the Sanctuary building – the building in which the dormitory room is housed – is as follows:
- 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM : Morning Worship (Held in the Sanctuary on first floor, Choir loft is on second floor)
- 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM: Church School (Held in the church school classrooms on the same hall as the dormitory room)
- 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM: Adult Education- theme this year is hurricane relief in Baton Rouge. (Held in the Parks-Wilson Room on the first floor of the sanctuary building)
- 11:00 AM – NOON: Morning Worship (Held in the Sanctuary on first floor, Choir loft is on second floor)
We welcome you to join us in study and worship. If you choose not to participate, and will be in the Sanctuary building, we ask that you keep noise down when the building is in use. Also, the Parks-Wilson room is typically the space where meals are eaten. On Sunday morning, this space will not be available from 9:45 to 10:30 AM, so different arrangements will need to be made if you plan on eating breakfast during this time.
TAIZE SERVICES
During Advent, an additional service will be held on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM. The Taize service will be aproximately 45 minutes long. During this service, please keep noise down, especially in the Parks-Wilson Room.
WEATHER
Hurricanes
Each year, Hurricane Season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30. In the event of a hurricane evacuation from New Orleans or other southern low-lying areas of Louisiana, UPC becomes a shelter for pregnant women and newborn babies. If an evacuation begins at any point during your journey to UPC or during your stay, your reservations will be canceled. Please keep in touch during this season and keep an eye on Louisiana weather through your local weather channel.
Each volunteer should arrive at UPC with an evacuation plan. UPC encourages volunteers to take out travel insurance on bus and plane tickets in case your trip is cancelled or cut short.
Average Temperatures
|
|
HIGH
|
LOW
|
|
January
|
62
|
43
|
|
February
|
65
|
46
|
|
March
|
72
|
53
|
|
April
|
78
|
58
|
|
May
|
85
|
66
|
|
June
|
89
|
72
|
|
July
|
91
|
74
|
|
August
|
91
|
74
|
|
September
|
87
|
71
|
|
October
|
80
|
60
|
|
November
|
71
|
52
|
|
December
|
65
|
46
|
OTHER UPC POLICIES FOR VOLUNTEER HEALTH AND SAFETY
I. An approved First Aid kit is provided by UPC and is available for volunteers in the dormitory at all times.
II. UPC will have a list of emergency contact numbers in the dormitory. Volunteers will have access to a phone in the dormitory. UPC will also provide a print out of local emergency rooms, hours of operation, and driving directions to each emergency room from UPC.
III. To prevent spread of infection, information regarding the following health and safety areas will be provided in the noted living areas:
a. Hand-washing; bathrooms
b. Food safety; kitchen
c. Housekeeping practices; dormitory
d. Use of protective field work equipment; dormitory
e. Procedures for dealing with exposure to blood and body fluids; dormitory
f. Response to individual cases or outbreaks of infectious diseases; dormitory
IV. Garbage must be stored in sturdy containers lined with plastic bags and should be emptied regularly to prevent spills. Waste baskets will be disinfected regularly to discourage insect and rodent infestation.
V. Prescription medications must be kept out of site and stored safely with personal items. Medications which must be refrigerated may be kept in the dormitory refrigerator so long as they are carefully labeled. UPC is not responsible for storing or administering prescription medication.
VI. Non-prescription medications will not be provided by UPC, but volunteers may bring them. These non-prescription drugs must be stored in the same manner as prescription medications, described above.
VII. The entrance to the dormitory must be secured against unwanted entry. Emergency exits must be clearly marked. The project manager (selected from the volunteer work group) is responsible for loaner keys from UPC. He/she must put down a security deposit on the keys in the amount of $100.00, which will be returned to the volunteer work group project manager when both loaner keys are returned. The volunteer work group project manager is then responsible for loaning out keys to other volunteers.
VIII. Only volunteers, authorized visitors and UPC staff are allowed in the dormitory.
IX. All weapons, alcohol and illegal substances are prohibited in the dormitory.
X. UPC does not provide lockers for personal items and UPC is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property, including personal vehicles, valuables and cash.
XI. In the case of a hurricane or tornado, volunteers must secure all windows and doors and seek shelter in the center the building away from windows and doors.
XII. Volunteers are responsible for maintaining cleanliness of the dormitory room and kitchen facilities.
XIII. The location of all fire extinguishers will be clearly marked and the volunteers will be informed of their location during initial orientation. All fire extinguishers have passed inspection and are inspected regularly.
