Frequently Asked Questions

What is LEAP?

The Leadership and Extra-Curricular Activity Profile (LEAP) is an official university document. LEAP is designed to verify and validate a student’s leadership positions, organizational memberships, and other significant involvement in activities outside of the classroom not documented on the academic transcript. This program is administered by the LEAP Coordinator and is considered an official document when signed by the Dean of Student Affairs. Enrolment in the LEAP program is completely voluntary and must be initiated by the student.

What are the benefits?

The LEAP Certificate provides students a credible, official listing of their accomplishments outside the classroom.

The LEAP Certificate complements an academic transcript and resume for applications to graduate school and prospective employers.

Having a LEAP Certificate can help you to demonstrate your acquired skills, stand out to potential employers, get into Graduate school, receive grants and bursaries, etc.

What types of activities can be submitted?

See the page Types of Activities.

General criteria for activities:

• Activities engage students in student life or provide a service to other students and possibly members of the community.
• Activities are associated with the Student Representative Council, a university department or service.
• Activities involve being an active member of a recognized club, group, committee or team.
• Activities must occur during a student’s academic term but may continue into regular breaks (i.e. summer months).
• The minimum requirements for validation are determined by the supervising group, club representative, advisor, faculty member or designated validator for the activity.

What types of activities are not accepted?

See the section “What types of activities are not accepted?” at the bottom of the page Types of Activities.

How can I add my activity to my LEAP profile?

See the page How to Start for complete instructions.

Can I list all my activities in my LEAP?

Space on the official certificate is limited to approximately 30 activities (with activities on both sides of the certificate). If students have more than 30 activities, the LEAP Coordinator will contact them in the month of May so they select the activities that will appear on their official document in their graduating year. You also have the option of printing your profile with all activities listed for your personal records. This could be useful when writing your resume.

Can I include off-campus activities to my LEAP profile?

Yes, you can add your off-campus activities as well (volunteer work only). Volunteer activities must take place in the local community (Lennoxville and Sherbrooke area only), and be validated by the contact person at the off-campus organization.
The minimum requirement for off-campus volunteer work is 15 hours of active involvement per academic year.

For approval of volunteer work off-campus, you must provide the program coordinator with the following information: name of organization, information about your immediate supervisor (name, job title, e-mail, phone number), type of volunteer work, description of tasks and responsibilities, and number of hours worked as volunteer per semester. Your immediate supervisor must be able to validate that information in writing.

Many volunteer positions off-campus are already listed in the program. If your off-campus volunteer activity is not listed in the database, please contact the LEAP Coordinator to discuss about its addition to the program.

I’m a member of a Club. How can I get my club membership added to the LEAP?

First of all, you need to add the activity to your profile, and choose the SRC Clubs Manager as the Validator. See the page How to Start for complete instructions.

Approvals are up to the assigned validator, in this case the SRC Clubs Manager.

The SRC Clubs Manager receives a list from the Club Representative at the end of each semester with the list of active members of each club. Then, the SRC Clubs Manager is in charge of approving (or rejecting if applicable) all the student entries based on that list, using the LEAP program.

How can I get LEAP credits? / How many credits do I need to get a LEAP?

The LEAP program does not give “credits”. The LEAP program provides a listing of your extra-curricular activities and does not include any type of mark or number of credits. It includes the following information: term, activity, position/role, and description of the activity. Example:

What do I do if I held more than one leadership position in an organization?

You should submit an entry for each leadership position. However, for leadership and membership roles within the same club (during the same academic year) you should add the leadership position rather than the membership position, and not both. Example: You are the Club Representative for the Biology Club. It is understood that you are also a member, so you should not add ‘Member’ on top of ‘Club Representative’.

Who can be a validator?

Validators for on-campus activities: faculty, staff, SRC Executive members and the SRC Clubs Manager are validators for on-campus activities.

Validator for off-campus activities: the LEAP Coordinator is the validator for all activities that involve volunteer work off-campus. In this case, the LEAP Coordinator will contact the resource person at the organization to confirm the involvement of the student as volunteer.

Who will approve my activity? Who do I choose as validator of my activity?

The verification and validation of different activities varies according to the type of organization or activity. To verify who the proper validator of any given activity is, you must login to the program and verify the list of activities where you will see the name of the validator for each activity. The following are some examples:

• Membership of Clubs- the SRC Clubs Manager is the validator for all SRC clubs and most other clubs (BU-affiliated clubs)
• Leadership activities – group advisors, S.R.C. President
• Student work experience – your employer
• Professional/Educational development experiences – supervisor or advisor
• Participation in extra-curricular activities and university committees – the committee chairperson, club advisor, team coach
• Honors, Awards, Recognition – copy of the certificate or letter

I added activities to my profile about 2 weeks ago, but their status is still ‘pending’ approval. When will they be approved?

Activities are pending until the validator approves the student entry. Once approved, the activity will appear on your profile. Normally, validators have until the end of December to approve the activities entered during the fall semester and until the end of April to approve the activities entered during the winter semester.

I was an active member of a club and my entry was rejected. Can it be fixed?

First of all, I recommend that you speak to your Club Representative to look for clarification and make sure your name was on the list submitted to the SRC Clubs Manager. After that has been confirmed, please contact the LEAP Coordinator by e-mail to request a review or your entry. Your activity request will be re-opened and re-assigned to the SRC Clubs Manager for validation. The SRC Clubs Manager is the official validator for all members/roles within all clubs.

My activity is not in the LEAP program database, because it is a new club/organization/initiative/volunteer opportunity/etc. How can I have it added to the program’s database?

See the page How can I request to have a new position recognized? for complete instructions.

Who has access to my LEAP?

Only you and the LEAP Coordinator have access to view your profile.

Can I have a copy of my LEAP before I graduate?

Yes. Simply submit your request to the LEAP Coordinator. Please note that only those activities approved at the time of the request will appear on your certificate. All “pending” activities get validated at the end of each semester.

I am graduating next June; when will I get my LEAP Certificate?

The LEAP certificate will be mailed to all graduating students a few days after the Convocation ceremony in June. The document will be mailed to the student’s home address (the address in the student file).

I graduated 3 years ago; can I get a copy of my LEAP Certificate?

Yes, we keep records for a maximum of 5 years after graduation. Please contact the LEAP Coordinator to request a copy of your certificate, including the mailing address where to send it.

I am an exchange student. Can I get a LEAP Certificate?

Yes. All students are eligible to obtain a certificate. If you are an exchange student for one semester or one year, please contact the LEAP Coordinator as soon as possible to inform of your departure date, so your document can be handed in to you before you leave Bishop’s. The LEAP Coordinator should be informed at least 2 weeks in advance before your departure to allow enough time for validation, review, printing, and signature of the official document.

I was a Club President last year (academic year 2015-16 and before). This year I am still the President, but I cannot find the role title “President” on the LEAP program. Can it be added?

This is due to the new SRC Internal Clubs Structure (new roles within the SRC Clubs, effective September 2016). If your activity is an SRC Club, the main positions will be the ones outlined below*. The older positions have been marked as INACTIVE from the LEAP program (e.g. President, Vice-President, Treasurer, etc.) according to the changes made to the SRC Clubs Manual: Internal Club Structures. The new roles were updated in the fall of 2016.

“The new club structure is meant to move away from the hierarchical implications of titles such as president and vice-president. The new structures are much more effective in helping clubs function and making leadership opportunities more accessible to all students”. –SRC Clubs Manager

For questions regarding these changes, please contact the SRC Clubs Manager at srcclubs@ubishops.ca.

For activities added before these changes, you will still see the older titles on your LEAP (President, VP, Treasurer, etc.).

*SRC Clubs, new roles:

1. The Club Representative acts as the main correspondent between the club and the SRC, as well as the club and the student body. Responsible to initiate and organize club meetings and activities to the benefit of all members involved.
2. The Co-Lead works with the Club Representative to initiate and organize club meetings and activities to the benefit of all members involved.
3. The Alternative Lead may take on the role of Co-Lead in the absence of any designated Co-Lead.
4. The Financial Signing Authority is responsible for approving all financial transactions of the club; facilitating efficient decision-making and ensuring that the financial actions and decisions of the club reflect the values and desires of all club members.
5. Member

I’ve noticed that now that there are no “Presidents” and such in the clubs, my LEAP report says that I was an INACTIVE President. What happened? Will this be fixed?

Yes. This will be fixed before your certificate gets printed upon your graduation. The older positions have been marked as INACTIVE in the LEAP program (e.g. President, Vice-President, Treasurer, etc.) according to the changes made to the SRC Clubs Manual: Internal Club Structures. The new roles were updated in the fall of 2016. Your activity currently shows as INACTIVE due to these changes. Every year, the LEAP Coordinator reviews and proofreads the certificates for all the graduating students to make sure there are not double entries, errors, or INACTIVE entries. All roles marked as INACTIVE will be amended before the certificates of graduating students get printed in June. So your role as President of the club will appear on your certificate (if the involvement was during or before academic year 2015-16).

How do you inform students about this program?

Throughout the academic year, the LEAP Coordinator provides information about the program and the deadlines via different communication channels such as: BU email, The Dish, Facebook, Instagram, and posters on campus.

The LEAP Coordinator is also present at the Student Services Marketplace during Orientation Week, Club Day and at least twice per semester in the SUB Lobby to inform about this program.

All information about the program can be found on the LEAP website as well.

I was not aware of the deadline to add activities for last academic year. Can I add my activities now?

Unfortunately, LEAP activities are NOT retroactive. Activities are only accepted for the CURRENT academic year. Requests for previous academic years will not be processed.

Please make sure to add the current activities to your profile before the deadline, which is promptly announced by the LEAP Coordinator via different communication channels.

Who can I contact if I have more questions or need assistance with the LEAP program?

See our Contact Us page.