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SIGCSE TS 2025
Wed 26 February - Sat 1 March 2025 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
SIGCSE TS 2025 (series) /

Student Volunteers

On-Site Student Volunteers

Student volunteers are an important part of the SIGCSE Technical Symposium. Student volunteers are undergraduate or graduate students of institutions of higher education who are registered attendees of the conference.

Each student volunteer will be assigned up to eight (8) hours of conference duties where they will be helping with various conference management activities.

You will have the opportunity to interact with the conference organizers and presenters as well as meet other students from all over the world. More information about the experience, the benefits, and how to sign up are provided below.

How do I register to volunteer?

To be eligible to serve as a Student Volunteer for the SIGCSE Technical Symposium, you must be 1) an undergraduate or graduate student of an institution of higher education, and 2) a registered in-person attendee of the conference. Registering to be a Student Volunteer is a two-step process.

  • STEP 1: Register as a volunteer on the SIGCSE TS Student Volunteers Portal.

NOTE: The portal will launch soon after registration. To be notified when the portal launches, please fill out the Student Volunteer Interest Form.

Must register as a volunteer by January 24th. We need to submit the T-shirt order on the 31st.

As part of this registration, you will provide your availability for volunteer shifts. Please look at the schedule and ensure that: 1) you do NOT select a shift where you have a conference commitment like presenting a paper or the ACM Student Research Competition, and 2) you do NOT select shifts where you want to see a particular talk. You can update your availability for shifts until Feb 14.

After completing STEP 1, you will receive a discount code that you can use to register for the SIGCSE symposium in STEP 2. The discount code can be found on your profile page on the student volunteer website. The discount code makes the base conference registration fee free, but you are still responsible for paying all the add-on costs.

It is important that you complete your volunteer profile and provide availability on the student volunteer website. Otherwise, your discount code for the conference registration will be canceled and be charged for the full conference fee.

Please try to register as early as possible. You can provide your availability for shifts closer to the start of the conference as we understand that it can take a little while to arrange travel.

  • STEP 2: SEPARATELY register for the SIGCSE symposium as a student.

When you get to check out, you can use the discount code from STEP 1 to zero out the base conference registration fee. Note you will need to pay the costs of any additions to registration (e.g., workshop).

What If My Plans Change?

Please note that if you are no longer able to attend the conference, you must visit the SIGCSE TS Student Volunteers Portal to cancel and email volunteers@sigcse2025.sigcse.org.

If you are unable to volunteer, but still plan to attend the conference, you will need to contact registration@sigcse2025.sigcse.org to let them know that you need to pay the student registration fee to avoid being charged the full conference registration rate.

What To Do Once at SIGCSE Technical Symposium

Upon arrival at the conference site, you must check in at the main SIGCSE Technical Symposium Registration Desk to receive your conference registration packet. Then, visit the Student Volunteers Headquarters to check in and to receive any needed instructions or updates. The Student Volunteer Headquarters location will be provided via the SIGCSE TS Student Volunteers Portal.

For each day that you have a shift, you will need to visit Student Volunteers Headquarters to check-in 15 minutes before the start of your first shift. The Student Volunteers Coordinators will check you in, provide any instructions for your shifts, information for the day, and how to capture your progress. The Student Volunteers Headquarters will be open the entire day and you can feel free to hang out there between shifts.

Not completing all your assigned shifts will result in the revocation of your conference registration and notification of your on-site faculty advisor. You would then need to pay the registration fee to continue attending the conference at the on-site registration rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to be a student volunteer?

Any undergraduate or graduate student registered at an institution of higher education are eligible to serve as a student volunteer. You must specify your school affiliation and a faculty member who will be on-site during the conference when you sign up as a volunteer. Students attending the conference for the ACM Student Research Competition are encouraged to become volunteers as well. Email volunteers@sigcse2025.sigcse.org if you have further questions.

What if I require a visa?

Volunteers are responsible for acquiring whatever visas are required for them to enter the United States and attend the SIGCSE Technical Symposium. If you require a visa support letter information about requesting one can be found at the bottom of the Registration page here: https://sigcse2025..sigcse.org/attending/Registration+.

What are the benefits of student volunteering?

In exchange for 8 hours of volunteer service, you will receive:

  • Complimentary conference registration.

  • Student registration for the registration includes student membership in ACM SIGCSE.

  • A chance to meet and work with students from other schools.

  • Entrance to the exclusive student volunteer party.

  • The opportunity to contribute to an effort to improve computing education and SIGCSE’s sincere gratitude for your efforts!

In addition to these benefits, you have all the rights of the non-volunteer student attendees since you are a registered SIGCSE student attendee,

What kinds of work will I do as a student volunteer?

Duties may include, though not limited to, the following:

  • Working the registration desk organizing attendee packets and checking in attendees when they arrive on-site.

  • Monitoring the exhibit hall or reception entrance to ensure those entering have the appropriate conference badge.

  • Directing attendees to rooms

  • Counting the number the attendees at various conference sessions.

  • Assisting speakers at various session types with handouts or equipment before, during, and after sessions.

  • Facilitating online sessions (i.e., discussions and presentation sessions)

Do I have a say in what work I do as a student volunteer?

We will try to accommodate your preferences as best we can; however, it is not always possible to meet every student volunteers’ preferences. If you have a skill we are interested in, then you get a chance to indicate that when you are indicating available work times (e.g. like working with children might make you a great choice to help with Kids Camp!).

We also try to accommodate students who have a preference for a particular shift or session, but due to the complexity of scheduling and ensuring we have adequate coverage at all sessions, we cannot guarantee every request.

When during the conference will I do my student volunteer work?

This will depend on conference needs; some time periods are busier than others. Your duties may be broken into separate time periods and even across separate days. We guarantee no more than eight (8) hours of assigned work per volunteer.

We recognize that things may change and will do our best to make changes as needed. In return, we ask that you be as flexible as possible since coordinating a conference is challenging and your role is important!

Do I have to be there for the whole conference to be a student volunteer?

No. We realize that travel plans and other commitments exist. We hope that students local to the conference area will be flexible. In particular, there is always a need for volunteers on Tuesday and Wednesday, before most of the conference activities begin, before many of the traveling student volunteers have arrived, and the final Saturday of the conference for workshops. We encourage local student volunteers to be available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

Can I get funding for travel or hotel expenses?

The conference itself does not provide funding for student volunteers, but you may be able to get some support through your department or through another source at your university. You should print your registration acknowledgment to show to potential funding sources.

Questions

If you have questions about anything discussed above, please contact the Student Volunteers & Activities Team: