Welcome to Culver
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STUDENT HANDBOOK 2014-2015 Culver Academies 0 Welcome to Culver The development of character is a central component in Culver’s mission. Culver assists students in becoming responsible citizens and leaders through an education in the classic virtues – wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. Leadership classes, opportunities to lead, and a culture that embraces our Code of Conduct and Honor Code complement the broader Culver curriculum, all of which provides the fertile environment for your individual growth. The Culver Code of Conduct My aim in life is to become the best person I can be. To this end I will strive always to develop my potential to its fullest – physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually; to make wise choices, exercise self-discipline, and accept responsibility for my actions; to treat everyone as I would have them treat me; to fulfill the ideal of service to others; to place duty before self; to lead by example and take care of those I lead; and to live by the Culver Honor Code: I will not lie, cheat, or steal, and I will discourage others from such actions. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Community Standards .............................................................................................. 3 2. Academics ................................................................................................................7 3. Health and Safety .................................................................................................. 15 4. Citizenship and Discipline ..................................................................................... 21 5. Living Units ............................................................................................................28 6. Attire .......................................................................................................................34 7. Accountability .........................................................................................................44 8. Technology at Culver ..............................................................................................49 9. Day Students............................................................................................................51 10. Leadership ...............................................................................................................53 11. Services and Facilities .............................................................................................66 12. School Awards ........................................................................................................69 13. Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................73 14. Clubs and Organizations .........................................................................................77 15. Appendix Organizational Charts .........................................................................................79 Daily Schedule ....................................................................................................81 Campus Map .......................................................................................................82 Running Guidelines ........................................................................................... 83 2 Chapter 1 Community Standards Culver asks for your commitment to the ideals of our community. Since their founding, the Academies have provided students with a set of community standards that defines common expectations, establishes limits for behavior, and fosters a sense of responsibility to others and for oneself. Students are expected to abide by the Academies’ expectations and standards, written and implied, and to accept full responsibility for their actions. Culver has expectations of you that include academics, leadership, citizenship, residential life, and extracurricular involvement. Culver is not a place where one chooses to acknowledge the standards of only one or two areas of responsibility; rather, students are expected to embrace and adhere to the standard and expectations in all areas in order for them to have the opportunity to benefit from the complete Culver experience. Students learn important life lessons as they face consequences for their actions that violate community expectations. Culver endeavors to administer corrective action with compassion, fairness, and dignity—trying to develop the habit of self-discipline and to encourage the spirit, as well as the letter of the law. The Academies’ disciplinary responses take into account the needs of the individual, and especially the needs of the community. Students whose behavior makes community living difficult for others are likely to forfeit the privilege of being at Culver. Whenever a new or modified rule or policy is issued, it will be announced or posted in the living units. You are responsible for understanding all rules and policies. Culver believes it is important to involve parents/guardians when a major rule has been violated and will make a concerted effort to notify a student’s parent(s) or guardian, but will not delay an investigation or disciplinary response in the event they cannot be reached. Culver Expects You to Live its Mission: Those who attend Culver because of the values it strives to instill in every member of the community should thrive while on campus and while away. Continued enrollment is conditioned upon a willingness to comply with all rules and any corrective requirements during the entire time you are a student. This includes when school is in session, whether you are on or off campus, when you are traveling to or from school, at the beginning or end of vacation periods, and when school is not in session. Culver Promotes Adult Involvement in Your Life: The adults who interact with you on a daily basis in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in other settings want and need to know if you have failed to meet academic or citizenship standards, as they want to provide assistance and guidance. Community Expectations: Condoning or failing to report violations of the Academies’ rules undermines Culver’s society of trust. Students are encouraged to contribute to community standards and are expected to address violations that they observe by either providing an on the spot correction or, in the case of serious offenses, reporting the violation to appropriate adults. Students immediately must report all violations which involve tampering with the fire alarm system, the direct infliction of harm by one student on another, theft, harassment, the use of chemical or other illicit substances, or the destruction of or tampering with school or student property. The Extreme Importance of Fire Safety: Because of the necessity for Culver to ensure the safety of students from fire, any action that compromises that safety is a significant violation of community standards and may lead to dismissal. You must never smoke on campus, but especially not in your living unit; tamper with, disable, or purposely cause false alarms on fire detection equipment; tamper with fire extinguishing equipment; nor activate a fire alarm except to respond appropriately to an emergency situation. Unacceptable Items on Campus: Students may not possess firearms, chemicals, hazardous or flammable materials or substances, ammunition, explosives or weapons of any kind, including otherwise ordinary or common items or substances or implements that, in the opinion of the Student Life staff have been altered, 3 modified or enhanced such that they pose a risk of physical injury to a student. Reproduction weapons that resemble actual weapons, whether they are capable of firing any type of projectile or not, like Airsoft weapons and paint guns, and knives of any sort with blades longer than 1 ½ inches or a lock-open feature are also prohibited. Additional unacceptable items are listed within the Living Unit information in Chapter 5. A Community of Mutual Respect: All students are expected to treat others with respect. In this spirit, harassment or hazing in any form or degree is unacceptable, including mental or physical abuse, humiliation, ridicule, or annoyance. It is unacceptable to require other students to do personal favors, to surrender their personal property, or to be deprived of their rights. Disrespect towards an adult on campus is also unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual attention that makes a person uncomfortable, and it is prohibited. The following types of harassment are destructive to Culver’s culture and are prohibited: verbal slurs, abusive, suggestive, offensive or derogatory comments, sexist remarks about another’s body/clothing/sexual activity, insults of a sexual orientation or of a sexual nature, requests or demands for sexual favors, catcalls, objectifying another by verbally judging or grading the attractiveness of another on a scale, suggestive or insulting sounds or gestures, unnecessary and unwanted physical contact, and physical assault. Students are to report any type of harassment complaint immediately to the Student Life staff or any member of the faculty/staff with whom you are comfortable. You are assured that each and every complaint will be investigated and handled as sensitively as possible. Harassment and Hazing: Harassment and hazing are any form of mental or physical abuse, humiliation, ridicule or annoyance from one person to another. Any form or degree of harassment or hazing is prohibited, whether in the context