at Summer College

• A supportive environment
• Activities
• Dining
• Health and safety
• Housing
• Community policies
  • Summer College Code of Conduct and House rules
  • Drugs and alcohol

see also

• at Cornell University
• in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes

Community policies

Because there are so many of us living in close proximity, Summer College has established some community ground rules that you'll need to know and follow. Most are designed to protect students and to maintain a quality of life conducive to learning. Other rules reflect municipal, state, and federal laws.

We do mean what we say regarding community rules, and we take community safety concerns seriously. What is most important is that you respect the rights of others and act with concern and consideration for the well-being of the entire community. We expect you to follow the instructions of staff members, whose job it is, in part, to address inappropriate behavior. Failure to respond to staff members' directives will result in disciplinary action.

Disciplinary action will follow any infraction of Summer College program regulations. Action taken ranges from an oral or written warning to early night-check-in, probation, or dismissal from the program. Any staff member can initiate disciplinary action. Students who are dismissed because of violations of the Code of Conduct or House Rules will be withdrawn from their courses and will not be entitled to any refund. We are sorry to say this has happened.

Who deals with students suspected of program violations?

Residence staff members attend to most program violations. The head resident and the residential program director, or the Summer College director, will take disciplinary action if a student does any of the following:

• Shows disrespect for the rights, privileges, and safety of others in the community, or engages in any form of harassment or bias-related activity
• Endangers her or his own health or safety or the health or safety of another student, staff member, or faculty member
• Damages or removes property
• Indicates a repeated unwillingness or inability to abide by program regulations, including those that are not specifically delineated in the Summer College Code of Conduct or House Rules
• Fails to comply with the legitimate order of a university official

Students who violate the Summer College Code of Conduct and House Rules may be referred to the Summer College judicial officer. The decision to dismiss a student from the program is made by the Summer College director. Because participants are high school students and not of majority age, parents may be informed of disciplinary action. The university reserves the right to discontinue the enrollment of any student whose continuance would be detrimental to himself or herself or to others.

Off-campus absences

You are not permitted to ride in other people's cars on or off campus without proper authorization. If you want to go for an overnight visit, we'll need written permission from your parent or guardian by 4:00 p.m. on the day you're planning to leave or no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday for a weekend; we will verify it by phone and will ask you for a contact address and phone number of where you will be. We cannot accept blanket permission letters—you will need to fill out the appropriate permission form.

Harassment

As an educational institution and employer, Cornell University is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment. This commitment dates back to the founding of the university. In 1865, Ezra Cornell proclaimed, "I would found an Institution where any person can find instruction in any study." This statement illustrates Cornell's democratic values and articulates the university's enduring commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. In January 2000, the university adopted the "Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds" statement, which reflects the core values of the university as they relate to diversity and inclusion.

Summer College embraces this commitment. We will not tolerate any form of harassment. Harassment is a form of illegal discrimination that occurs when an individual is victimized by verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct based upon actual or perceived age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, ex-offender status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.

Sexual harassment is a form of illegal discrimination that occurs when unwelcome sexual behavior toward a student impacts a term, condition, or privilege of academic standing, or unreasonably interferes with the student's ability to learn or otherwise participate in the services and benefits of institutional activities and programs. Depending on the circumstances, sexual harassment may include, but is not limited to, sexual propositions, insults or threats; persistent unwanted sexual/romantic attention; coerced or unwelcome touching; subtle or overt pressure for these sexual favors or coerced sexual intercourse (i.e. as a condition of academic status).

Behavior reflecting bias or discrimination may constitute a violation of Cornell University's policies and Campus Code of Conduct, as well as local, state, and federal laws. The university has established review procedures to deal with such cases under University Policy 6.4 at both the college and university levels. An individual who believes s/he is the victim of a crime should contact the Cornell Police and, if appropriate, other local police agencies immediately, so that the matter can be addressed and support services made available.

An individual who believes that s/he has been subjected to discrimination in violation of the university's Equal Employment and Educational Opportunity policy or who has been the target of activity that s/he believes constitutes a violation of the Campus Code of Conduct should bring this complaint to the attention of his or her residence staff member, the residential program director, the director of the Summer College, the judicial administrator, the ombudsman, or the director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality. These university officials will promptly review the allegations and determine if the information should more appropriately be referred for investigation to another university office, including the Cornell Police. For information about Cornell's Bias Response Program, which enables individuals to report incidents of bias or harassment when the party or parties responsible for the conduct are unknown, please see a residence staff member, a member of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality, or one of the Bias Reporting Team Members.

Release of images

Photographs and digital images of students participating in Summer College may be used for public information purposes through parental consent on the Permission Form. For the full text of this policy, see the Image Release Statement. If you do not want Cornell to reproduce or distribute your student's photographic image, simply cross out the "Images" statement on the Permission Form. However, the image of any student who participates in the Summer College group photo sessions will be included in the Summer College yearbook.

Release of information

It is university policy that directory information in a student's records may be released without the student's consent. Directory Information is information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy and the Directory information most relevant to Summer College students includes name, local address, local telephone listing, email address, dates of attendance, and enrollment status. For a full list and more details on the privacy of student records, see the Course of Study Manual.

As a policy, Cornell University does not release or sell directory information to any outside entity for commercial, marketing, or solicitation purposes, but students do have the right to suppress their directory information. Suppression means, for example, that verification of enrollment will not be provided to third parties. If your student would like to suppress this information, s/he will need to officially suppress it through Cornell's "Just the Facts"--or through the Office of the University Registrar, B7 Day Hall, during the first week of classes. Please note that the directory information will remain suppressed until you remove it through Just the Facts or in writing to the Office of the University Registrar.

Just the Facts can be accessed when you receive your Cornell NetID after you arrive.

For more information

For more information, refer to our "General policies and disclaimers" page and the University's "Policy Office" Web site.