UVA Advance Student/Family Handbook

Summer Session High School students at the University of Virginia are subject to the University’s academic, financial, and non-academic rules and regulations. These rules and regulations may be changed at any time by the appropriate authority. The University reserves the right to suspend, enforce the withdrawal of, or expel a student whose academic work is unsatisfactory or who violates the University's standards of conduct, Honor System, or other regulations. Since most of our summer high school students are under eighteen, we require that parents review University of Virginia rules and regulations with their children so that both parents and students are aware of those policies designed to protect students and to guide their behavior.

Students will not be directly supervised by UVA Advance staff at all times. We will provide advisory services and support staff for students; however, we remind parents that we cannot protect students against every risk. Like most public universities, the University of Virginia’s Grounds generally are open to the public and otherwise unrestricted. Students must take adequate responsibility for their own behavior and safety.

All University of Virginia students agree to abide by the UVA Standards of Conduct. The Board of Visitors adopts the University Standards of Conduct which describe behavior generally prohibited to enrolled students at UVA. Each standard contains its own internal jurisdiction, and several standards involve different jurisdictions for different clauses. The Standards of Conduct can only be revised or amended by the Board of Visitors.

The Standards of Conduct:

1. 1. Physical assault of any person on University-owned or leased property, at any University sanctioned function, at the permanent or temporary local residence of a University student, faculty member, employee, visitor, or in the City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County, or Prohibited Conduct, as defined in the University of Virginia Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence.
   2. Conduct which intentionally or recklessly threatens the health or safety of any person on University-owned or leased property, at a University sanctioned function, at the permanent or temporary local residence of a University student, faculty member, employee or visitor, or in the city of Charlottesville or Albemarle County.
   3. Unauthorized entry into or occupation of University facilities which are locked, closed to student activities or otherwise restricted as to use.
   4. Intentional disruption or obstruction of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures, other University activities, or activities authorized to take place on University property.
   5. Unlawfully blocking or impeding normal pedestrian or vehicular traffic on or adjacent to University property.
   6. Violation of University policies or regulations referenced in The Record, including policies concerning residence and the use of University facilities.
   7. Alteration, fabrication, or misuse of, or obtaining unauthorized access to University identification cards, other documents, or computer files or systems.
   8. Disorderly conduct on University-owned or leased property or at a University-sanctioned function. Disorderly conduct is defined to include but is not limited to acts that breach the peace, are lewd, indecent, or obscene, and that are not Constitutionally protected speech.
   9. Substantial damage to University-owned or leased property or to any property in the city of Charlottesville or Albemarle County or to property of a University student, employee, faculty member, or visitor, occurring on University-owned or leased property or at the permanent or temporary local residence of any student, faculty member, employee or visitor.
   10. Any violation of Federal, State, or local law, if such directly affects the University’s pursuit of its proper educational purposes and only to the extent such violations are not covered by other Standards of Conduct and only where a specific provision of a statute or ordinance is charged in the complaint.
   11. Intentional, reckless, or negligent conduct which obstructs the operations of the Honor or Judiciary Committee, or conduct that violates their rules of confidentiality.
   12. Failure to comply with directions of University officials acting under provisions 1-11 set above. This shall include failure to give identity in situations concerning alleged violations of sections 1-11.

Since its inception in 1842, the Honor System has been a defining and evolving dimension of life at the University. Under the Honor System, University students have pledged to adhere to a common baseline of honorable behavior; that is, not to lie, cheat, or steal. This ideal of Honor is not imposed upon students; rather, by choosing to enroll at the University of Virginia, students commit themselves to a community that shares this ideal. Specifically, each student at the University signs a pledge to abide by the Honor System as part of their application for admission. Students also commit themselves to governing the system; the Honor Committee, as well as its support officer pool and hearing panels, is composed entirely of students.

The central purpose of the Honor System is to foster and uphold a Community of Trust in which students commit themselves to the pursuit of truth and enjoy the freedom to develop their intellectual and personal potential. Dishonest conduct, whether lying, cheating, or stealing, is incompatible with these pursuits, which can thrive only in an atmosphere of trust. The Honor System does not exist merely to punish students who commit Honor offenses; rather, its purpose is to promote and maintain a community where students can rely on each other to act honestly.

One benefit of the Honor System is a presumption of honor – each University student is presumed to act honorably unless their actions prove otherwise. This presumption accompanies a student in all of their dealings with fellow students, faculty members, administrators, and members of the local community. This positive conception of honor is the heart of the Honor System.

Individual responsibility is essential to maintaining the Community of Trust. The Honor System depends entirely upon the willingness of each student to live up to the standards set by the community of their fellow students. Any violation of the Honor Code by a University student constitutes a breach of the Community of Trust, which demands restoration. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each student to report conduct that may demonstrate a disregard for these basic principles of honor.

In addition to the above, all UVA Advance participants agree to abide by the following.

Participants must:

• Be respectful of others and their surroundings
• Raise concerns respectfully
• Be responsive to all reasonable requests from fellow participants
• Follow staff instructions and instructions of any University employee in performance of their duties
• Accept responsibility for personal and community safety (e.g. refraining from propping open security doors)
• Recognize that public areas and their furnishings belong to everyone and abuse of those areas violates the rights of the community
• Properly steward community resources and spaces, which may include periodic tidying of common areas

Participants must not:

• Leave University Grounds without permission from a staff member. (For the purposes of UVA Advance, “on Grounds” includes the Corner, a part of downtown Charlottesville immediately adjacent to the University.)
• Misuse or damage University property
• Have or consume tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs, including marijuana and its derivatives, or provide directly to or assist in obtaining such substances for others
• Have or use sexually explicit literature or other media of any kind
• Violate University housing policies with regard to personal appliances, room decorations, or other prohibited items
• Violate any of the University Standards of Conduct or the Honor System

• Students may not remove University furniture from the residence hall room to which it was assigned
• Students may not throw objects in hallways, run in hallways, or engage in “hall sports”
• Students may not access floors or other areas of the residence hall that are not part of the UVA Advance program
• Courtesy hours are always in effect. All students should honor reasonable requests to lower noise levels at any time and, in the case of roommates, to turn off overhead lights after curfew
• When curfew is not in effect (6am-10pm), students may visit in one another’s rooms, provided the door is open. Any time students are in a room other than the one to which they are assigned, the door to the room must be propped open fully.  
• With the exception of arrival and departure days, no one other than program participants, program staff, and necessary university personnel (e.g. housekeeping, maintenance) are permitted into the residence hall  
• Animals (other than service dogs) are prohibited from being in the residence hall at all times.  

• Students must abide by nightly curfew and remain in the residence hall between the hours of 10pm-6am and participate in nightly curfew check at 10pm. Following the 10pm curfew check, students may not visit in one another’s rooms, but may continue using common areas according to the following rules: 
  • First floor common areas may be used until 11pm, but close to students from 11pm-6am.
  • After 11pm, students may use the lounges and study rooms on their assigned floor. Students may not be on floors other than the one to which they are assigned during these hours. 
  • Between the hours of 11pm-6am, noise levels should be kept to a minimum. Students and staff resting in their assigned rooms should not be able to hear any noise from other rooms or common areas. This includes the bathrooms, which should not be used to congregate. Students choosing to listen to music or watch TV, movies, etc. should use headphones. 
  • Program staff may close the lounges and/or study rooms on the floors at their discretion. If a staff member closes the lounges for the night, students must return to their assigned room. 

Class Attendance

All UVA Advance students must be enrolled in a core course and an elective course. Students are expected to attend each class meeting. Course requirements such as examinations, oral presentations, or the like are in no sense waived because of absence from class. Instructors may establish penalties for an absence. Students who will not be able to attend a class session should inform their instructor and the UVA Advance Director in advance. Unexcused class absences may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal.

Workshops and Excursions

All workshops and excursions are mandatory, unless specifically noted otherwise. Permission to miss a workshop or excursion can only be granted at the discretion of the Program Director.  

Leaving Grounds

Students are expected to remain on Grounds for the duration of the program, except when participating in supervised field trips. (For the purposes of UVA Advance, “on Grounds” includes the Corner, a part of downtown Charlottesville immediately adjacent to the University.)    

If a student desires to leave Grounds, permission from program staff is required and students must be in groups of three or more. Students are never to leave Grounds alone. Resident Community Advisors may arrange off-Grounds activities (e.g. to the Downtown Mall) at their discretion.

Overnight Leave

Students are encouraged to remain on Grounds during weekends to develop friendships, to enjoy the program’s planned activities and to catch up on homework. If a student needs to leave Grounds for an overnight stay, the student’s parent or guardian must send a written request to the Program Director or UVAAdvance@virginia.edu at least two business days before the requested leave date. Requests should include a description of why leave is requested, the date(s) and time(s) the student will be away from UVA, and how the student will be transported between Grounds and their overnight location. A student is authorized to leave only after the UVA Advance Director sends the student and the student's parent or guardian approval via email. If an approved overnight leave is cancelled, parents should notify the program director that the student will be remaining on Grounds. 

Sexual Activity between Minor Participants 

In compliance with Appendix A of the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Minors, set forth by the Office of Youth Protection, and to promote the safety and well-being of all minors participating in University-designated youth programs, any form of sexual activity is prohibited while participating in the program. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the conduct is considered consensual between the minors.  

Prohibited sexual activity includes, but is not limited to:  

• Any intentional touching or exposure of private areas (including breast, buttocks, groin, or genitals) of another person or of oneself for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or stimulation;  
• Any attempted or actual sexual contact, including sexual kissing (common street parlance of “French kissing”), fondling, or simulated sexual acts; and,  
• Any other behavior of a sexual nature between youth participants or from one youth participant directed at another.  

All instances or concerns involving sexual activity between minors, regardless of apparent consent, will be reported to the University’s Office of Youth Protection, and any other designated or required reporting channel. The University will then refer the matter to the appropriate agency or resource center, so that the involved minors can be connected with appropriate services. This is intended to protect and support minors, and connect them with resources if needed, and not to criminalize minors. 

Students Arriving or Departing without a Parent/Guardian:  

Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to accompany students for both arrival and departure. However, we realize that for students traveling long distances, particularly internationally, this may not be feasible. If a student needs to arrive to or depart from the program alone, the following steps must be taken: 

• Parent/guardian must notify the Program Director in writing that the student will be arriving and/or departing unaccompanied. 
• Parent/guardian must provide the program with the student’s complete travel itinerary so that staff can monitor possible flight delays. This information should include the plan for travel between the airport and the University. 
• Students may not arrive prior to the posted date and time for the program start, and may not remain after the posted date and time for program conclusion. Should travel issues necessitate students being in Charlottesville outside of these times, parents/guardians are responsible for making alternate arrangements to ensure student safety.  
• Please note that we do not permit students to depart on foot at the conclusion of the program. Students traveling alone will only be released to a form of vehicular transportation (taxi, car service, etc).  
• Luggage and personal items cannot be stored prior to or after the posted arrival and departure times. 

Parents/Guardians and other family members associated with a student in the UVA Advance program should agree to abide by the following.

Family members must:

• Be respectful of others and their surroundings
• Commit to follow and abide by University, Local, and State protocols in place to promote the health, safety, and well-being of program staff and participants
• In the event of a medical emergency or a behavioral concern that qualifies a student for dismissal from the program, parents/legal guardians will make arrangements to take custody, care, and control of their child within 24 hours of notification by University staff.

Family members must not:

• Make inappropriate requests of program staff that conflict with program or University guidelines
• Engage in any sexual activity, make sexual comments, tell sexual jokes, or share sexually explicit material (or assist in any way to provide access to such material) with, around, or about minors
• Touch others in a manner that a reasonable person could interpret as inappropriate
• Engage in any abusive conduct of any kind toward or in the presence of a minor, including but not limited to verbal abuse, striking, hitting, punching, poking, spanking, or restraining
• Give out information about a minor (e.g. housing location) to anyone other than parents, legal guardians, applicable University staff, or law enforcement

Parents/guardians must communicate with program staff in accordance with the Overnight Leave Policy and Students Arriving or Departing Alone (both policies can be found under "Program Specific Student Policies and Procedures --> Other Policies"). 

For violations and alleged violations of UVA Advance program policies:

Reports concerning policies and guidelines specific to UVA Advance will be handled by the UVA Advance and Summer Session program staff.

• Minor Violations
  • Minor violations are defined as situations that cause minimal program disruption and are limited in impact (e.g. being five minutes late for curfew check)
  • Responding staff may include: Resident Community Advisors, Head Resident Community Advisor, Program Director, other university faculty or staff
  • Responses may include: verbal warning or redirection, informal documentation (e.g. marking curfew log, informing other relevant staff members of verbal warning)
• Moderate Violations
  • Moderate violations are defined as situations that disrupt the program, impact others, may involve multiple students, may require investigation, and require formal documentation. Repeated minor violations may also be considered moderate violations.
  • Responding staff may include: Resident Community Advisors, Head Resident Community Advisor, Program Director, other university faculty or staff
    • Responding staff must include: Head Resident Community Advisor, Program Director
  • Responses may include: Formal documentation (e.g. written incident report submitted to Program Director, filing written report using Just Report It), meeting with Program Director, communicating with parents/legal guardians, referral to the PACE team (UVA Student Affairs), consulting Office of Youth Protection and Director of Summer & Special Academic Programs
  • Consequences may include: Loss of privileges (e.g. evening activities), early curfew, mediation plan
• Major Violations
  • Major violations are defined as situations that significantly disrupt the program, may threaten student or staff safety, and may violate University Standards of Conduct, the University Honor System, or local, state, or federal law
  • Responding staff must include: Program Director, Director of Summer & Special Academic Programs, the PACE team (UVA Student Affairs), Office of Youth Protection
  • Responses may include: See section for reports concerning University-wide policies, below
  • Consequences may include: Probation, dismissal from program, University disciplinary record
  • Parents/legal guardians are contacted immediately regarding allegations of major violations.

For violations and alleged violations of University-wide policies, including the Standards of Conduct and Honor System:

Reports concerning University-wide policies will be handled by the UVA Advance and Summer Session team in conjunction with UVA’s PACE team within the division of Student Affairs. Parents/legal guardians are contacted immediately regarding allegations of violations to University Standards of Conduct or the Honor System.

When a report is received, a PACE team member will review the report to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe the Standards of Conduct or University policies were violated. If so, students can expect the following to occur:

1 Request to Meet. PACE will send a message to the student’s University email address notifying them that a report was received alleging behavior that potentially violates the Standards of Conduct or University policies. The message will include important next steps the student must take to address the report, which may include scheduling a meeting with a PACE team member.

Advisory Outreach. Some behavior may result in an advisory outreach letter sent by PACE to the reported student to share information on the Standard(s) of Conduct or University Policy that may have been violated. Advisory letters may include an educational program request that should be completed by the student in lieu of a meeting and/or more formal action. Students who receive an advisory outreach letter are not required to meet with a PACE team member unless they wish to do so, with the expectation that the behavior will not continue and the educational request contained in the letter is completed. If the student does not wish to complete the educational program, the PACE team member may require a meeting and potentially take further disciplinary action. 

2 Meeting. If a meeting is requested, the student will promptly schedule one with PACE to discuss the report. The goals of this meeting are:

• Discuss the Report. Details of the report will be provided to the student, and the student will have an opportunity to share their perspective on the matter.
• Review Community Expectations. All relevant Standards of Conduct and University policies will be reviewed with the student to ensure they understand our community expectations.
• Invite Reflection. The student will have an opportunity to reflect on the report, the decisions they made involving the matter in question, and future decisions they can make to promote safer, healthier outcomes in compliance with the Standards of Conduct and University policies.
• Share Resources. Appropriate supportive resources will be shared with the student. This may include a referral to Care and Support Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, WahooWell, or other resources as appropriate.

3 Resolution. During and following the meeting, a PACE team member will consider if the report may be resolved informally. Informal resolution is typically appropriate for first time, less serious incidents. Reports involving serious or recurring violations of the Standards of Conduct or University policies generally are ineligible for informal resolution. 

• Informal Resolution. Through discussion with a PACE team member, a student may choose to accept responsibility for their actions, agree to abide by community expectations, and – if appropriate to the situation – commit to participating in educational interventions. If the student satisfactorily completes this process, the matter is concluded and no disciplinary record will result. 
• Formal Resolution. The student will be referred to the Honor Committee or UJC for adjudication. More details regarding the formal resolution processes can be found on each committee’s website. If there is a finding of responsibility by either committee, a disciplinary record will result.