Student Life

Academic Explorations Catalog Home

• Introduction
• Supervision
• Note to Older Students
• Housing
• Afternoon Activities
• Facilities
• Student Site Information Packet
• Technology at the Sites
• Weekends
• Typical Daily Schedule
• Daily Schedule
• Visits
• July 4th
• Expectations for Student Conduct
• Prohibited Items

Introduction

In addition to their course work, our students enjoy a rich experience outside the classroom. They live on campus under the supervision of resident assistants (RAs) and participate in a variety of afternoon and weekend activities. More importantly, they get to know other students like them—students whose interests are diverse and who share their exceptional academic abilities and love of learning. Lasting friendships develop as students learn from each other both in and out of the classroom. Throughout the residential program, we focus on helping students have a good time in a safe, supervised environment.

CTY students come from many different backgrounds and have a wide variety of opinions and beliefs. At CTY, we believe that engaging such diversity is part of the educational experience that the program provides, and we encourage students to embrace the opportunity to learn from others who are different from themselves.

Although helping students have a positive social experience is important to us, prospective students should know that their primary goal while enrolled in the program is to succeed in their academic endeavors. Students unable to make academics their first priority should not attend our program.

Supervision

While students are ultimately responsible for their own conduct, the administrative, instructional, and residential staff work together to provide clear guidelines and careful supervision. Outside class, students are supervised by RAs, who are typically college students selected on the basis of related work or volunteer experience, academic record, recommendations, and performance in an interview. RAs live with the students in the residence halls, providing support and encouragement, enforcing rules, and fostering a safe and inclusive community. The RAs, as well as instructors, teaching assistants, and administrators, are prepared to help students adjust to the academic demands of CTY and to the experience of being away from home.

Note To Older Students

Most of the students coming to our program are ages 12 to 15; however, every summer we have a number of students at each site who are almost 17 years old.

While designed with the academic and recreational interests of all age groups in mind, our program is highly structured and operates with only one set of rules. Some older students find they can accept these rules (e.g., 10:30 p.m. lights-out; restricted access to cell phones, the Internet, and other technology; strict campus boundaries; and close supervision), but others find them too restrictive and are unhappy.

Because it is our goal that all students have a positive experience, we encourage older students, indeed all students, to decide whether the program is appropriate for them. These students should attend only if they are fully committed to following all of the rules.

Housing

Students live on single-sex halls with their RAs and are not permitted to visit opposite-sex halls. Bathrooms are shared. Most rooms are doubles, but on occasion, students are assigned to singles or triples. When possible, students sharing a room will be of similar age and in the same or a related class. However, we cannot guarantee a particular housing arrangement. Although we will consider roommate requests, we cannot promise to accommodate them.

Each RA group has approximately 15 students. The RA group is an important part of the residential experience as it provides students with a sense of identity and belonging within the larger CTY community.

Afternoon Activities

When students are not in class, they attend activities planned and supervised by the resident assistants. The RAs’ goal is to offer a variety of activities so that all students can find something they enjoy doing each day. Activities range from the standard fare of board games, athletics, and arts and crafts to the more esoteric (e.g., Banana Penguin).

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Facilities

Facilities vary by site, but may include a gymnasium, tennis courts, outdoor fields, a pool, and music practice rooms. These facilities are shared with other programs and are supervised by our staff only during scheduled activity periods. For these reasons, individual training programs and practice schedules cannot be accommodated. Students are not permitted to use campus weight rooms or aerobic equipment.

Student Site Information Packet

After enrollment, students receive a site information packet that includes additional information about policies and facilities at the site to which they have been assigned.

Technology at the Site

Our sites have very limited computer access for students. CTY ensures that students have computer access when necessary for academic purposes, and our instructors expect hand-written work. In order to maximize community engagement and to minimize distractions, CTY limits the use of computers, cell phones, mp3 players, and other technologies. Students do not have access to the Internet or e-mail while enrolled in the program.

Weekends

All students participate in a full schedule of on-campus recreational and social activities during the weekends. Activities are planned and supervised by the RAs and administrative staff, and include sports, games, and special events. Students can look forward to their weekends being filled with events such as dances, talent shows, carnivals, movie nights, and scavenger hunts. Students also have down time in the mornings to catch up on laundry or just relax and talk with friends. Some students choose to attend religious services. Weekends conclude with a mandatory two-hour class session on Sunday evenings.

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Typical Daily Schedule

Daily Schedule

We strive to create an academic community that provides daily opportunities to build relationships within an intellectually challenging curriculum and exciting recreational program. Students are required to attend all classes and activity periods. While the daily schedule may differ slightly from site to site, a day at CTY is rigorous and highly structured, and students should be prepared to have very little free time. The days are full, but they are designed to ensure that students have fun both in and out of the classroom.

Visits

Weekend all-site activities allow students to establish friendships and forge strong connections within the CTY community. These activities are often considered by students to be highlights of their experience. With that in mind, we discourage families and friends from visiting students and taking them off campus. In our experience, homesickness is often intensified by visits from parents. However, parents are permitted to pick up their children for off-site visits, which we will help coordinate.

July 4th

On July 4^th, students attend classes and activities as usual. The site may recognize the holiday with a picnic or other special event for the students to participate in.

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Expectations for Student Conduct

We expect our students to meet the highest standards of behavior, both in personal deportment and in dedication to academic pursuits. To this end, students must adhere to the Center for Talented Youth Honor Code, which requires them to uphold personal and academic integrity, respect the ideas and property of others, and ensure that those around them do the same. In addition, students are expected to:

• strive to do the best academic work possible
• respect individuals of different races, cultures, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, disabilities, and national origins
• behave in a friendly, cooperative, safe, and responsible manner toward all persons in the CTY community and in the larger college and local communities
• attend all class sessions, meals, activities, and meetings
• take responsibility for their own work and actions
• cooperate with adult supervision
• observe all rules for student conduct.

We cannot accommodate students who are unwilling or unable to live up to these expectations.

At each site, students learn more about our standards for behavior on the first day. While specific rules vary somewhat from site to site, community standards throughout our summer programs are basic and consistent. They include a commitment to academic integrity, respect for all members of the community, regard for the basic rules of physical safety, and cooperation with adult supervision.

Students may be dismissed from the program for any of the following reasons:

• not attending to their academic work in a satisfactory manner
• cheating, plagiarizing, or committing other acts of academic dishonesty
• being in restricted areas of campus, or leaving campus, unaccompanied by a staff member
• being on an opposite-sex hall
• leaving their halls after lights-out
• stealing or vandalizing property
• keeping prescription or over-the-counter medication in their possession (for limited exceptions, see Medical Information)
• possessing or using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs
• engaging in bullying, hazing, or harassing behavior
• not cooperating with adult supervision
• undermining the safety or wellbeing of self or others (including threats).

No tuition refunds will be made to students dismissed from the program. If a student damages property, the cost of repair or replacement is added to the student’s account balance.

Prohibited Items

The following items must not be brought to the sites:

• weapons of any kind (including pocket knives, martial arts devices, and toys resembling weapons)
• any flame-producing devices (including matches, lighters, and firecrackers)
• high energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, and Amp
• role-playing game books or other items associated with role-playing games
• trading cards
• pets of any kind
• televisions, computer/video games, or DVDs
• bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, skates, scooters, or shoes with wheels
• water guns
• halogen lamps, refrigerators, or cooking devices
• staff lanyards from current or previous summers.

In addition to the above list, we reserve the right to confiscate for the length of the program any items that, in our judgment, demonstrate the potential for distracting students from the goals of the program, or that pose undue risk to property or to the safety and wellbeing of people.

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