Summer Immersion Program Rules and Guidelines

Program Rules and Guidelines

The Office of Pre-College Programs hosts a wide variety of academic programs and day camps during the summer. All students participating in these programs are obliged to comply with the same rules and guidelines. Below is a list of guidelines for students participating in a summer program at the University of Mississippi. Specific dates, times, locations, and updated information will be emailed to parents and students at least one week prior to the session.

Medical Forms and Additional Paperwork

All participants (and their parents/guardian) are required to complete and return the listed items BEFORE a student is allowed to participate in a Pre-College Program’s summer program. Each item is linked on the camp or workshop webpage.

• read and sign the following rules and guidelines,
• complete a summer medical form,
• upload a copy of insurance card (front and back sides) and a parent/guardian’s drivers license

Check-In, Move-In, and Orientation

Residential: Check-In will be held in LuckyDay Residential College, starting at 1:30 pm CST. Upon registration, students will move into their assigned residence hall. Students should be checked-in and moved into their room by no later than 3:30 pm CST.

Following move-in, there will be an orientation for students and parents at 4:00 pm CST. Attendance is mandatory for students and encouraged for parents. After orientation, parents are dismissed and students will be given directions about evening activities and welcome dinner.

Commuter: Orientation is mandatory for all students. Commuter students will check-in at the orientation location and will be dismissed at the end of orientation. Commuter check-in will be available at 4:00 pm CST.

Overview of Activities During the Program

The purpose of all sessions and camps is to introduce students to future career options, college life, and enriching summer activities. Daily schedules are filled with morning and afternoon classes, tours of facilities, team-building activities, and more. There are a wide variety of activities planned for students that include sports tournaments, cultural engagement, and recreational activities.

Attendance at Activities: For students to benefit from the college experience, all students are expected to attend all activities and all class sessions.

• Residential students will be given the choice to attend some evening activities, but community activities are mandatory every evening.
• Commuter students will be dismissed after class is over each day.

What to Bring

Residential students should bring linens for an extra-long twin bed, personal hygiene items and toiletries (shampoo, towels, etc.), shower shoes (flip flops), and cleaning supplies. We also suggest students pack comfortable summer clothes and sportswear such as swimsuit, tennis shoes, etc.

All students are expected to bring school supplies such as notebooks and pens. Students may bring their own computer; a computer lab will be available if necessary for the camp. Some camps may require specific clothing (e.g. closed toe shoes for a lab-based camp) – information will be emailed two weeks prior to the camp.

For safety reasons, do not bring jewelry, large amounts of cash, or other valuable items.

Residence Hall Information

Residential students will be housed in gender-divided hallways in LuckyDay Residential College. This hall includes furnished suites with bathrooms (most will share a bathroom with one other person), wireless Internet, laundry room, and a high technology security system. Each floor is equipped with a TV room and a kitchen with a microwave oven. Each room is equipped with two extra-large twin beds, a small refrigerator, two chairs, two desks and two cabinets. These small cabinets are lockable, so we suggest that students bring their own padlock.

Students will be given room assignments at registration. Males and females are housed separately. Students will be assigned roommates unless they request an individual room.

The University of Mississippi has strict policies for minors attending summer programs; therefore, all residential students participating in Pre-College Programs are required to live in the same residence as the rest of the students enrolled in the same program. No independent living arrangements are allowed for residential students. Students are required to stay inside the Residential College from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. All students housed in University residence halls must abide by UM housing rules.

Items and Activities Not Allowed in Residence Halls (this list is not all inclusive): ALCOHOL, ILLEGAL DRUGS, CANDLES, INCENSE, SMOKING / VAPING, WEAPONS, COOKING APPLIANCES (personal toaster ovens, George Foreman style grills), PETS, HALOGEN LAMPS, DOUBLE-STICK TAPE, DUCT TAPE, TAMPERING OF FIRE SAFETY EQUIPMENT, REMOVAL OF FURNITURE FROM ROOMS OR COMMON AREAS, HANGING OR THROWING THINGS OUT WINDOWS, DAMAGING WALLS, DAMAGING FURNITURE, DAMAGING VENDING MACHINES, FIGHTING, STEALING, VANDALISM, HARASSMENT, HALL SPORTS, AND LOUD NOISES

All items and activities listed above are not allowed under any circumstances and are grounds for dismissal from the program, forfeiting all registration fees.  

Students will be responsible for any damage to their residence hall room during their stay at the University. If students have any accidental damage, please notify program counselors immediately.

Meal Plan

Residential: The meal plan allows students to have three (3) meals per day from Monday to Thursday and two (2) meals on Friday at the Rebel Market. The student’s meal plan is loaded on a card that they will receive at registration.

Commuter: The meal plan allows students to have lunch at the Rebel Market each day from Monday to Friday.

Additional Guidelines

Leaving Campus during the Program:  Due to the amount of activities hosted during the week, we strongly discourage requests to leave campus on weekdays. All requests must be submitted in writing to the Director of Pre-College Programs for review.

Visitors:  Due to the strenuous schedule of activities during the program, off-campus visitors are not allowed during the week. For all students’ safety, no visitors are allowed in the students’ rooms, including parents, family members, and friends, unless they are assisting with move-in or move-out. Visitors are allowed to meet with students outside and social distancing is required.

Automobiles: If a student (residential and commuter) brings their automobile they must purchase a visitor’s parking permit from Parking and Transportation Services. The use of personal vehicles while in attendance to the program will be limited to traveling home on weekends and only with the permission of a parent and the Director’s approval. Students cannot drive their car at any other time. Vehicle keys should be turned in to a counselor as soon as unpacking is completed.

Transportation to and from Campus: The University can be accessed by plane, taxi, or private automobile. The nearest major airport is in Memphis, Tennessee. Students must arrange their flight to and from Memphis International Airport (MEM). Students planning to arrive by plane may contact our office to request a shuttle for an additional fee.

Illness: Students exhibiting medical symptoms requiring medical attention will be transported by program staff to an Urgent Care (during business hours) or the local Emergency Room, as indicated by level of severity and time of day. Any student diagnosed with a communicable disease such as COVID, flu, or strep throat will be sent home. Program fees are non-refundable for students dismissed due to illness.

Emergency

In the event of an emergency between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm (CST), please call our office at 662-915-7621. If the emergency happens after hours or during the weekend, please call the emergency number that will be provided during orientation. If an emergency occurs on campus, you must contact a counselor, staff, or the director immediately. Contact lists for the staff and other emergency numbers will be given at registration and orientation.

Rules Overview

All Pre-College Programs participants are expected to conduct themselves responsibly, honestly, and with due consideration for others. This expectation for mature and responsible conduct also encompasses accountability for one’s own well-being, including responsible decision-making regarding physical and mental health. All participants of Pre-College Programs must familiarize themselves with the general guidelines and the general rules. Because students are expected to show good judgement at all times, not every kind of misconduct or behavioral expectation is defined here. The following information is to advise students and parents of arrangements, rules, and general expectations.

General Expectations

The University of Mississippi opens its campus to students in order to extend our campus resources to a broader audience of young people. Students who do not attend their scheduled activities or who violate the below expectations for behavior and engagement may be dismissed from the program without refund.

Drugs and Other Substances Rules

The Office of Pre-College Programs has a zero tolerance policy for consumption, possession, distribution, solicitation, assistance in the acquisition, transmission, trafficking, manufacturing, or attempt to manufacture alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes/vaping, illegal drugs, or drug paraphernalia at any time while enrolled in any Pre-College Program, whether on campus, off campus, or at a private gathering.

**Participation in an incident or attending a gathering involving alcohol, illegal drugs, and/or the misuse of prescription drugs, or other means employed to induce results or effects similar to intoxication or impairment is cause for immediate dismissal from the program, even if the only evidence is social media.

Violence and Assault Rules

Cases of assault and sexual misconduct are not tolerated in any Pre-College Program. If a student is a victim or a witness of a violent act or assault, the student must report it to a program counselor or the program director immediately. Pre-College Program staff will report it to University Police (662-915-7234), the Title IX Coordinator (662-915-7045), and Mississippi Department of Human Services (800-222-8000), and will provide a written notification as soon as possible thereafter. If the Program Director may be involved in the suspected assault or abuse, the student, parent, or program counselor should report the suspected assault or abuse to the University’s Title IX Coordinator (662-915-7045).

Harassment

We expect our summer participants to adhere to the University M Book. Students found to be engaged in harassment or bullying, online or in person, will be subject to disciplinary procedures which may include the consequences described below under “Major Violations” in addition to consequences imposed by the University. Harassment of any kind, but particularly on the basis of identity or ability, is unacceptable and is in violation of the University of Mississippi M Book.

From the M Book: Students, visitors, and other individuals affiliated with the University have the right to an environment free of conduct that unreasonably interferes, hinders, or otherwise denies equal access to University resources or opportunities. Therefore, students, visitors, and other individuals affiliated with the University should refrain from harassing others and creating an environment that denies these rights (a “hostile environment”). Whether conduct creates a hostile environment that denies equal access to University resources or opportunities is based on the totality of the circumstances, and includes the following considerations:

1. The degree to which the conduct affects or affected one or more individuals’ ability to access an educational program or activity;
2. The type, frequency, and duration of the conduct;
3. The parties’ ages and roles within the education program or activity;
4. The previous interactions between the parties; and
5. The location of the conduct and the context in which it occurred.

For speech to violate this policy, the speech must be more than merely offensive; it must be so objectively offensive, pervasive, and severe that it effectively denies the victim equal access to the University’s resources and opportunities. This would include speech based upon race, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information that is so objectively offensive to effectively deny the victim equal access to the University’s programs or activities.

This policy also prohibits the use of fighting words. Fighting words are abusive or insulting words or phrases: (1) directed toward an individual or group, (2) which by their very utterance inflict injury or are likely to provoke a violent reaction or cause the average person to retaliate, and (3) play no role in the expression of ideas and have little to no social value.

Online harassment is also judged according to the above framework. If such actions are reported to Pre-College Program staff, an investigation will be made. Any participant found to have engaged in creating a hostile environment that denies equal access to University resources or opportunities may be subject to disciplinary action that includes dismissal from the program without a refund.

Visits to Other Buildings and Visitors in Building

1. It is strictly forbidden for a Pre-College Programs student to visit any other residence halls, fraternity or sorority houses, and campus apartments. These facilities are off-limits at all times. This includes the public lobbies of those facilities. Visiting other residence halls is cause for dismissal from the program.
2. No visitors are allowed in the students’ rooms, including parents or family members unless they are assisting with move-in or move-out during the scheduled move-in/move-out times.
3. Students cannot visit other students’ rooms after 10:00 pm. If it is an emergency, the student must contact a program counselor immediately. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary procedures.

Leaving Campus Rules

Students are not allowed to leave campus without a program counselor, instructor, and/or staff members at any time unless the student is checked out by a parent/guardian. There is no exception to this rule; failure to comply will result in dismissal from the program.

University Rules

1. All Pre-College Programs participants must abide by all University of Mississippi rules and regulations. This includes the University of Mississippi Minors on Campus policies, Residence Hall Code of Conduct, Academic Codes, UM Creed, and Pre-College Programs Rules. Failure to comply with any of these rules can lead to disciplinary procedures.
2. Students are expected to show respect for one another, for program staff, and for all people on campus.
3. Students are expected to participate constructively in program activities.

Residential Program Rules

1. Pre-College Programs students living in any of the University residence halls must comply with Residence Halls Rules.
2. Students must attend announcements from Monday to Thursday at 4:30 pm at the designated location.
3. If a student is not in class, in a community activity, or with accompanied by a counselor, they must be inside their residence hall at all times.
4. Students must be inside their room by 10:00 pm every night.
5. Students must attend planned activities when they are scheduled.

Commuter Program Rules

1. Students must attend all sessions scheduled by instructor.
2. Commuter students are not allowed in residence halls unless parents have contacted the program director and made arrangements for the student to attend community activities.
3. Commuter students are not allowed to stay the night in the residence hall under any circumstances.

Consequences for Rule Violations

Major versus Minor Rule Violations

1. Minor violations are when a student intends no harm or disrespect for the rules. For example, being too boisterous in the residence hall is usually a minor violation, as is being five minutes past curfew.
2. Major violations are when the student shows malice or disrespect for the rules or for other people. For example, intentionally harming another student is a major violation, as is breaking one of the program rules regarding safety or harassment (listed above). In the above minor violation examples, being boisterous in the residence hall rises to major level if someone is caused harm or if a student intentionally disregards warnings. A curfew violation would rise to major level if a student persisted in being late by more than 10 minutes, or if a student was being disrespectful by purposefully going past curfew.
3. Penalties for minor rule violations include loss of privileges.
4. Major rule violation will in most cases lead to dismissal from the program.

Major Rule Violation Review

1. If a student is suspected to have broken a major rule, staff will investigate. Pre-College Program staff will follow the steps below during the investigation:
2. If necessary, cell phones from all students involved will be collected (not searched).
3. Students will be separated and facts will be gathered. Depending on the severity of the situation, University Police could become involved at this step.
4. Once the investigation is over and a decision about action has been made, parents for all parties involved will be contacted and given a full report. If appropriate, reports will be filed with University offices.
5. One of two actions will be taken according to the rules and general guidelines of The University of Mississippi and the Office of Pre-College Programs:
   • No major violation is found – Disciplinary action will be imposed at the discretion of professional staff.
   • A major rule violation has occurred – Send student home. (All program and registration fees are non-refundable)