Policy Table of Contents
All off-campus activities, academic and non-academic, require a chaperone who is a full-time faculty member, administrator, staff member or graduate assistant of the College. The chaperone must agree to accompany the student group to the sponsored event (events sponsored by an academic department may only be chaperoned by full-time faculty). Adjunct faculty may serve as a chaperone, but it must be approved by the department chair and the Office of Academic Affairs or the Dean of Students. Failure to secure a chaperone or chaperone waiver could result in loss of funding.
The College Chaperone should plan to:
- Serve as a resource and emergency contact to the group.
- Be the point of contact between the group and College officials as needed.
- Be familiar with all College rules and regulations that both individuals and groups must adhere to:
- Be prepared to respond to emergency and crisis protocol to ensure a safe environment and experience to all students.
- Review all trip publicity and itineraries prior to the trip and discuss any concerns with the organization.
- Collect field trip forms and ensure that each student fills out the emergency contact section five (5) business days prior to the event/trip is scheduled to begin.
- Make sure a final list of participants is sent to the respective department and the Office of Student Affairs or the Office of Academic Affairs.
- Ensure all participants are aware of travel details and trip itinerary.
- Check student ID’s prior to departure to ensure they match the participant list.
- Remain with the group for the duration of the trip.
Chaperone Documentation
A chaperone should be identified during submission of the off-campus activity. A chaperone form must be included in the proposal and/or submitted 2 weeks prior to the trip departure. Please note, funds may not be allocated unless a chaperone is identified and confirmed.
Chaperones must be identified and included prior to seeking financial support. For single day trips, 1 chaperone per 54 students is required. For domestic overnight trips, 1 chaperone per 20 students is required. For international overnight trips, 1 chaperone per 10 students is required. If the chaperone changes, updates should be submitted as soon as possible to either Academic Affairs of Student Affairs.
If there are any financial penalties associated with change of chaperone, it will be the responsibility of the host department or individual.
Under unique circumstances, if a chaperone can no longer assume their responsibilities, an alternate must be submitted unless a chaperone waiver is submitted and approved.
Chaperone Waiver Process
Student groups may be granted a waiver from the Chaperone requirement under certain circumstances and on a case by case review. Requests for the waiver must be made two weeks before the event or trip in order to be considered unless an exception to this deadline is granted. The request is made with the Chaperone Waiver Request Form. Waiver requests for trips of an academic nature should be addressed to the Office of Academic Affairs and trips of a non-academic nature should be addressed to the Dean of Students. Their decision on the Waiver request is final.
A waiver to the chaperone policy can be made for a variety of reasons. If a waiver is requested, two College for Creative Studies full time students must agree to the chaperone responsibilities outlined above and complete the chaperone form. Examples of waiver request reasons include:
- Travel to a conference sponsored by the organization’s governing body or competition where fewer than 4 students are attending the event.
- Travel to a professional development or academic conference or workshop within an hour of campus.
- Day trips with fewer than 15 students attending.
NOTE: A waiver is granted for one trip/event only. Additional waivers for other trips/events must be requested individually. A previous waiver granted does not assure that future waiver requests will be granted. You will receive a response indicating approval or denial of your request within 2 business days.