Campus Policies

Campus Parties

All students interested in hosting a campus event must attend a workshop on responsible planning and practices given at the start of each semester. All campus wide events (i.e., in Kline, campus center, or residence hall social spaces) must be registered at least three days in advance. Registration forms are available in the Office of Student Activities. Students must acquire guest passes from the Safety and Security Office for any event attendees who are not part of the Bard community.

All material posted or distributed on campus, including flyers, posters and banners, must include information identifying at least one person responsible for the material and contact information for that person. Failure to include identifying information may result in removal.

Any event at which alcohol is served must be registered by two hosts who are both over the age of 21 and have attended a social event planning workshop. All kegs must be registered.

Any additional setup/cleanup arrangement charges will be billed to the hosts.

An event that develops from a small, initially private gathering to a larger, more public one and/or having a significant impact on the larger campus environment must be registered with Safety and Security through the on-call administrator. If this is not done, Safety and Security will treat the event as unregistered and will respond accordingly. Any event may be stopped if it becomes too disruptive in the judgment of the Safety and Security Officer. Interfering with Safety and SecurityÕs responsibilities in this matter will be considered a breach of policy and community principles and will jeopardize a hostÕs ability to sponsor future events.

No student has the right to bind the College to contract with an outside vendor (e.g., a film or performance). All contract arrangements must be made with the approval and supervision of the Director of Student Activities.

Bard College strongly affirms the right of free speech for each member of the Bard community. This right includes the freedom, through College departments and organizations, to invite to the campus speakers and representatives of off-campus organizations as long as the visits do not disrupt the CollegeÕs regular educational or administrative functions.

As an independent academic institution, Bard College is under no obligation to make its facilities or services available to, or act as the agent for, off-campus organizations, whether private organizations or agencies of government.

Alcohol & Drugs

The College will provide educational programs and counseling services to address the issues of alcohol/drug use, to increase awareness, and to assist those in need of help, as in those potential instances of addiction, chemical dependency, and other negative consequences resulting from use. Assisting someone to get help for problem or addictive use is an act of legitimate and reasonable concern.

Each member of the community is responsible for living within the parameters of the alcohol and drug policies and for encouraging others to do the same. Violations of the spirit and intent of these policies will be responded to by disciplinary action; penalties will reflect both the degree and number of offenses and may include warnings, community service, fines, probation, suspension, mandatory leave, and expulsion. Those whose drinking or drug use repeatedly leads to problem behavior will be dealt with more severely due to the predictable relationship between the use and the behavior that follows.

Disturbances & Noise

Quiet hours are 12:00 midnight to 9:00 a.m. throughout the week. Students and guests are required to observe quiet hours in all residence halls. Some residence halls are designated as quiet residences and individual residence halls may vote on quiet hours, so check with the peer counselor. Students or guests causing noise disturbances may be asked to move within 48 hours of the violation.

Fire Drills & Extinguishers

Fire Drills
Fire drills are held three times each academic year to comply with New York State laws and to familiarize students with protective procedures. When the fire alarm sounds, act immediately:

1. Close the windows.
2. For protection, put on a coat and wear hard-soled shoes.
3. Feel the door for heat to determine that it is safe to enter the corridor.
4. Turn off the lights.
5. Do not rush. Continued order and quiet is essential.
6. Go to the designated exit area as quickly as possible.
7. Do not leave the designated area until cleared to do so, so that you may be accounted for.

Everyone must respond to the alarm. Do not use an elevator. Think clearly about all the available exits from the building, in case one exit is blocked, so that you can alter your route without causing delay or panic. If you are in the study or social areas, leave by the nearest exit without returning to your room. If you are not in your room at the time, make sure you are accounted for as soon as possible. Refusal to vacate a building during a fire drill or alarm is a serious disciplinary infraction and may result in a fine, suspension, or cancellation of the On Campus Living Agreement.

During a fire drill or alarm, everyone is required to leave the building, failure to do so will result in a minimum of $150 fine + 5 hours community restitution. Fire Extinguishers Tampering with fire extinguishers or alarms is a serious offense. Persons found tampering with the fire extinguishers or alarms will be charged the replacement/repair costs plus a $100.00 fine and may face disciplinary action.

Harassment

A person commits harassment of another if s/he: makes telephone calls without purpose of legitimate communication; insults, taunts, or challenges another person in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response; makes repeated communications anonymously, or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language; subjects another person to an offensive touching (i.e., unwanted sexual contact, shoving, striking or kicking); intentionally and repeatedly follows someone in or about a public place (i.e., "stalking"); engages in any other course of alarming conduct serving no legitimate purpose.

In the case of harassment, tell the harasser that their actions/comments are unwelcome. Be clear and direct. Avoid ambiguity about feelings or intentions. Document every incident in detail: describe specific actions, comments, the location, names of witnesses; file a complaint. Confusion, fear of not being believed, embarrassment, and concern for others, including the harasser, sometimes keeps people from reporting; harassers tend to be "repeaters." Depending on the nature and severity of the harassment, a complaint can often be resolved by having a supervisor or administrator speak with the harasser; other times more formal proceedings may be in order. Complaints may be filed with the Dean of Students, Dean of the College, Director of Human Resources, or the Chair of the SJB.

Recognize the seriousness of the problem; become informed and help inform others; get support and speak up; offer emotional support to harassed individuals, support them for speaking up; donÕt engage in or condone behavior that demeans anyone; let harassers know that their behavior is offensive to you as well as to the targeted person; foster mutual respect throughout the campus community.

Hoverboards

Due to safety concerns following reported hoverboard fires, Bard College prohibits the use, possession, or storage of hoverboards and similar devices containing lithium ion batteries on campus.

Vandalism

Destruction of College property is not tolerated. Individuals involved in acts of vandalism will be fined $100.00, plus the cost of replacement or repair and will be assigned hours of community service. Serious offenses may result in suspension or expulsion. If it cannot be ascertained who is responsible for the damage or loss in a residence hall, an assessment will be made against all residents equally.

Weapons

The use or possession of laboratory or harmful chemical explosives, firearms, ammunition, firecrackers, knives, or other weapons including any BB gun, air rifle, or similar firing device, is prohibited. The possession of weapons will result in serious sanctions. The Penal Law of the State of New York (section 265.01) defines criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree as follows: A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree when he knowingly has in his possession a rifle, shotgun, or firearm in or upon a building or grounds used for educational purposes, of any school, college or university, except the forestry lands, wherever located, owned or maintained by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, without the written authorization of such educational institution. Violation of the above code is classified as a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable by a one-year sentence and/or a $1,000 fine.

Drone Policy and Request Form Process

Students, faculty,staff, and their guests are permitted to use drones on the Bard College campus in accordance with college policies and federal regulations. Before flying on campus, all individuals must fill out a drone flight notice, which is available at [LINK]. Individuals must fill out this form for every planned flight. This form must be submitted at least two full business days prior to any planned flights.

All drones operated on the Bard campus must be registered online at: https://registermyuas.faa.gov/

and

https://goo.gl/forms/3gkEv982xSA28pR63


Students: Per federal regulations, enrolled Bard students who fly drones as part of ongoing credited coursework or for recreation are not required to obtain a Federal Aviation Administration Drone Operator Certificate. Student drone operators must comply with all FAA guidelines and rules for safe recreational drone use, which are outlined here: https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/fly_for_fun/. Students operating drones for profit must be certified by the FAA.

Faculty and Staff: Bard College faculty are permitted to assist students in drone operations, so long as the operation is part of credited coursework. However, if a Bard College Faculty or Staff member intends to operate a drone outdoors on campus as part of their professional duties as a college employee and outside of any student coursework, they are required by law to obtain certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. More

information on how to become a certified drone operator is available here: https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/fly_for_work_business/becoming_a_pilot/. Bard employees wishing to use drones on campus for strictly recreational purposes—that is, activities that are in no way tied to their duties as college employees—are not required to obtain certification.

Guests: Non-Bard community members wishing to operate drones over the campus must be request permission through a current community member using the online request form. Guests operating drones for profit are required to obtain certification from the FAA.

For further guidance regulations and safe drone use, please contact the Center for the Study of the Drone at [email protected].

You may never operate a drone:

1. Near or above pedestrians without their consent.
2. At night.
3. Above 400 ft.
4. Near buildings.
5. Beyond the operator’s direct line of sight.
6. In adverse weather conditions.
7. Within 200 Feet of the Levy Institute.
8. In a reckless manner.

Drone operators are required to plan all flights in advance to accommodate weather conditions, become familiar with potential obstacles, and create a safe flight path.