Rules & Regulations

Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) residential participants must be responsible members of our community and adhere to our rules and regulations. Participants who are in violation of YYGS policies, Yale University policies, or local, state, or federal law will be dismissed from the program and, if applicable, subject to additional criminal penalties.

1. RESPECT OTHERS AND SPACES

  • Scholars will show respect for others and not engage in any form of harassment, hazing, intimidation or bullying. This includes any behavior, whether in-person, in groups, before arriving or during the program, or through other mediums (for example, hand written notes, phone calls, texting, airdropping, social media platforms, etc.), intended to offend or intimidate another person, including participants and staff. Spreading rumors or hearsay in person or digitally is considered harrassment. 
  • Scholars may not discriminate against anyone on  the  basis  of  the individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation.
  • Scholars are expected to respect both community property and the property of others. Theft, the possession or use of stolen property, or the deliberate vandalism, destruction, or abuse of personal or community property, are considered violations of this standard.
  • Bringing external visitors into buildings without permission is not allowed at any time.
  • Scholars are not permitted to go into the suites of any of their peers at any time during the program. Being in a suite other than one’s own is not allowed EVER, and is grounds for immediate dismissal. Socializing with other students is encouraged, it simply MUST occur in public spaces (such as courtyards, common rooms, and basements) within boundaries before 9:45pm ET.
  • Between 9:45pm ET and 7am ET Scholars must be in their own suite/room. One’s suite might connect to other suites through fire emergency doors that are clearly labeled. Those doors need to stay closed even if one needs to go to the bathroom via the hallway. From 10pm (Suite Check) until 11pm (Quiet Hours), it is okay to socialize with one’s suite mates as long as one is not too loud, since other students do go to sleep.
  • After 11pm ET all students should be in their own room with the suite’s living room light turned off, and if one is still up reading, studying or relaxing, then one needs to be in one’s own room. Gathering after 11pm and/or making disruptive noise is grounds for dismissal.
  • Lying to a staff member or hiding information about the whereabouts of a student or any other safety matter is also grounds for dismissal.
  • Scholars will respect the rules and regulations of the residential buildings YYGS utilizes during the duration of the program. This includes, but is not limited to, abiding by the posted college quiet hours, utilizing emergency fire doors only in the event of an emergency, and so on.

2. ACADEMIC HONESTY

  • Scholars are expected to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. Cheating on assignments, plagiarism, or improper acknowledgment of sources will not be tolerated.
  • Academic dishonesty includes all forms of misrepresentation in academic work, including any form of plagiarism, failure to acknowledge ideas or language taken from others, and the submission of work prepared by another person.
  • Scholars must not take content of any kind, including but not limited to papers, in whole or in part, from electronic sources online and must always acknowledge sources, including those from the Internet, and do their best to track down original authors.
  • Scholars must acknowledge unpublished as well as published sources including the work of other students and ideas derived from lectures and conversations.
  • Scholars are expected to refer to the current guidance provided by the AI at Yale website, and to ask questions of YYGS academics staff (instructors, program managers, and so on) when they are uncertain about AI usage. While some students may choose to use ChatGPT or other AI tools to assist them with academic work when permitted, the priority is consistently that scholars’ work must be their own work, which should help the YYGS community learn more about them.

3. NO DRUGS/ALCOHOL

Whether on campus or off campus, during the duration of the program, scholars will not purchase, possess, use, distribute, and/or be in the presence of or paraphernalia of:

  • Any illicit drug, including (but not limited to) cannabis in any form.
  • Alcohol or empty alcohol containers. The legal drinking age in the United States for all alcoholic beverages is 21.
  • Any controlled substances not specifically prescribed to the scholar. YYGS will accommodate needs for medication that requires refrigeration.

4. CHECK IN PROTOCOLS AND ATTENDANCE

  • Scholars will not leave their suite without permission after suite check and before 7 am.
  • In accordance with Yale’s visitor policy, Scholars will wear their YYGS Name Badge (includes their name tag and important phone numbers) around their neck at all times during the program, with their name visibly showing.
  • Scholars may NOT leave the YYGS boundaries at any time, including by foot, public transportation, taxi/car service, or private vehicle.  Scholars may not use any sort of transportation other than walking by foot; use of bicycles, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, skates, ride-share services, motorcycles, vespas, and so on is expressly prohibited. Exceptions to this rule are only made when the Scholar is escorted by YYGS staff member or other adult approved through the Permission to Leave Campus form.
  • Scholars will attend required appointments including lectures, seminars, and other meetings, unless they are seeking help from a staff member for health or similar emergency reasons. Failure to attend required appointments or leaving such appointments before they end without a valid reason is grounds for dismissal.
  • YYGS does not permit scholars to miss any part of our programming for any reason; scholars must be present in every part of programming in order to receive a YYGS Certificate of Participation. Given that YYGS is a 2-week program, every hour of every days counts, and our staff carefully crafts a schedule that is both cohesive and rich in content. Typically, students only leave our program for any amount of time for extreme circumstances (e.g., family medical emergency). We keep these policies consistent, and in fact—understandably, as a program with very academically driven, motivated students—we receive several requests every year from students who inquire about academic scheduling conflicts (e.g., needing to miss part of one day for one test), and in every case we work with each student to find an alternate session for them to avoid the conflict.
  • YYGS will always prioritize the health and well-being of each and every scholar during their time on Yale’s campus in New Haven. If a scholar is unwell, YYGS will contact the parent/guardian(s) and ensure the scholar is seen by our Health Staff, Yale Health, and/or Yale New Haven Hospital, depending on the severity of the situation. Additionally, if the situation prevents the scholar from participating and/or puts other scholars in immediate risk, then YYGS reserves the right to safely return the scholar to their family for additional care.
  • Given the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and changing best practices for health and safety protocols, YYGS reserves the right to implement new safety measures (e.g., mask mandates, social distancing) at any time before or during the program. Any new policies will be communicated immediately to scholars and their families, and failure to comply risks disciplinary measures (up to and including immediate dismissal).

5. NO SMOKING, TOBACCO, or VAPING

Tobacco and all smoking/chewing products, including but not limited to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vaping (also of non-tobacco products) are prohibited both on campus and off campus. This rule applies to everyone, including any Scholars who are over 18 years old.

6. NO GAMBLING

The State of Connecticut and Yale University prohibit gambling by persons under 21 years of age. Any gambling activities during the program are prohibited. Internet gambling is also prohibited.

7. NO WEAPONS OR FIRE HAZARDS

  • Weapons (and weapons paraphernalia) of any kind, including firearms, stun guns, BB guns, knives of any sort or martial art weapons, are strictly prohibited and may not be brought to campus.
  • The burning of anything or the use of any open flame indoors (e.g., candles, matches, lighters, incense, tobacco products, etc.) is also considered a violation of this policy, as any risk of starting a fire is considered dangerous and prohibited.  Accordingly, any small appliances that could be a fire hazard will not be allowed.

8. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

  • Sexual Behavior: Scholars are expected to focus on academic work, and are strictly prohibited from engaging in any sexual behavior during the program. If this policy is violated, then Scholars risk disciplinary measures such as notification of parent/guardian and/or immediate dismissal.

In addition, to ensure the safety of all our participants, Sexual Harasment or Misconduct must be reported to our staff immediately:

  • Sexual harassment consists of nonconsensual sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature on or off campus, when: (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a condition of an individual’s academic standing; or (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for decisions or for academic evaluation, grades, or advancement; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s academic performance or creating an intimidating or hostile academic environment. Sexual harassment may be found in a single episode, as well as in persistent behavior.
  • Sexual misconduct incorporates a range of behaviors including rape, sexual assault (which includes any kind of nonconsensual sexual contact), sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, stalking, and any other conduct of a sexual nature that is nonconsensual, or has the purpose or effect of threatening, intimidating, or coercing a person or persons. When there is a lack of mutual consent about sexual activity, or there is ambiguity about whether consent has been given, a student can be charged with, and found guilty of, committing a sexual assault or another form of sexual misconduct. Much sexual misconduct  includes  nonconsensual  sexual  contact, but this is not a necessary component. Threatening speech that is sufficiently serious to constitute sexual harassment, for example, constitutes sexual misconduct. Photographs, video, or other visual or auditory records of sexual activity made without explicit consent constitute sexual misconduct, even if the activity documented was consensual. Similarly, sharing such recordings without explicit consent is a form of sexual misconduct. For example, forwarding a harassing electronic communication may constitute an offense. Taking or sending any type of nude pictures is not allowed. Please note electronic possession and/or distribution of nude, semi-nude or sexualized pictures of minors is considered child pornography, which is a federal crime.

9. TECHNOLOGY USE AND RECORDING POLICY

  • Scholars are equipped with a Guest ID for access to the Yale Internet on their personal laptops. Accessing, downloading, or distributing illegal, pornographic, discriminatory, violent, or otherwise objectionable material is strictly forbidden.
  • The use of smartphones, laptops, or other electronic devices for reasons outside of the curriculum including, but not limited to texting, email, games, coding, art, social media, or surfing the internet is prohibited during lectures and other academic components.
  • Cell phones and/or any other device capable of taking photographs or recording video may not be used to take photographs or video without the knowledge of the subject of those images or in any manner that would violate the privacy of others.
  • Video, audio or digital recording of program sessions including lectures, briefings, seminars, discussion sessions, and presentations is forbidden. Scholars are encouraged to take notes for personal use, but recording program sessions without written permission is grounds for dismissal. This extends to material about the program, its programmatic content, handouts, and remarks – written, verbal, or recorded – that are posted to websites, blogs, and social networks. The only exception to this policy is during sessions where recording presentations is permitted, which will be communicated explicitly to Scholars. Students may take photographs during the program for personal use, but not during lectures or workshops.
  • Any electronic device may be confiscated for the duration of the Program if use is in violation of any Program or University policy, or state or federal law.
  • Students may not give out personal information over the Internet, such as dorm location or phone number, to people they do not know.