Community Standards
Culver asks for your commitment to the ideals of our community. Since their founding, the Academies have provided students with a set of community standards that defines common expectations, establishes limits for behavior, and fosters a sense of responsibility to others and for oneself. Students are expected to abide by the Academies’ expectations and standards, written and implied, and to accept full responsibility for their actions. Culver has expectations of you that include academics, leadership, citizenship, residential life, and extracurricular involvement. Culver is not a place where one chooses to acknowledge the standards of only one or two areas of responsibility; rather, students are expected to embrace and adhere to the standard and expectations in all areas in order for them to have the opportunity to benefit from the complete Culver experience. Students learn important life lessons as they face consequences for their actions that violate community expectations. Culver endeavors to administer corrective action with compassion, fairness, and dignity—trying to develop the habit of self-discipline and to encourage the spirit, as well as the letter of the law. The Academies’ disciplinary responses take into account the needs of the individual, and especially the needs of the community. Students whose behavior make community living difficult for others are likely to forfeit the privilege of being at Culver.
Whenever a new or modified rule or policy is issued, it will be announced or posted in the living units. You are responsible for understanding all rules and policies. Culver believes it is important to involve parents/guardians when a major rule has been violated and will make a concerted effort to notify a student’s parent(s) or guardian, but will not delay an investigation or disciplinary response in the event they cannot be reached.
Living the Culver Mission
Those who attend Culver because of the values it strives to instill in every member of the community should thrive while on campus and while away. Continued enrollment is conditioned upon a willingness to comply with all rules and any corrective requirements during the entire time you are a student. This includes when school is in session, whether you are on or off campus, when you are traveling to or from school, at the beginning or end of vacation periods, and when school is not in session.
Adult Involvement in Students’ Lives
The adults who interact with you on a daily basis in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in other settings want and need to know if you have failed to meet academic or citizenship standards, as they want to provide assistance and guidance.
Community Expectations
Condoning or failing to report violations of the Academies’ rules undermines Culver’s society of trust. Students are encouraged to contribute to community standards and are expected to address violations that they observe by either providing an on the spot correction or, in the case of serious offenses, reporting the violation to appropriate adults. Students immediately must report all violations which involve tampering with the fire alarm system, the direct infliction of harm by one student on another, theft, harassment, the use of chemical or other illicit substances, or the destruction of or tampering with school or student property.
Community of Mutual Respect
All students are expected to treat others with respect. In this spirit, harassment or hazing in any form or degree is unacceptable, including mental or physical abuse, humiliation, ridicule, or annoyance. It is unacceptable to require other students to do personal favors, to surrender their personal property, or to be deprived of their rights. Disrespect towards an adult on campus is also unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual attention that makes a person uncomfortable, and it is prohibited. The following types of harassment are destructive to Culver’s culture and are prohibited: verbal slurs, abusive, suggestive, offensive or derogatory comments, sexist remarks about another’s body/clothing/sexual activity, insults of a sexual orientation or of a sexual nature, requests or demands for sexual favors, catcalls, objectifying another by verbally judging or grading the attractiveness of another on a scale, suggestive or insulting sounds or gestures, unnecessary and unwanted physical contact, and physical assault. Students are to report any type of harassment complaint immediately to the Student Life staff or any member of the faculty/staff with whom you are comfortable. You are assured that each and every complaint will be investigated and handled as sensitively as possible.
A Community of Trust
Culver seeks an ideal to which everyone in the community is expected to adhere, and theft violates that ideal. Dorm and barrack rooms have locks, and each student has a lockable desk drawer for valuables. It is important that you understand that it is your responsibility to take care of all personal belongings. Parents and students must recognize that Culver cannot and does not provide assurance that student property will not be lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. The Academies will not reimburse for loss or damage to student property. Parents and students are independently responsible for filing insurance claims with respect to any theft, loss, or damage of property.
The guidelines in this chapter reflect Culver’s community standards. Culver is the great place that it is because each individual takes the commitment to community seriously. However, if a student is suspected of violating Culver’s expectations, the Student Life staff, out of a concern for student health and safety, may authorize unannounced health and welfare searches of randomly chosen rooms, lockers, or personal belongings. Individual rooms may be searched by a staff member for cause, and the discovery of unauthorized items considered a violation of Culver’s rules.
Commitment to Spiritual Development
Every person asks these questions. At Culver we want to help you answer them for yourself. In Spiritual Life, we help you discover contemplative practices and religious traditions which guide the inner journey to understanding who you are, where you belong, what you value, and what you believe. Discovery is just the beginning of the spiritual journey. Spiritual practice flows out from the heart to draw out compassion and service to others.
All Culver students are required to attend one of the 45-minute Spiritual Life services on a weekly basis. With a parent/guardian, each student chooses the service that they want to attend. For students who wish to explore more than one service, switches can be made at the time of term changes. When schedule conflicts occur, a makeup service is made available to students.