Living Units

The living unit is your home while at Culver, and all students are expected to assist in keeping it and its surroundings in excellent condition and to help maintain a wholesome atmosphere. Each member of the unit shares responsibility for all The Academies’ property within the unit area, and the rules and policies in this chapter are focused on both the safety and health of students and their possessions. While most of this chapter focuses on rules, the Culver Experience involves adults who are here to support you. Within the living unit, your counselor, resident director (CGA), and military mentor (CMA) will work closely with you.

Living Unit Safety

Fire

Anyone discovering a fire anywhere should call 911, alert persons nearby and then call Campus Safety & Security - 8000. In the interest of providing emergency access in and out of the building, clear hallways and entryways
are important.

Candles, Incense, Flammables

For everyone’s safety, students may not for any purpose use or possess matches, lighters, candles, or incense on campus.

Unauthorized Electrical Appliances

You are not to keep or use extension cords (only power strips are permitted), TVs or monitors, stoves, coffee makers or other cooking appliances, electric irons, electric tea kettles, lava lamps, clip-on bed lamps, sun lamps, refrigerators, corn poppers, air conditioners, plug-in air fresheners, holiday lights, LED light strips, electric blankets, heating pads, space heaters, or similar electrical appliances. Air conditioners and refrigerators authorized for storing refrigerated prescription medication may be used. The refrigerator needs to be a six can mini-fridge size, and both items need to be cleared through the Health Center before they can be installed. There is a deposit required for air conditioners and these must be installed by our facilities department.

Other Unauthorized Items

Unauthorized items include, but are not limited to, false identification, water guns, laser pointers, balloon launchers, firearms, chemicals, hazardous or flammable materials or substances, ammunition, explosives or weapons of any kind (including otherwise ordinary or common items or substances or implements that, in the opinion of the Student Life staff have been altered, modified or enhanced such that they pose a risk of physical injury to a student) are not to be possessed by any student. This includes any reproduction weapons which resemble actual weapons, whether they are capable of firing any type of projectile or not (e.g., Airsoft weapons). Knives of any sort with blades longer than 11⁄2 inches or a lock-open feature are prohibited. Extension cords (only power strips are allowed), bicycles, unicycles, pets (including fish), tattoo kits, and any other item the possession of which, in the opinion of the Dean of Girls/Commandant, poses a risk of harm to students or is inconsistent with Culver’s Mission Statement are prohibited. When in doubt as to whether an item is authorized, you should ask counselors, military mentors, or resident directors before bringing it to campus.

Campus Safety & Security

Cash and Valuables

You are cautioned against keeping large sums of money in your room. Cash, credit cards, checkbooks, and valuables should be carried or locked in a lock box. You also may ask your counselor (CMA) or resident director (CGA) to temporarily keep valuable items for you. Students are responsible for their own possessions; therefore, valuables should be left at home. You are asked to record the serial number of watches, cameras, and stereos. Under no circumstances will the Academies be responsible for lost or stolen items.

Room Locks and Keys

It is important to remember to lock your room when you leave it. Upon entering school, each student is issued one room key, and lost keys should be reported immediately. Replacements cost $25.00. Any student not turning in this key at departure will be assessed a $50.00 fee. You are not to have keys duplicated off campus, and possession of an unauthorized key is a Type 1 (most serious) rule violation.

Unoccupied Rooms

Students may enter another’s room only when invited. Under no circumstance are you to enter the unoccupied room of another person without that person’s express consent. Doing so is a serious violation of trust and the Academies’ regulations.

Room Inspections

On-duty faculty/staff members are authorized to enter student rooms at any time. This includes announced and unannounced inspections.

Cadets in Dorms/CGA Students in Barracks

Culver students are not to be in dorms/barracks of the opposite sex at any time except with specific permission of the adult in charge of the dorm/barrack.

Student Transports

Campus Safety may provide student transports from dorms and barracks directly to and from the Health Center when there is an ambulatory issue with the student. Counselor, RD and/or other adult is required to request the transport for a student.

Visitors and Guests

Visitors are not to be in the living units between closing and 7:30 a.m. Visitors are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Academies and must be escorted by their student host, who assumes responsibility for the actions of their guests. Students hosting a visitor should provide a completed Guest Permission and Agreement Form. Visitors of the opposite sex are not allowed in living units except designated lounges, the exceptions would be parents, faculty, or older relatives/friends. Except as previously noted, members of the opposite sex are not allowed in dorms/barracks unless accompanied by a parent and announced. This includes alumni/ae. Visitors of the opposite sex should be announced and escorted during the visit in dorms/barracks.

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found area is located in the Student Life Office. Losses should be reported immediately to counse- lors or resident directors after carefully checking to make sure the item is in fact missing. Culver cannot provide any assurance that student property will not be lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed, and the Academies will not reimburse any student or parent for loss or damage to student property. Found items should be given to counse- lors or resident directors.

Cell Phones

Culver’s Cell Phone Policy will be reviewed and updated during the 2022-23 school year by a committee of students and adults dedicated to providing guidance that enhances the community and experience.

A philosophy of living within a community of presence and common courtesy and respect governs the use of
cell phones and media devices on campus. Students are permitted to use cell phones within their living units to include immediate area around the entry points on the outside of the building, in “the field,” in the fitness center, gym, Shack, when traveling overnight on a school sponsored trip, or departing campus on leave. When carrying a cell phone outside of the living unit, phones should be out of sight of others with ringers on vibrate. Seniors may use cell phones at Beason Hall. Students may not use their cell phones when traveling across campus. However, if a student wishes to use a cellular device outside, he or she is only authorized to do when stopped, or upon sitting down on any of the benches across campus. The use of headphones, earbuds, or similar device is only authorized while in reg rec and exercising.

Cell phones must be turned off during classes, practices, meetings, lectures, spiritual life services, ceremonies, theater and music performances, and all special events. Cell phone usage is prohibited in Eppley Auditorium and Memorial Chapel. Instructors may allow the use of electronic devices in the classroom for academic endeavors. If an emergency or special circumstance requires the availability of an electronic device in a classroom, the student should discuss this with the instructor prior to the start of class and gain approval to have the device available in vibrate mode.

Cell phones will be turned in Sunday through Thursday evenings no later than TAPS/Lights out, and students may retrieve their phones prior to 1st CP. Abuse and disregard for our cell phone policy may result in temporary confiscation and further consequences. Cases of students turning in a burner/second phone will be reviewed by the Honor Council. Culver reserves the right to search school issued and personal electronic devices, including cell phones, as necessary when investigating serious rule violations.

Sleep-ins

Faculty members may recommend students, teams, etc. for sleep-ins, but authority to grant the sleep-in will rest with the counselors, military mentors, and resident directors who may award sleep-ins for performance of duties and services above and beyond what normally would be expected. Teams that return to campus after 11:00 p.m. on Sunday – Thursday, will be granted a sleep-in for the next day.

A sleep-in allows a student to sleep through ranks (CMA) and breakfast. A CGA student taking a sleep-in should discuss her plans with her RD before lights out. She will then a) put a sleep-in card on the room door, b) be out of bed by 8:30 a.m., and c) be properly dressed and have the room in order by the first class period.

Speaker Use

Students may bring small speakers compatible with portable electronic devices such as iPods or their comput- ers, but these must fit on the desk shelf. Use of headsets is encouraged. Volume which disturbs anyone outside the room is considered excessive and may result in loss of equipment. Music may be played during CQ and the academic day only with use of headphones. Speakers will not be used when walking on campus, carried or in a backpack.

Television

Lounge televisions are not to be used during the academic day or during study hours. This includes projectors and video game consoles in the lounge or students rooms. Movies, DVD’s, and CD’s: Students are permitted to play movies (PG-13 or less) and videos on Fridays from 3:30 p.m. until lights out, all day on Saturdays until lights out, on Sundays from 12:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m., and on Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Vid- eo assigned as coursework may be watched during CQ. Students may not have movies Rated- R or higher, music which has a “Parental Advisory” label, or magazines, literature, or other media that in the opinion of the Dean of Girls/Commandant, are profane, pornographic, demeaning to other people or groups or otherwise inappropriate based on Culver’s mission and values.

Media Content

Lounge televisions are not to be used during the academic day or during study hours. This includes projectors and video game consoles in the lounge or students rooms.

Movies and Shows: Students are permitted to stream movies (PG-13 or less) and videos on Fridays from 3:30 p.m. until lights out, all day on Saturdays until lights out, on Sundays from 12:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m., and on Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Video assigned as coursework may be watched during CQ. Students may not have movies Rated- R or higher, music which has a “Parental Advisory” label, or magazines, literature, or other media that in the opinion of the Dean of Girls/ Commandant, are profane, pornographic, de- meaning to other people or groups or otherwise inappropriate based on Culver’s mission and values.

Telephone

Students may make or receive calls between 7:30 a.m. – TAPS/Lights Out. Landlines are available for emergency use 24 hours a day.

Computer Use

Students are issued computers for educational purposes. If the Dean of Girls/Commandant determines that a student is using computer access for excessive or inappropriate non-educational purposes, the student’s access to computers may be restricted or prohibited. Computers should not be defaced with stickers, nail polish, or any other type of personal adornment.

Tack Boards and Picture Rails

Any material hung in rooms must be hung from tack boards or picture rails. Nothing may be affixed to walls, ceilings, furniture, sprinkler devices, overhead pipes, or doors. Nails, tacks, duct tape and other adhesives, or any other item which would mar surfaces may not be used. Fabric wall hangings are not authorized, unless the fabric is flame-retardant.

Room Decoration

The following items may not be used as room decoration for boys or girls:

Provocative pictures or other items considered not in good taste in the opinion of the military mentor, resident director, or counselor
Signs taken from public places
Liquor, wine, or beer bottles or cans
Liquor, wine, beer, or nicotine posters and signs or magazine ads
Posters or signs endorsing any illegal or controlled substance or illegal activity
Towels or other similar cloth wall hangings may not be used unless they are flame retardant
Curtains other than those issued by Culver
Bed risers
Stickers or similar adhesive decoration applied to the walls and/or ceiling
The use of duct tape to hang anything on the walls, doors, windows, furniture, etc.

Gambling

Gambling is not allowed in the living units or elsewhere on campus.

CGA Dormitories

Daily Room Inspection Guidelines

Roommates share the responsibility for the condition of their room. Rooms are to stay inspection ready through the end of the first CP and are to remain generally clean and orderly at all times as it is important that the students learn the habit of picking up after themselves as a regular course of action. For inspection, the rooms will be checked at a time determined by the Hall Prefect between 7:45 and 7:55 a.m. In preparation for inspection, the following things must be done:

No clothes should be left on bed, desk, chair or floor.
Wardrobe doors should be closed and chair pushed under desk.
Floor should be clear of dirt and clutter.
All electronics should be turned off.
Desk should be neatly organized with no dirty dishes.
Bed should be neatly made.
Trash should be emptied
Students should be prepared for class in the proper wardrobe: Kilt 2” above the knee, name tag, knee socks or tights free of holes, shirt buttons buttoned.

Sunday Inspection Guidelines

Sunday On Sundays, all girls are to be up by 8:30 a.m. in order to thoroughly clean their own rooms and other as- signed areas of the dormitory. The attire for Sunday inspection is Dress A or B. Students on leave must have their area cleaned and checked before departing.

No clothes should be left on bed, desk, chair or floor.
Wardrobe should be neatly organized with doors and drawers open.
Bed should be neatly made (comforter must not touch the ground).
Bags, clothes and other articles should not be hung from the bed, desk chair or wardrobe doors.
Desk should be neatly organized with no clutter, kitchen items, cleaning supplies, or toiletries.
Desk, wardrobe, window sill and radiator should be free of dust.
Floor should be swept and mopped. Rugs should be vacuumed.
Drawers should be neatly organized and open (aside from lock drawer).
Laundry should not be overflowing.
Top of the wardrobe may be used to store laundry items only.
Trash should be removed and the trashcan have a clean liner.
Mirror should be clean.
Under bed storage (where available) may include one musical instrument, one bin (24x16x12), one sports bag,other items temporarily stored with RD or counselor approval.
All electronics should be off during inspection.
Students should be in proper wardrobe (Kilt 2” above the knee, name tag, knee socks or tights free of holes, white oxford shirt with buttons buttoned, blazer, black shoes) and stand when inspection team enters the room.

Furniture Arrangement

For safety, the arrangement of furniture should not obstruct the view of beds and desks from the doorway. The backs of all furniture must be against the wall. Students may not rearrange dorm room furniture. No extra furniture is allowed, with the exception one extra chair (not a couch or loveseat) for rooms occupied by a
12th grade student.

Rugs

Small rugs (3x5) preferred, but larger short-haired rugs are allowed with the approval of the RD. All rugs must be kept clean and are prohibited from being washed and/or dried in washers and driers. Two failed rug inspections will result in loss of privilege to have a large rug or more than one small rug. Wall to wall carpeting is not allowed, and the rug may not tuck under any furniture. Prior to the placement of a larger rug, a student must have a working vacuum that will properly clean the rug. A vacuum may not be shared with another room and must be small enough to be stored either inside a wardrobe or neatly in a corner without creating an
obstruction. If the vacuum breaks, it will be the student’s responsibility to get it fixed.

CMA Barracks: (Reference: CMA Regulation 3-3)

Cadet Room Standards

The Deputy Commandant establishes regulations applying to the arrangement, furnishing, and decoration of cadet rooms:

Beds and desks will be positioned to permit a full view from the door glass and in such a manner as not to interfere with inspection and Taps procedures by military mentor, counselor, BI, or OC.

The layout of cadet rooms must be approved by the Deputy Commandant and, insofar as possible, will be uniform throughout the unit. Odd shaped rooms must be arranged in a manner that approximates as closely as possible the layout of the other rooms.

Wardrobe, bookshelf, and shoe arrangement will be prescribed by the Deputy Commandant. Cadets are limited to two posters, considered appropriate in the opinion of the Deputy Commandant, (not to exceed 12 square feet in total area) per room occupant. A Culver banner, a banner from one of the military services, or the cadet’s national or state flag of similar proportions may be substituted for a poster(s). Cadets may not have extra furniture other than one small computer printer table per room, except that each room in which a permanently commissioned officer is housed may have one extra chair. The chair is to be reasonable in size and has arms and legs (standard lounge chair), no couches, bean bag, or odd framed chair, and one extra lamp. Permanently commissioned officers also may have a bedspread/quilt on their bed; however, the bed must be made per regulations beneath the bedspread. Other cadets may have one extra Culver blanket that is neatly folded at the foot of the bed when not in use.

A permanently commissioned officer also may have an area carpet on the floor of his room. The carpet will be no wider than the distance from the wardrobe to the bed, about 5’ x 7’,and will be removable for cleaning. Wall-to- wall carpet is not allowed. All other cadets are limited to one Culver scatter rug per man.

Each cadet is permitted one small (non-halogen) additional desk lamp.

Cleanliness and Orderliness

Cadet rooms will be clean and orderly at all times. As one means of enforcing this rule, inspections will be conducted as outlined in the next two paragraphs:

Personal Inspection (P.I.)

P.I. will be conducted daily. The following conditions will prevail for P.I.: All cadets except for permanently commissioned officers (including day students, if present), will present themselves in the hallway outside their assigned room for personal inspection in the Uniform of the Day, when afternoon conditions commence. The inspection normally will be conducted by the unit commander, his representative, or a senior leader.

The inspection of Commissioned Officers rooms will be will be conducted by the military mentor, the unit com- mander, or the unit executive officer, unless they have unit business to perform.

All rooms will be inspected to see that they meet the following requirements:

Bed properly made
Desk and bookshelves orderly
Drapes open and window(s) unobstructed 4. Clean, brush-shined shoes lined under bed 5. Floor swept clean
Wardrobe closed
Wastebasket emptied
General orderly appearance

Rooms will remain in P.I. condition through the third class period of the day.

General Inspection (G.I.)

G.I. is a more formal inspection normally conducted by military mentors, counselors, members of
regimental staff, the unit commander, or a designee of the Commandant. All cadets will wear the Dress uniform. The conditions prevailing for G.I. will be the same as for P.I. with the following additions:
1. All furniture, picture rails, etc. dusted.
2. Windows cleaned.
3. Wardrobe clothing arranged as prescribed by locker standard operating procedure.
4. Desk drawers and lockbox open, stacked, and orderly.
5. Shoes worn with uniform will be leather; those under beds will be brush shined or corfram.

Afternoon/Weekend Room Conditions

At all times when rooms are not required to be in P.I. or G.I. condition, they will be in afternoon/weekend condition. This is the same as P.I. condition except wardrobes may be open, a few items of clothing may be neatly folded on chairs, and the bed must be neat and covers pulled up, but need not be made to P.I. standards. When cadets are present in rooms, they will still be neat and orderly.

Civilian Clothes

Cadets may keep 2 sets of civilian clothes in their wardrobe to facilitate travel for weekend leaves and vacations. The civilian clothes must be stored in the wardrobe according to published SOP. Cadets found to be wearing the clothes at unauthorized times will lose this privilege.

Find It Fast

How do I

In This Section