Policy Summary

All Mount Holyoke College sponsored programs or programs operating on college property that are specifically designed for minors are required to adhere to the Mount Holyoke College Health and Safety of Minors Policy. The Policy establishes minimum requirements for these programs and lays out a code of conduct for the adults who work or volunteer in them.

The Policy applies to all members of the College community, including all employees, interns, and students, and also to all volunteers, contractors, vendors, authorized adults, and other individuals who use College property.

Some important definitions as they relate to the policy:

  • Minor or Child: a person under 18 years of age, who is not an enrolled Mount Holyoke student.
  • Program Manager: the member of the Mount Holyoke community responsible for a Program, service or activity.
  • Authorized Adult: a person 18 years of age or older who supervises, teaches, counsels, volunteers or otherwise works with Minors participating in a Program.  The term Authorized Adult does not include a person whose only role is to make a presentation to a group of Minors who are under the supervision of another adult at the time of the presentation.
  • College Sponsored Program (“Program”): any activity, event, recital, lesson, class, camp, or other interaction intended for Minors, including, but not limited to Programs paid for, organized by, or operated in whole or in part by the College, on or off campus.

The importance of the Safety of Minors policy

We understand the value in giving children early exposure to higher education and these programs have a great impact on the youth and communities that they serve.  But, it is important to remember:

  • Parents, children and administrators expect that schools and other institutions of learning are safe havens and we need to meet and exceed that expectation.
  • Keeping children safe should always be the number one concern for programs that serve minors.
  • Mount Holyoke College serves approximately 2,500 minors every year.
  • 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be abused sometime before they turn 18.
  • Unintentional injuries and abuse can occur in even the safest of environments.

The impact that incidents of violence or sexual abuse has on the victim, the organization, and the community are so severe that it is important to do everything possible to try to prevent it.