Minors on Campus

Protection of Minors on Campus

Many departments on campus sponsor programs involving minors such as internships, school visits and summer camps. Both RIT and the greater community benefit from these activities which introduce young people to the exciting academic and recreational resources available here. RIT is fully committed to the safety of every participant. As such, all programs must comply with C26.0 Protection of Minors on Campus Policy. In addition, the following guidance was established in order to further protect minors visiting our campus. If your program occurs during the summer and/or includes overnight stays, click here to determine whether your program requires a NY State childrens' camp permit. The application process requires at least 3 months to complete.

Program Directors must ensure that the following steps are taken:

  • Report any suspected abuse immediately to Public Safety:

    •  (585) 475-3333
    •  (585) 205-8333

Contact RIT Office of K-12 for additional guidance for your particular program. Additional program-specific details can also be found in the links and sections below:

Summer and Overnight Camps

Certain programs meeting the criteria below require compliance with NY Public Health Law Section Part 7, Subpart 7-2 Children's Camps. RIT faculty and staff can address these issues by planning the programs appropriately. The Office of K-12 Partnerships hosts RIT Kids on Campus and Athletics hosts summer sports camps. Please contact those departments for assistance with your program. If you have a new program to launch outside of those areas, please contact Jody Nolanin Environmental Health & Safety (ext. 56676) for assistance with establishing your program in compliance with the state regulations. Application for permit must be submitted to the Monroe County Health Dept. at least 60 days prior to the start of the camp.


If your program meets the following criteria, it must meet NY children's camp requirements,as well as the RIT Protection of Minors guidance.

Summer Day camp Overnight camp
  • Operates between June 1 and Sept.15
  • With 10 or more children under 16 yrs
  • For more than all or part of 5 days in a 2-week period
  • Includes 1 or more "non-passive recreational activities" (i.e. sports, swimming, field trips)
  • Single activity camps are excluded (all of the time is spent on one activity/sport)
  • Classroom educational programs are excluded unless more than 1 hour or 1/5 of the day is spent on a "non-passive recreational activity"
  • Is occupied by 10 or more children under 18 years of age
  • For 72 or more consecutive hours


Additional Resources:

RIT Summer Program Guidelines (Powerpoint Feb 2013)

Internships and Lab Visits

Two buttons, a green one reading "Rewards" and a red one reading "Risks."

Both RIT and the K-12 community benefit when students visit RIT and/or participate in internships on campus. In order to maximize the rewards and minimize the risk from these activities, please consider the following when coordinating such a visit:

  1. Be sure to follow all of the requirements for the Protection of Minors on Campus.
  2. Contact Environmental Health & Safety (585) 475-2040 for help with a safety and training assessment if students are working in shops/labs/studios or in other potentially hazardous areas.
  3. Try to create a plan which minimizes the chance that a minor will be working alone or behind a closed door with an adult.
  4. Familiarize the student with RIT emergency action plans.

Guidelines for Hosting Minors in RIT Housing

Several departments on campus sponsor programs involving minors, from internships to school field trips to summer camps. Both RIT and the greater community benefit from programs that introduce young people to the exciting academic and recreational resources available on campus. Our current and prospective students and guests benefit most when these programs are successful and without incident.

When programs include overnight stays in RIT residence halls and apartments, the following guidelines should be followed. In some cases, programs require compliance with New York public health law. RIT faculty and staff can address these issues by planning the programs appropriately. In addition to the guidelines below, for more information about keeping children safe, please refer to the RIT K-12 website.

Most overnight stays are conducted for recruitment purposes and therefore should be coordinated with the dean's office of the respective college.

Athletics programs (camps, clinics, and recruiting stays) require approval from the Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. Please contact Lou Spiotti at lxs4788@rit.edu.

For other university sponsored overnight stays, please contact Melinda Ward in Risk Management at mjwrmss@rit.edu.


RIT Department/Program Coordinator Checklist:

  1. Obtain approval from appropriate senior management.
  2. Review RIT’s Guidelines for Protecting Minors on Campus.
  3. Have parents sign Waivers. Obtain emergency contact information from parent/guardian.
  4. Have guests sign a Behavior Contract. Set and document ground rules and expectations. Let students and parents know how you will handle disciplinary issues.
  5. Select Student Hosts:
    • Students should be selected based on leadership qualities (for example, Resident Assistants (RA), Orientation Assistants (OA), captains or senior members of sports teams, etc.) and reference checks.
    • Experience working with children is preferred.
    • Process background checks (sex offender registry) through Human Resources
    • Run student conduct background check through the Student Affairs Center for Student Conduct
    • Have hosts sign a behavior contract (noting responsibilities and student conduct accountability)
    • Obtain approval from the hosting student's roommate(s). Center for Residence Life will take the lead on this process. Contact Harold Fields hofrla@rit.edu or phone: 585-475-2578 for information and assistance.
    1. Provide program coordinator’s contact information, list of students along with assigned rooms, roommate/host, and parent’s emergency contact information to Public Safety (Gary Moxley gdmcps@rit.edu), Residence Life (Harold Fields hofrla@rit.edu) and Housing (Carla DiLella csd1223@rit.edu) at least 72 hours prior to the group’s arrival.
  6. Public Safety will provide special attention to the floors/halls.
  7. Provide appropriate training including emergency response, Title IX and suspected abuse notification procedures to hosts. For more information, contact Jody Nolan, Environmental Health & Safety jbnehs@rit.edu.
  8. It is a good idea to plan an appropriate amount of supervised activities/programming to cover most of the stay.
  9. Report any allegations of inappropriate behavior by RIT staff/faculty/hosts/guests, injuries, or accidents to Public Safety at (585) 475-3333 immediately. Public Safety staff is trained to make the appropriate notifications to RIT senior management and/or law enforcement.

Workshops and Programs for K-12 Students

For all gatherings with minors (children under the age of 18) who are not supervised by parents or guardians and that do not qualify as a camp as defined by New York Public Health, please follow the guidelines below. If you have questions about your event, please feel free to contact Melinda Ward in Risk Management at 475-6135.

In addition to following the requirements for the Protection of Minors on Campus, the following guidelines should be utilized:

Registration Forms:

Completed forms should be marked confidential and kept in a secure file for 6 years in accordance with Policy C22.0 Records Management Policy

Registration forms should include the following items:

  1. Emergency contact information (name and phone number of at least one parent or guardian)
  2. Insurance policy information (Insurance company, Subscriber Name and ID)
  3. Participant's food allergies (only if we are providing food). No other medical information should be requested.
  4. RIT Participant Agreement can be incorporated into the registration form.

Staffing:

  • Use NY state staffing requirements as guidelines. For example, a ratio of 1:12 is recommended for general supervision of children. Ratios should allow for enough adult supervision so as to avoid one-on-one contact with a minor whenever possible.
  • Children should not be transported in an employee's personal vehicle.