Boarding

Leaves and Requisite Permissions

The Boarding Experience Resident Faculty Rituals Leaves and Permissions

Daily Needs Student Possessions Student Rooms

Weekdays

(Sunday night through Friday afternoon)

• 8:00 a.m.—3:30 p.m. Daytime leaves may be granted by the dean of students. On Fridays, a student may leave after her last academic commitment with permission of the dean. In all cases when a student plans to return before 3:30 p.m. students must sign out and sign back in at Student Services.
• 3:30 p.m.—5:30 p.m. To go to nearby Pawling Avenue stores within short walking distance: sign out; no permission needed. Leaves of any other kind: sign out with houseparent; houseparent permission required.
• 5:30 p.m.—10:00 p.m. Evening leaves are granted by houseparents only under special circumstances: sign out with houseparents. On Sunday nights, students must return from weekend leaves by 7:00 p.m. (Seniors by 9:30 p.m. once senior privileges are in effect).

Weekends

(Friday night through Sunday afternoon)

• 8:00 a.m.—5:30 p.m. To go to stores within walking distance on Pawling Avenue: sign out; no permission needed. Leaves of any other kind: sign out; houseparent permission required.
• 5:30 p.m.—11:30 p.m. All evening leaves require houseparent permission. Students taking an evening leave to the home of a day student require an invitation from the adult host/hostess. After Senior Dinner in the fall, seniors may return as late as 12:30 a.m. with prior permission from the resident faculty on duty. Seniors returning after 11:30 p.m. must sign in with Security.
• Capital District Sign-outs. For reasons of safety and common sense, students should never leave campus alone—groups of three or more are recommended. When going to Troy or elsewhere in the Capital District to shop, see a movie, or go to a restaurant, signing out in a general way (e.g., “to Troy”) is not acceptable; a specific destination must be given (e.g., Bruegger’s, Friendly’s, etc.). Students must use taxis or private transportation (with appropriate permission) when going to and from campus at night.
• Closed Weekends. These weekends fall at the beginning and end of long breaks so that students can begin or end their vacations together, and they often accommodate special school traditions or events. No overnight leaves will be granted during closed weekends without special permission from the dean of students. The closed weekends for 2008–2009 are September 5–7 (all students), September 19–21 (all seniors for Revels auditions), December 12–14 (seniors), and June 5–7 (all students). In addition, January 30–February 1 is a closed weekend for all new second semester boarding students.
• College Visits. Social visits to college campuses are restricted to juniors and seniors. An invitation from an adult host/hostess is necessary for a student planning to take an overnight or weekend leave to a college. All such invitations should be submitted to the Student Services office.
• College Interviews. (Seniors only). College interviews are arranged by students and their parents. Parents whose daughters have permission to attend college weekends—or to take weekend leaves which necessitate staying in a hotel without an adult chaperone—must assume full responsibility for their daughters. Students must obtain permission from a college counselor when planning a college visit for which they will miss an academic commitment or be away from school overnight during the week. Students must file travel forms with a contact listed at the college if they plan to be away overnight. Students are encouraged to visit colleges during the summer. They will be responsible for any academic work they miss by visiting colleges during the academic year.
• Dinner with Family Members. Parents or faculty who invite a student out to dinner on a weeknight must plan to return to campus by 7:15 p.m. (before quiet study hours). Permission must be obtained from the student’s houseparent.
  
• Excursions. The Student Services Office organizes and subsidizes occasional one-day, chaperoned excursions by chartered bus to New York, Boston, and other nearby cities. On these excursions, students must submit a proposed itinerary and are to remain in groups of two or more for the duration of the trip. Students must also check in with the trip chaperone(s) either in person or via the chaperone’s cell phone at an appointed time during the day. All students remain under the jurisdiction of the school while traveling on these excursions.
• Late Returns. Students must return from a weekend leave by 7:00 p.m. on Sundays. Permission to return late from a weekend must be secured in advance from the houseparent. In the event that a student finds herself unable to return at the required time, she must call the school and speak to her houseparent. While the houseparent does not have the authority to excuse a student from classes, it is the student’s responsibility to notify her houseparent so that she/he is informed. If the late return results in a missed academic commitment, depending on the circumstances, the student may be subject to the penalties of unexcused class absences.
• Travel Plans. A student must submit a travel plan for any kind of overnight leave. The form is available on the Emma Willard intranet, under ‘forms’ and ‘weekend travel plans.’ A student should complete the form promptly and thoroughly and submit it to her houseparent by check-in on Wednesday evening. Once forms have been completed, any changes should go through Student Services. Regardless of her destination—her home or a friend’s home—a student must submit an invitation (either in writing, by telephone, or by e-mail) from her host or parents to her houseparent.
• Vacations and Other Leaves. Travel reservations are at a premium during holidays. The official school calendar is mailed to parents well in advance so plans and reservations can be made ahead of time. Absence from classes will not be permitted to accommodate travel schedules. School-arranged transportation will not be available before the end of the last academic day before a vacation or long weekend.
• Dormitory Closures. Dormitories are closed during Thanksgiving, winter, and spring vacations. They remain open until 12:00 noon on the day following the last day of classes and reopen at 12:00 noon on the day preceding the start of classes. Students who must leave a day late or return a day early should plan to spend the night with a day student or faculty member.
• Weekend Leaves. In order to create a sense of community and to establish the connections that are an essential part of residential life, all boarders must remain on campus for the first weekend of the fall semester. Except for closed weekends (see the section on “Closed Weekends”), when all boarding students must be on campus, there are no additional restrictions on the number of weekend leaves. Boarders may visit overnight in the homes of day students in addition to taking the regular weekend leaves. Permission from the houseparent and an invitation from the adult host/hostess are required for all such visits.