Policies

• Mail will be delivered under students’ doors by 5 p.m. Be sure to notify relatives and friends of your correct mailing address:

• In case of an emergency students may be contacted through the Spruce Hall counselor office, where counselors are on duty between 7:30 a.m. and 10:45 p.m. The phone number is 812-856-7111.

* University policies, as well as state law, ban the use and possession of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and controlled substances, including marijuana, by participants of the workshop. Additionally, Indiana University is a smoke-free campus. If found using any illegal substance while enrolled in the workshop, a student will be immediately dismissed from the workshop. Parents will be notified by phone of any such problem.

• * No workshop student, not even a Bloomington resident, is allowed to ride in or operate a motor vehicle, including motorcycles, scooters, Uber, Lyft, or automobiles while on campus for the workshop. The only exceptions to this rule are the bus systems, official HSJI van or state vehicle driven by a faculty member or counselor, and a vehicle designated by written permission signed by a parent or guardian. In an emergency, parents or guardians may give verbal permission by phone to the director or head counselor.
• Any workshop student who brings a motor vehicle to Bloomington will be required to park it in a designated parking lot and will not be allowed to drive it until departure on the last day. A parking tag must be picked up at registration.

• All students must be inside Spruce Residence Hall by 10:30 p.m.
• All students must be on their dorm floors by 10:45 p.m.
• All students must be in their assigned rooms for room check at 11 p.m. each day of workshop.
• All students must have their lights out by 11:30 p.m. each night of the workshop.
• * Separate floors exist for male and female students. NO visitors of the opposite gender are allowed on the floors except during check-in and check-out hours.
• Keep your room locked at all times when you are not present. The university assumes no responsibility for missing or damaged property.
• Once you have been assigned a room, you are responsible for it and are not to switch rooms with anyone else. Keep it neat and orderly during your stay. Bunk beds must be left intact. You will be required to pay for any damages you cause. A lost room key card results in a $15 charge to replace.
• Room assignments will be made to encourage social interaction rather than assigning students from the same school to the same area. However, if a roommate request accompanies the registration of both students involved, as indicated on registration materials, we will make every effort to assign people the roommate of their choice.
• Please remain quiet in your room and in the halls during the evenings, as there will be other students trying to sleep or study.
• There are no landlines available in your dorm room, so please feel free to bring your cellphone. No one should make phone calls after 11 p.m., except for an emergency.
• Except when attending class or another HSJI-supervised activity, students must sign out with their floor counselors when they leave Spruce Hall or Franklin Hall. The digital sign-out system will be used to aid the counselors in locating a student in case of an emergency. Students are required to sign in upon return.

Because the practice of quality journalism requires interviewing, photographing, and/or video recording people and events, students may wish to conduct interviews across campus or off campus. HSJI staff have developed the following policies and procedures to address student safety concerns and to comply with university policies while also allowing reasonable access for reporting. This policy and its procedures intend to protect HSJI students and employees from situations that put them at risk for inappropriate interactions between adults and minors.

• Counselors will stress to students the importance of using the “buddy system” while on campus and in Bloomington. Students should not walk alone to class or events on or off campus.
• Students should save the HSJI counselors’ office phone number into their cell phone contacts.
• Students must sign out at the counselors’ office when they’re going somewhere other than Spruce Hall, Franklin Hall, or another HSJI classroom on campus. They must also sign back in upon their return.
• Students are encouraged to use the campus and city bus systems, but they may not ride in personal vehicles during the institute other than the HSJI van. Students who need to make special transportation arrangements or who seek advice in using the bus system are encouraged to talk with an HSJI counselor.
• No adult, whether faculty, counselors, lab assistants, or visiting professionals, should ever meet in private with a minor. Should they need to meet with students individually, they should do so in an open, public space where other people are present.
• Non-HSJI employees, such as guest speakers and visiting journalists, do not require background checks if they will be interacting with students in a group setting, such as a classroom, cafeteria, lecture hall, or public space on campus. However, at least one HSJI employee must be present.
• HSJI staff will recruit volunteers ahead of time in order to check their names against the sex offender registry and then check photo IDs against the list on the day of the event.
• Non-HSJI employees who lead field trips outside of Spruce Hall or Franklin Hall do not need background checks, but at least one HSJI employee should accompany students on the field trip.
• In compliance with state law, staff and faculty who suspect a child is being abused must inform either Child Protective Services (1-800-800-5556) or local law enforcement (911), which includes the IU Police Department. At IU, you must also inform the university director of public safety, who is the designated agent under state law.

• Should you require medical attention at any time, get in touch with a counselor. Minor first aid will be administered by one of the Red Cross-certified counselors. If professional health care is required, students will be taken to the IU Student Health Center or the IU Health Hospital.
• Parents will be expected to pay medical bills for students. In the event an ambulance is called, the parents or guardians will be expected to pay the cost.
• Students are asked to send information about allergies or pertinent illnesses, family, and personal insurance company information, and the name of a person to notify in case of an emergency. Please complete the Medical Consent form and return it to HSJI by July 1.
• It is the responsibility of the health care facility to notify the parents in cases of serious illness. The health care facility also assumes the responsibility for procuring permission for operations and notifying the parents of the student’s condition.
• Counselors cannot dispense medication of any kind to students without written permission from parents or guardians.
• A refrigerator will be available in the counselors' office for students who have medication that must be kept cold.
• Special accommodations will be made for students with any health condition. Please call the HSJI office or see a counselor if you have questions or concerns.

• HSJI Director Teresa White can be reached at 812-855-9822.
• The HSJI Administrative Coordinator Amy Dowell can be reached at 812-855-0895.
• The HSJI counselor office at Spruce Hall will be staffed by HSJI counselors from 7:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. The phone number is 812-856-7111.
• Mail to the High School Journalism Institute before workshops begin should be sent to HSJI, Indiana University, Franklin Hall 230, 601 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN, 47405.