Participation Agreement

Community Guidelines

All of us—Juniper staff, instructors, and participants—bring our varied identities to the Institute. We are a diverse group in terms of our own personal, cultural and social identities, as well as our experiences and background with creative writing. Juniper strives to provide the accountable and accessible spaces necessary for everyone to be able to participate fully in the week’s events. This means we are committed to supporting the following community guidelines:

• Treat one another with dignity, respect and fairness
• Share, act, and communicate honestly, truthfully and with integrity
• Expect to learn something new about yourself and others
• Recognize your communication style
• Challenge your thinking, engagement, and comfort
• Explore your emotional reactions, perceptions, & assumptions
• Take care of yourself and support others to care for themselves

Attendance & Participation

Full Program participants are expected to attend all lab sessions and to participate in a manner that is in line with Juniper’s Community Guidelines (see above). If for any reason the participant is unable to attend or will be late to the Writing Lab, we ask that they contact their instructor. Instructors reserve the right to establish additional attendance, participation and/or community guidelines for their lab.

Behavior

Participants must abide by all applicable federal, state, local, and University laws and regulations. Any participant who endangers their own health or safety or the health or safety of another student, staff member, or faculty member will be subject to disciplinary action. Consumption, possession, or being in the presence of alcohol or illegal drugs is grounds for immediate dismissal, as is possession or use of drug paraphernalia, firearms, other weapons, or fireworks. Participants must show respect for the rights and safety of others in the community and must not engage in any form of harassment. Participants will follow all directions involving their video and audio settings at the instructor’s or program’s discretion.

Supervision

The Juniper Young Writers Online program is a creative academic program for mature, self-motivated high-school writers. It is not meant to provide supervision.

Mandated Reporting

Pursuant to Massachusetts law, Juniper staff and instructors are Mandated Reporters. Accordingly, if any Juniper staff or instructors have reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18 years is suffering from abuse and/or neglect, they are required to report the same to the Department of Children and Families.

We ask that all members of the Juniper community follow the above guidelines, and agree to practice every opportunity to establish a more inclusive space. Any participant who violates these guidelines, or is continually distracting in ways that inhibit the learning of the group, may be asked to leave the program.

Juniper's Cancellation Policy

An enrolled participant may withdraw from Juniper and receive a refund on or before three weeks prior to the program start date. Your deposit is nonrefundable. Notification of all withdrawals must be submitted in writing to UMass Amherst Conference Services. 

University Cancellation Policy

The University of Massachusetts Amherst reserves the right to cancel any program it deems necessary. In the event of program cancellation, payment will be refunded in full.