DRUG AND ALCOHOL POLICY:
Alcohol or drugs are strictly prohibited on all our campuses. SOCAPA supervisors have the right to search for illegal substances.

PAYMENT POLICY, DEPOSIT, TUITION & REFUNDS:
A non-refundable, $500 deposit is required to secure a spot in all of SOCAPA’s Summer Programs. The final tuition balance is due no later than May 1 (Please note that we may be able to accept more students after this payment deadline. Call our office to arrange). If we have not received payment by May 1, SOCAPA reserves the right to cancel unpaid applicants with no return of fees. Prior to April 1, all tuition, except the $500 deposit, is fully refundable. For cancellations between April 1 and May 1, we will refund 50% of the tuition and fees. After May 15, there are no refunds, except in the form of camp credit. Camp credit is good towards any of our summer 2010 programs and is transferable to family members with the same last name. In the case that camp credit is issued prior to June 15, the amount of camp credit will be the amount paid to SOCAPA less a $1000 cancellation fee. For cancellations after June 15, camp credit will be issued for one half the amount of the tuition portion of the invoice – there will be no refund or camp credit for the Room & Board portion of the invoice. For this reason, SOCAPA highly recommends that students secure travel insurance to cover trip cancellation, interruption and/or medical emergency. For more on travel insurance, please visit: Assurance Solutions.

Students sent home in violation of our rules, for medical reasons, at the discretion of the student, family, or SOCAPA will receive no refund.

CANCELATION POLICY:
SOCAPA reserves the right to cancel any program before its start date. In the unlikely event that cancellation should occur, you have the option of a complete refund or transfer to another program. Registrant waives any and all damages that may otherwise arise out of any program cancellation and agrees to accept as liquidated damages said registration fees. We highly discourage making nonrefundable or nonchangeable travel arrangements to and from our programs.

COMMUNICATION:
Our Manhattan office is reachable by phone and e-mail twenty-four hours a day. In addition, the resident assistant on duty will have an emergency cell phone on their person at all times. Illness and problems are handled immediately and the family is always contacted directly.

SUPERVISION:
The number one priority at the School of Cinema and Performing Arts is the safety and well-being of our students. SOCAPA has a full staff of qualified supervisors on-duty at all times during the program. All of our counselors and teaching assistants are at least twenty-one years of age and have strong leadership skills and experience. Most have degrees in either visual or performing arts from prestigious universities and many have been through Residence Assistant training programs.

On evenings and weekends when students are not in class or on shoots, SOCAPA provides a full schedule of activities until 10pm. Students must be in their rooms for check-in at 10:30pm and lights-out is at 11:00pm. Our supervisors will make rounds and conduct sporadic room checks after lights-out to make sure the students remain in their rooms. There will be at least one SOCAPA resident supervisor on duty per floor of students and one SOCAPA resident director on-duty per dormitory building. Students are not allowed in the dormitory rooms of members of the opposite sex.

SUPERVISION LEVELS
There are three levels of supervision, which correspond to the different age groups of our students. Youth (12 -14), High School (14-16 in New York & Burlington, 13-16 other campuses) and Pre-College (16-18). These levels apply to evening and weekend activities and other times when students are not in class. Families of our 13, 14 and 16 year-old students must choose which level of supervision they would like for their child. If a family would like their child to be in more restrictive level (for example, a family of a 17 year old student would like their child to be in the high school level of supervision), please contact our office to discuss.

PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM (Ages 16 – 18):
Students 16 years or older qualify for the pre-college program. After the first week of mandatory evening activities, pre-college students are given some evenings off, allowing them blocks of free time that they can structure to meet their individual interests and needs. Students may sign out using the Buddy System (see details below) during their free time. Students in the pre-college program are mature and take personal and group responsibility seriously and are able to handle increased freedom.

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM
(Ages 14-16 in New York & Burlington, 13-16 other campuses):
The High School Program provides highly structured evening and weekend activities, which are mandatory. During limited amounts of free time, students may sign out to explore the surrounding area, get supplies, scout photo and film locations using the Buddy System. In addition, the Buddy System allows students to have some independence during class time and structured evening/weekend activities, by allowing students to explore limited surrounding areas while still being with the larger group.

YOUTH PROGRAM (Ages 12 -14):
Under the Youth supervision level, students are accompanied by a supervisor at all times during planned weekend and evening activities, which are mandatory. During free time, SOCAPA Youth may not sign out to go off campus with a Buddy; they must be accompanied by a supervisor. Youth programs are held at Burlington and New York campuses only.

How The Buddy System Works:
Pre-College and High School students can go off campus during free time by signing out in the office and providing destination, purpose and contact information. Each student must be accompanied by another SOCAPA student. Each buddy group must have a cell phone with them and they must stay together at all times. Upon return, students sign back in with the staff.

Please contact our main office if you have any questions about these supervision levels. We encourage you to discuss the option as a family and agree on conduct guidelines prior to arrival.

Signing out with a family member or friend of the family:
If parent/guardian would like to sign out a student for any period of time (for example to go out to dinner with Auntie Alice who lives near campus), we require a completed, you guessed it, PARENTAL CONSENT FOR STUDENT TO LEAVE CAMPUS WITH NON-SOCAPA STAFF FORM. This form shoul be signed and faxed (or e-mailed) to our office 48 hours prior to the sign-out time. The form details to whom we should release the student, when they should be released and for how long, and a contact number where the student will be. Students must notify a supervisor upon departure and return. Students must be back no later than check-in (10:30pm) unless spending the entire night (10:30pm – 8:00am) off campus.