3-35 Minors Participating in CMU Activities

• Effective date of this revision: October 2024
• Contact for more information: Office of General Counsel; Financial and Administrative Services

BACKGROUND

Central Michigan University, through its various departments, registered student organizations, and community partners, presents many and varied opportunities for children under the age of 18 to participate in various activities. Michigan’ Child Protection Law requires that any instances of suspected child abuse or neglect be reported to the state in a timely fashion. As part of its commitment to safeguard and protect all people in its campus, CMU reiterates its commitment that it will do everything necessary to protect all minors (children under the age of 18) participating in CMU’s academic, athletic or social activities on CMU’s owned property or off-campus at events that are managed by CMU. Resources to assist with policy compliance are found on the Minors Participating in CMU Activities webpage.

PURPOSE 

The purpose of this Policy is to comply with the relevant portions of the Michigan Child Protraction Law, and to promote the safety of children, who take part in CMU-sponsored activities, and to ensure that any impermissible treatment of children is dealt with swiftly and effectively. Further, the purpose of this Policy is to provide members of the CMU community, as well as members of the community at large who are present on CMU’s campus, a mechanism by which they can report any wrongdoing involving children participating in CMU-sponsored activities. Finally, the purpose of this Policy is to outline protocols and guidelines for all organizations to follow in order to provide a safe and secure environment for children who take part in CMU-sponsored activities.

DEFINITIONS 

Authorized Adult: Any person who is 18 years of age or older, and who interacts with, supervises, chaperones, oversees, or otherwise interacts with minors in Program activities, or at recreational or residential facilities and has been designated by the sponsoring unit as an Authorized Adult.

CMU Facilities: Facilities owned by or under the control of CMU.

Direct Contact: Positions with the possibility of care, supervision, guidance, or control of minors and/or routine interaction with minors and/or routine individual interaction with minors.

Legal Guardian: Person who is not the Minor’s parent but has been legally placed in loco parentis.

Minor: A person under the age of 18 years who is not enrolled or accepted at CMU (a person under the age of 18 who is accepted or enrolled in CMU is considered a student and is not subject to this Policy). Students who are dual-enrolled” in CMU programs or classes while also enrolled in elementary, middle or high school are not included in this policy unless such enrollment includes overnight housing in University facilities. Individuals under the age of 18 are not eligible to volunteer.

Program: Any program or activity offered by CMU (academic, administrative, athletic, or recreational). This includes but is not limited to research laboratories, workshops, sports camps, academic camps, conferences, and all similar activities located on the campus of CMU or on an off-campus location. This also includes outside groups using CMU’s space. This does not include research that complies with IRB guidelines, undergraduate or graduate enrollment where the minor is a student, or minors who are CMU employees.

Sponsoring Unit: The CMU department that offers or sponsors a Program for a third party or requests approval for housing or use of Facilities.

POLICY 

All members of CMU’s community (and all invitees onto CMU’s campus) who are in a supervisory role with respect to a minor’s participation in CMU-sponsored activities are governed by this policy (faculty, staff, students, student employees, visitors, contactors). It shall be the responsibility of the Sponsoring Unit’s Senior Officer or Dean to maintain compliance with this policy.

PROCEDURE

A Sponsoring Unit approving or offering programs that involve Minors – regardless of whether the event is a CMU event or an outside group event – shall follow the requirements of the Registration portion of the policy.

Registration 

At least 60 days or as soon as reasonably practical prior to hosting a Program involving minors on campus, the contact person for the Sponsoring Unit shall register the program with the Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services at this link: Minors on Campus Event Registration Form. The registration services as a central repository for all events on campus that involve minors. It is in no way an approval for an event. It serves as a notification to various offices that minors will be on our campus. This notification may serve an important safety, administrative, or recruitment function.

Planning 

At least 30 days or as soon as reasonably practical prior to hosting an event involving minors on campus, the leader of the Sponsoring Unit shall submit the following documentation to Events and Conference Services:

The names and written confirmation that all Authorized Adults have passed a criminal background check and  reviewed the Minors on Campus Handbook. CMU reserves the right to request a copy of background checks.

Signed medical treatment authorization if it is required.

Signed media and liability releases if required.

The outside group’s proof of insurance including sexual and molestation coverage at levels designated by CMU if required.

Review and follow all steps set forth in the Faculty Use Policy 3-46.

Any other documentation that Events and Conference Services requires.

Further, the sponsoring unit must:

Have a plan or process for the notification of the Minor’s Parent or Legal Guardian in case of an emergency, including medical or behavioral problems, natural disasters, or other significant Program disruptions.

For Programs greater than one day in duration, and to the extent practicable, provide information to each participant’s Parent or Legal Guardian detailing the manner in which the participant may be contacted during the Program.

Ensure adequate supervision of Minors while they are participants in Programs, and at all times that they are present on CMU-owned or controlled property. Every effort will be made to ensure that no minor is left alone with any adult in a “behind closed doors” situation, unless the Minor’s Parent or Legal Guardian remains in close proximity.

Develop and inform the Minor participants and their Parent(s) or Legal Guardian(s) as to the rules and disciplinary measures applicable to the Program. Program participants and staff must abide by all relevant CMU policies and may be removed from the Program for non-compliance with the policies. The following should be included in the Program Rules.

The operation of a CMU-owned or controlled motor vehicle by minors is prohibited while they are attending and participating in the Program.

Participants should not leave CMU-owned or controlled property during the Program without written permission.

Inappropriate use of cameras, imaging, and digital devices (e.g. camera phones) is prohibited, including the use of such devices in showers, locker rooms, restrooms, or other areas where privacy is expected by participants.

Obtain any necessary media and liability releases as part of the Program registration process. All data gathered shall be confidential, to the extent permitted by law, and shall not be disclosed.

Adhere to CMU’s rules and regulations for proper supervision of Minors in CMU housing. These rules are located in the office of Events and Conference Services and are incorporated herein by reference.

Authorized personnel/signatories for non-CMU groups using CMU facilities are expected to comply with all requirements of this Policy. Any violations of this policy will subject the violator to appropriate progressive discipline and may result in immediate suspension of the Authorized Adult and discipline up to and including termination of employment (for faculty and staff) and dismissal from the University (for students).

Background Check

Background checks shall be completed annually on Authorized Adults. Background checks requests for faculty should be sent to Faculty Personnel Services. Background check requests for staff should be sent to Human Resources. Background check requests for students should be sent to Student Employment Services. The cost of faculty, staff, or student background checks is the responsibility of the sponsoring department, program or college. Non-CMU employees or volunteers, including outside volunteers for events including minors, are responsible for obtaining, and the cost of all required background checks. CMU may request to view the background checks for Non-CMU employees or volunteers.

Training

The Sponsoring Unit shall ensure that each Authorized Adult who will be providing direct supervision of Minors receive training on the conduct requirements of this Policy.

Mandatory Reporter

If a program participant discloses any type of assault or abuse (during the Program or prior to participation in the Program) to a Mandatory Reporter, or if the Mandatory Reporter has reasonable cause to suspect a Minor has been subject to abuse or neglect, that Mandatory Reporter shall follow the procedure outlined in the Michigan Child Protection Law (sec. 722.623) for the reporting of said suspected abuse or neglect. That procedure can be found here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(ai00cwymq5gmjycwwbll204v))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-722-623.

Exemption Process

In some rare occasions, Sponsoring Units offering Programs may be exempt from the Planning requirements of this policy. All events on campus are required to follow the Registration requirement, including events requesting an exception. A Sponsoring Unit’s Vice President may apply for an exemption from the Planning requirement by submitting a request to the President or its designee.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy and or its content. This document supersedes all pervious policies, procedures or guidelines relative to this subject.