Policies & Expectations
At Seguinland Institute, we are intentional about creating positive and respectful educational opportunities within a growth-oriented environment. As a student, you can expect the following:
An inclusive learning environment that is free from discrimination or favoritism. You are entitled to freedom from physical or verbal harassment of any shape or form.
Supportive spaces for taking risks. We aim to provide meaningful experiences for all students that are rooted in real challenges, both intellectual and physical. We will do our very best to inform you of anticipated risks and offer trigger warnings for course content that might be emotionally difficult. However, unanticipated situations may arise that we will need to navigate together. To the best of our ability, faculty will prioritize your safety and wellbeing.
Thoughtful, timely, and honest feedback from your teachers and mentors.Faculty and students are co-creators of the Seguinland experience. We are deliberate about how we show up both for ourselves and for one another. You and your peers will begin your journey together by devising community standards unique to your cohort’s needs.
As we work together to inspire the best in one another, the following is what is expected of you:
Your full and active participation. You are expected to participate in all activities and expeditions and to show up on time. Showing up is not just about being in the room (or in our case, the forest). It is about bringing a genuine willingness to meet the challenges needed to grow. This may require you to exert yourself physically, to overcome a fear, and/or to be mentally flexible when faced with new situations and ideas. It also means doing your part to contribute to chores, to group discussion, and to leadership decisions. In a cohort of our size, it is imperative that each and every student bring their earnest effort to all things.
Taking care of yourself. Your full participation is only possible if you take responsibility for your health and wellness. You must respect safety rules at all times to prevent injury or illness. We also expect you to consistently prioritize your sleep and nutrition and to refrain from the use of recreational drugs and alcohol (see below). If you are having trouble taking care of your wellbeing for any reason, we want you to speak with your mentor and strategize a plan for doing so.
Taking care of others. The full participation of your peers is dependent upon your treatment of others. You are expected to bring an attitude of respect and care to your relationships. We represent a multitude of different personalities and diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and opinions. We expect you to take inclusivity very seriously as well as consent when it comes to physical touch and the sharing of people’s confidential information. As we learn to dialogue effectively and wholeheartedly as a group, you are encouraged to be open about your questions and thoughts while also being mindful and conscientious of the complexities of identity and the diversity of our learning community. This extends to those beyond your faculty and peers as you interact with members of the local community.
Dialing in by unplugging. Our programs provide you with a rare opportunity to be fully present in the world without unnecessary distractions. While on site, you are expected to actively take steps to dial in to the experience by unplugging yourself from digital technology. Your cohort may decide to establish a system for holding one another accountable in this regard. We expect you to opt for activities that encourage contemplation especially at the beginning and end of the day such as reading, journaling, walking, stargazing, music making, or simply resting. At the very least, you are expected to leave your digital devices (only cell phones permitted on campus) in your cabin unless needed for specified reasons.
Adopting a Beginner’s Mind. Lastly, we ask that you bring a beginner’s mind to your experiences. This means leaving your preconceived notions behind. It means viewing people, your coursework, and situations you may encounter with fresh eyes and a willingness to learn in unexpected ways.
We encourage you to think about what you can do to be an active and valued contributor to the Seguinland community rather than what you cannot do. However, there are some behaviors that are never allowed. The following is prohibited at Seguinland Institute and is grounds for dismissal:
Dangerous Behavior & Violence: Disobeying safety rules, reckless and dangerous behavior that places yourself or others in harm’s way, using violence or the threat of violence to harm yourself or others.
Abusive Language/Bullying/Cyberbullying: Causing physical or emotional harm or the threat of physical or emotional harm to another person and/or damaging their personal belongings. Creating a hostile environment, including by use of hostile language or hate speech (regardless of intent). Sharing private information without consent including online. Using technology to impersonate or intimidate others. Using threats, intimidation, defamation, coercion, or retaliation in any shape or form.
Sexual Misconduct: Sexual harassment, any unwanted, non-consensual sexual activity by one person against another which may or may not involve direct physical contact. This includes: sexual assault, sexual exploitation, gender-based stalking, and relationship violence.
We prohibit romantic and/or sexual relationships between staff and students.
The Possession, Use, or Distribution of Drugs or Alcohol is prohibited.
We present these student policies as a way of enhancing our collective learning experience.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Attending a program at Seguinland Institute involves stepping away from your everyday life, which can be both liberating and challenging at the same time. Some of your usual creature comforts and support people will not be as directly available, but neither will some of your usual sources of stress, anxiety, and monkey mindedness.
At Seguinland Institute we try to create a retreat-like environment, which includes immersion in nature, academic work and mindfulness practice. We are not a hardcore wilderness adventure program. We emphasize being immersed in nature as a source of grounding, insight and contemplation. You don’t have to be a naturally “outdoorsy type” to join our programs. We love welcoming a diverse group of students and helping all to find ways to reconnect with the natural world.
That being said, certain parts of our programs will involve a level of physical challenge that may be beyond what some students are accustomed to. We provide plenty of instruction, guidance and support to make sure that even the more physically challenging parts of the program are as achievable as possible.
Please review the following essential requirements to make sure you are prepared for the physical, academic and inter-personal challenges of our programs.
You must be prepared to:
1) Work effectively as a member of a team. This will require problem solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
2) Contribute to a safe learning environment. No verbal or physical inappropriate behavior of others is tolerated for any reason.
3) Effectively communicate ideas and concerns on an individual and group level.
4) At minimum, be able to hike over and negotiate through varied terrain with a 10 lb backpack, which requires average strength, endurance and basic balance and agility.
5) Be able to hike in conditions which may include but are not limited to: rough, rugged, uneven steep and sloping terrain. Travel can occur during periods of inclement weather.
6) Be able to hike distances ranging from less than one mile to four miles in one day. We will take plenty of breaks along the way.
7) Have the ability to have a third point of contact for balance purposes, such as with hand(s) or to hold a walking stick, for ascending or descending slopes.
8) We will teach all participants canoe and kayak techniques, including how to paddle and steer. You must possess the basic physical ability to control a paddle and pull it through the water in order to steer and propel a canoe, kayak or rowboat forward.
9) We will teach methods of communicating with your boat partner. You must be able to perceive, understand and respond to audible commands given by a boating partner or communicate such commands to boating partners in order to maneuver a boat to maintain proper heading or avoid obstacles.
10) Be able to tread water for 3 minutes and swim 50 yards unassisted at any pace (this is not a race).
11) We will teach you basic boat safety and what to do in case of an emergency. In the unlikely event that your boats tips over, you must be able to exit the boat, fend for self while in the water away from the boat, exit out of the water to shore, grab onto another boat or rope for rescue purposes, and/or cooperate with assisted rescue.
12) The student must possess the ability to read in the language in which the course is taught, which is English.
13) Students must choose to participate: mandates by parents, court, or otherwise are not allowed.
NOTE: Adapted from NOLS Student Essential Eligibility Criteria.
Mental Health Addendum
You must meet the following criteria…
Communicate proactively and honestly about any mental health challenges that arise prior to or during the program. If a mental health condition is not disclosed in the application process, Seguinland Institute reserves the right to withdraw the student from the program
Be at least one year out of any in-patient therapeutic or rehabilitation program, including but not limited to: wilderness therapy, therapeutic boarding school, drug and alcohol treatment, and eating disorder treatment etc
If applicable, make a wellness Plan of Action prior to departure that includes strategies for maintaining mental health during the program
Proactively take steps to maintain mental health while on program through healthy behaviors such as exercise, journaling, meditation, yoga, proper sleep routines, healthy eating/hydration, personal hygiene, appropriate peer interaction, and reaching out for support as needed;
Accept full responsibility for mental health, including complying fully with medication routines and self-care strategies recommended pre-departure by medical/mental health professionals;
Seek out, as needed, consultations with mental health professionals while on the program or fully comply with our recommendation to do the same, and follow all treatment advice secured from these consultations.
Be able to discuss and manage social and emotional challenges that may arise on the program, including practicing active listening, openly expressing emotions, and being willing to engage in a collaborative problem solving process as guided by Seguinland Institute staff when emotional or behavioral challenges arise;
If taking prescription medication, be able to hold, self-administer, and maintain proper dosage as prescribed without assistance from instructors or others unless under emergency circumstances
Never be in possession of or consume prescription medication that is not prescribed
Payments and Refunds
Payments: Once we have offered admission to a program, our bookkeeper will reach out with payment options and timelines.
Refunds:
We have never had to cancel a program for any reason (except Covid in Spring 2020). A full refund (including deposit) will be issued if a program is unable to run for any reason.
If, due to a pandemic or any other large scale emergency, we must cancel a program part way through, we will prorate a refund at 80% of the remaining daily rate and students will have the option to complete their coursework via distance learning for the full credits.
We offer a full refund of the program fee minus the deposit if requested due to Covid-related health emergency at least three months before the beginning of a program.
All enrolled participants are entitled to a 50% refund on any tuition balance payments up until 3 months prior to the start date of their program, regardless of their reason for cancellation. The deposit is non-refundable.
Participants who withdraw less than three months before the start of the program’s start date, including withdrawal from the program early either by choice or by dismissal, forfeit their entire tuition, with some exceptions made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of Seguinland Institute.