Community Policies

Policies Related to Sexual Misconduct

Yale University is committed to maintaining and strengthening an educational, employment, and living environment founded on civility and mutual respect. Sexual misconduct is antithetical to the standards and ideals of our community, and it is a violation of Yale policy and the disciplinary regulations of Yale College and the graduate and professional schools. See the section Resources to Address Discrimination and Harassment Concerns, Including Sexual Misconduct in the chapter Yale University Resources and Services for additional information.

Student Workers

Students who are employed by any Yale SOM department are “student workers” and subject to this policy. Student workers include teaching assistants, research assistants, tutors, second-year advisers, CDO career advisers, admissions interviewers, and International Experience course assistants, among others. No student may serve as a teaching assistant for any course in which the student is enrolled for credit. No student may serve as a tutor for a course in which the student is a teaching assistant.

Student workers are permitted to work up to twenty hours per week during an academic term. This weekly maximum applies to total hours worked in any combination of student worker roles and positions at Yale and is suspended during academic recess periods. First-year students are discouraged from working while completing the core curriculum. First-year students in academic difficulty who have been seen by the Academic Standards Committee are not eligible to be employed by SOM during the first year of study.

Course Recording

If the observance of a major religious holiday will prevent a student from attending class, the student should inform the instructor and Academic Affairs and Student Life in advance. In the case of an extended absence due to a medical or personal emergency, the student should inform the instructor and Academic Affairs and Student Life in advance if possible. Students missing class for these reasons may request to have core courses recorded. Requests for recording should be made to Academic Affairs and Student Life at least two weeks before a scheduled religious holiday, or as soon as possible in the case of a medical or personal emergency. That office will review the request to decide if the course should be recorded, contact the course instructor to obtain permission for recording, and arrange for the recording. Please note that, even in cases of medical or personal emergency, Academic Affairs and Student Life may not be able to accommodate requests received with less than two weeks’ advance notice.

Requests for recording classes missed for other reasons, including illness, job interviews, or other personal or professional commitments, will not be accepted. Core courses will be recorded only if the instructor grants permission for video or audio recording. Extracurricular events cannot be recorded at student request.

Students missing class for any reason are responsible for obtaining notes or handouts from a classmate and for checking the course website for any relevant postings.

Policy on Use of Photographic and Video Images and Audio Recordings

Photographs may be taken and video or audio recordings made by Yale SOM staff or other authorized members of the Yale SOM or university community during Yale SOM and Yale University events and activities (including class sessions). By attending and/or participating in classes and in other Yale SOM and university activities, students hereby agree to the university’s use and distribution of their image and/or voice in photographs, video or audio capture, or electronic reproductions of such classes and other Yale SOM and university activities (including, but not limited to, alumni activities), which may be held in-person or online. These images and recordings made by or on behalf of the university are the property of Yale University and may be included, for example, in course recordings supplied to students, on the Yale SOM website, and in other Yale University websites, publications, and social media, and may be otherwise used to support the university’s mission, subject to university policies and procedures. Audio recordings of Yale SOM and Yale University events and activities (including class sessions) should not be made by members of the Yale SOM or Yale University community who are not authorized to do so. Audio recordings outside the context of Yale SOM events and activities, such as recordings of private conversations, are not permitted to be made or shared without the express consent of all parties being recorded. Please contact the dean of students with any questions about this policy.

Alcohol Policy

The following guidelines apply whenever alcohol is purchased with school funds or for official school events, and regardless of the location of the event, on or off campus.

Alcohol purchased with school funds (from both internal and external accounts) must:

  • Include beer, hard seltzer (flavored malt beverage), and wine only.
  • Not exceed $20 per person for two drinks.
  • Be served only to individuals who are twenty-one years of age or older.
  • Be served by a TIPS certified bartender who is not an SOM student.

Events where alcohol is purchased with school funds must:

  • Be held at a location with a liquor license and certificate of insurance.
  • Not exceed bar service of a two-hour time period.
  • Not include drinking games of any kind. Examples of drinking games may include, but are not limited to flip cup, beer pong, kings, etc.
  • Include nonalcoholic beverages and food.
  • Have the total cost of food be greater than or equal to the total cost of alcohol.

Violations of any of the School of Management alcohol policies and procedures may be referred to the Honor Committee for disciplinary action. Additional details on the Alcohol Policy can be found in the Student Organization Handbook.

Student Club Purchasing Policy

Student clubs must submit a payment request via CampusGroups to make a purchase, pay an invoice, have a contract signed, or create a purchase order for any club-related event or purchase. The request must include the club budget officer’s approval as an approved purchase; without that approval, the request will be denied. The request must be submitted at least five business days before the event or before the date by which the item is needed. Additional details on the Student Club Purchasing Policy can be found in the Student Organization Handbook (https://groups.som.yale.edu/handbook/home).

Fundraising Guidelines

Solicitation of alumni, faculty, or staff is not permitted without approval from the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. Club-related sponsorship can only come from companies and may not come directly from individuals or alumni of Yale SOM. Additional details on fundraising guidelines can be found in the Student Organization Handbook (https://groups.som.yale.edu/handbook/home).

Policies on the Use of Information Technology Facilities

All members of the Yale SOM community are expected to be aware of and comply with the following policies and procedures, which are intended to ensure the reliable and secure delivery of information technology services in support of the academic and administrative mission of the school.

University Policies

Information technology at Yale University is governed by a set of policies, procedures, and guidelines (https://cybersecurity.yale.edu/policies). All users of Yale SOM computing and network services, including those provided by the university, are expected to read and abide by the Information Technology Appropriate Use policy (https://your.yale.edu/policies-procedures/policies/1607-information-technology-appropriate-use-policy), as well as any other applicable policies. In the following summary of the Appropriate Use policy, “IT Systems” refers to systems, networks, and facilities owned, managed, or maintained by any entity of Yale University, including SOM, as well as privately owned computers used for university business activities or connected to the Yale network.

  • Appropriate use IT Systems exists to support the research, education, and administrative work of the school and university. No other use is authorized without explicit permission.
  • Authorized use Users are entitled to access only those elements of IT Systems that are consistent with their authorization.
  • Prohibited use The following categories of use are prohibited: use that impedes, interferes with, impairs, or otherwise causes harm to the activities of others; use that is inconsistent with Yale’s nonprofit status; use of IT Systems in a way that suggests university or SOM endorsement of any political candidate or ballot initiative; harassing or threatening use; use damaging the integrity of university, SOM, or other IT Systems; use in violation of the law; use in violation of university contracts; use in violation of university policy; and use in violation of external data network policies.
  • Free inquiry and expression Users of IT Systems may exercise rights of free inquiry and expression consistent with the principles of the 1975 Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression at Yale and the limits of the law.
  • Personal account responsibility Users are responsible for maintaining the security of their IT Systems accounts and passwords.
  • Responsibility for content Individual offices publishing official university information in electronic form are responsible for that content. All other content published on or over IT Systems shall be treated as the private speech of an individual user.
  • Personal identification Upon request by a systems administrator or other university authority, users must produce a valid Yale photo ID.
  • Conditions of university access Notwithstanding the high value the university places on privacy, there are circumstances in which the university may determine that university access to IT Systems is warranted without the consent of the user and after following carefully prescribed processes.
  • Enforcement procedures Individuals who believe they may have been harmed by an alleged violation of this policy or who have observed or been made aware of a violation may make a report to the chief information officer of the SOM Information Technology Group or to the University Information Security Office. Alleged violations will be pursued in accordance with the appropriate disciplinary procedures for faculty, staff, and students. Individuals found to have violated these policies may face IT-specific penalties, including the temporary or permanent reduction or elimination of some or all IT privileges and penalties provided for in other university policies. They may also be subject to criminal prosecution, civil liability, or both for unlawful use of any IT System. When appropriate, violations will be forwarded to the SOM Honor Committee for review.

SOM-IT Guidelines

SOM-IT Systems users are expected to be familiar with and follow these guidelines.

  • Student hardware All students are expected to provide a computer meeting SOM recommended specifications and configure it themselves for use during their degree program. SOM-IT provides instructions for downloading and installing required software and other configuration steps. The SOM-IT Help Desk will make reasonable efforts to support students using computer models that meet recommended specifications.
  • Password security Maintain confidentiality of your passwords at all times. University and SOM-IT personnel will never ask for passwords via email or other electronic means. SOM-IT may need access to your login information, including your password, to install software or troubleshoot an issue. SOM-IT will clearly explain how your password will be used. It is recommended that you change your password before and after SOM-IT has worked on your computer.
  • Phishing and other attacks Question any attempt to gather personal information such as NetID, passwords, user names, and other personal information via email or other electronic means. Report phishing through the “Report Message” icon on the Outlook ribbon. For more information on phishing, see https://cybersecurity.yale.edu/reportemail.
  • Data security The university and SOM-IT have deployed an extensive array of information security services in order to safeguard university and personal data. These methods are effective, but information being transmitted over data networks or stored in some environments cannot be perfectly secure. Users may choose to encrypt files, email, and other data for a higher level of protection. More information can be found on the Yale ITS site Cybersecurity (https://cybersecurity.yale.edu). Users encrypting their data should take special precaution to safely store the keys. Without them, SOM-IT will not be able to recover the data.
  • Data backup It is highly recommended that you acquire software and services to provide data backup. Become familiar with its operation and ensure that your information is properly being protected by periodically reviewing the history log. Office 365 OneDrive and Box at Yale file-sharing and storage workspace can be used at no cost to upload and synchronize files for a form of data backup.
  • Classroom technology SOM classrooms are equipped with digital projectors, audio systems, and other technology useful in teaching and learning. Please contact the SOM-IT Help Desk if you require any assistance in the proper use of these systems.
  • SOM IT Assistance The SOM IT Service Catalog located at https://help.som.yale.edu contains information on all services offered. If your student computer is not working properly or if you experience difficulty in using any SOM or Yale IT Service, the SOM-IT Help Desk is available to assist you during normal business hours at its location in the lower level, room L420; by phone, 203.432.7777; or by email, somit@yale.edu. After-hours support is available by pressing “1” when you begin hearing the voicemail answering message, or by directly dialing Yale ITS at 203.432.9000.

Firearms and Weapons

The possession of explosives, guns, ammunition, air rifles, paintball and pellet guns, BB guns, Tasers, knives, or other weapons on the Yale SOM campus is prohibited.

University and School Names and Logos

The Yale University and Yale School of Management names, logotypes, and seals (in all formats) are protected by copyright law. Further, it is of great importance that faculty, students, and staff representing Yale SOM use the school’s established graphic standards. Any use of the name or logotype in the title or caption of a publication or organization, any use of the above-mentioned on stationery or business cards, or their use on any item or product to be distributed or sold by an individual or an organization must be approved by the SOM Office of Communications and is subject to the requirements and restrictions of the Yale Trademark Licensing Program. For further information, contact the Yale School of Management Office of Communications at 203.432.6009 or som.extra@yale.edu.

Policy Regarding Children at the School

The Yale School of Management is an academic and professional community committed to the education of professional students. While we appreciate the special demands of parenting and recognize that on occasion unforeseen circumstances arise, the school does not have sufficient classroom or common area space to safely accommodate infants and children or to do so without disruption of the learning environment. In respect for the learning environment of all students and faculty, it should be the exception rather than the rule that children be brought to SOM during academic hours.