VSA Supervision and Campus Boundaries

If you have any questions about the policies below, please contact the VSA office at 615.322.8261.

The VSA daily schedule is highly structured and the degree of supervision is comprehensive. Students who are accustomed to unsupervised time may find the policies and practices of VSA restrictive at times. VSA staff follows VU’s policies regarding the presence of minors on campus, and student safety is prioritized above all else. While we understand that students are responsible individuals, VSA requires all activities (with the exception of S.O.F.T times for 11th and 12th grade students described below) to be fully supervised and every student to be accounted for at all times. To ensure that all students are safe throughout the duration of VSA, students must adhere to the following supervision guidelines. VSA staff will review supervision policies with students on the first night of each session. These policies have been established to uphold the safety and well-being of students while at VSA, and students must be familiar with and abide by them.

TYPICAL DAY SUPERVISION POLICIES (7th-10th):

7th-10th grade students are always accompanied and supervised by a VSA staff member throughout the academic day and afternoon/evening activities. After evening activities, 7th-10th grade students will remain on their residential hall until traveling to breakfast the next morning.

TYPICAL DAY SUPERVISION POLICIES (11th-12th):

11th-12th grade students will be accompanied by a VSA staff member from the residential halls to breakfast and during all transitions to and from academic classrooms or activities during the academic day.

After the academic day, 11th-12th grade students will typically have about two hours of S.O.F.T. (Sign Out Free Time) time. During designated S.O.F.T. times, 11th-12th grade students will have extended boundaries that include designated off-campus locations. Students often use this time to visit CVS, check out the Vanderbilt Bookstore and explore Hillsboro Village.

During these S.O.F.T. times, students must observe all rules outlined by VSA staff. These include, but are not limited to:

Following all sign-out procedures as communicated by residential staff
Always wearing a lanyard
Always remaining in a group of at least 3 students when outside of Commons boundaries*
Having a working cell phone with GroupMe installed (at least one member of the group)
Remaining within designated boundaries
Making plans with only other VSA students. As S.O.F.T. is a VSA community experience, we ask students not to make plans to meet non-VSA students during this time.
Returning to your floor by the designated end time
Following all additional guidelines and policies as communicated by VSA staff

Failure to abide by these policies will result in loss of privileges for future activities. VSA staff will provide students with a digital map they can overlay on their phone’s mapping software before S.O.F.T. times. S.O.F.T. times may be suspended or cancelled due to inclement weather or at the discretion of VSA leadership. Students who choose to remain within Commons boundaries during S.O.F.T. times (as identified on the shared digital map) will be free to travel alone to The Commons Center & Commons Center Gym, take advantage of beautiful outdoor lawn space or rest in their hall/room. The Commons Center is a popular location for grabbing coffee at Common Grounds and meeting your classmates to complete afternoon asynchronous work. All areas within the Commons boundaries are fully supervised by VSA staff. After evening activities that are led and supervised by VSA residential staff, 11th-12th grade students will remain on their residential hall until traveling to breakfast the next morning.