Policies

Each camper, staff member and volunteer is responsible for honoring the policies of Abilene Christian University as well as ACU Leadership Camps. Any camper, staff member or volunteer who fails to honor these policies or who becomes a distraction to the camp environment will be subject to dismissal from the camp community at the discretion of the Director.

General Policies

1. Campers will follow the leadership and instructions of the Camp Director as well as designated camp staff members.

2. Campers will conduct themselves in a manner that contributes to the safety, focus, and unity of the camp community. Safe behavior is expected of all campers, staff, and volunteers and is of utmost importance.

3. Campers will acknowledge and follow the camp schedule - participating in all planned activities. Campers will remain in scheduled and supervised activities at all times.

4. Possession of illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco, vape pens, other controlled substances, or weapons of any kind is prohibited.

5. If a camper is dismissed from a camp session, a responsible parent or guardian will be required to retrieve the camper from the ACU campus in a reasonable and agreed upon time.

Specific Policies

Attendance, Payments, & Cancellations

Campers may only attend 1 session of their age/grade-eligible camp per summer.

All campers are required to pay a $100 non-refundable deposit at the time of registration. This deposit allows us to make reservations for summer housing, food service and hire summer staff. Again, the $100 deposit is non-refundable and may not be transferred to another camper or camp, including a sibling attending a camp on the ACU campus.

Registration must be fully completed and paid in full by May 1st of each summer camp cycle. Failure to do so will result in the camper being removed from our active camp roster and being placed on our waiting list. At that point, campers will be accepted into each camp on a first-come-first-serve basis, considering wait-list position, with completed registrations and balances paid in full.

Each camper may cancel their registration by the Monday prior to the start of their camp session and receive a refund for any additional paid funds beyond the non-refundable deposit. Campers who fail to attend camp or do not give notice of their cancellation by that day will forfeit all paid funds.

Camp Office

Please know that camper safety is our first priority. If an emergency requires a parent to reach their camper, they will be able to do that by contacting our office. Likewise, in the event of any type of emergency at camp, parents and/or guardians will be contacted promptly.

The Camp Office contact information is:
Email: leadershipcamps@acu.edu
Phone: 325-674-2033 from 8am-5pm each weekday. Our entire camp staff, including our Registrar, is involved throughout the day in camp activities.

If for any reason your phone call is not answered, please leave a message and you will receive a phone call as soon as possible. If your call is not answered and there is an emergency, call the ACU Police at 325-674-2911.

In case of an emergency after hours, please call the ACU Police at 325-674-2911.

Cell Phone / Electronic Devices Policy

Our policy is simple to understand: NO CELL PHONES OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE ALLOWED AT ACU LEADERSHIP CAMPS.

The heart behind our policy is to help our campers be free from distraction and allow them to connect with one another as quickly as possible during their week of camp. Any distraction from camp activities has a negative effect on the camp environment. If your camper intends to use their device to access the Bible, we would ask that you provide them with a hard copy before they arrive at camp. If a Bible cannot be provided, we will do our best to supply the camper with one.

We ask all Youth and/or Children’s Ministers or Volunteers who bring campers to camp to collect all such devices before dropping campers at the dorms. We ask that our parents please help us enforce this policy. If you are personally dropping your camper at camp, PLEASE take their device(s) with you. If a device is discovered by any staff or adult volunteer, it will be collected and stored in the Camp Office until the end of the camper’s session and Parents/guardians will be contacted about this policy violation.

Rooms / Rooming Requests

Our camper housing at ACU Leadership Camps is in university residence hall rooms. Each room has two beds, two dressers, two desks and closet space for two residents. We place campers two to a room, with a specific roommate if both request one another, or with someone of a similar age if no roommate is requested. We do not place more than 2 campers in a room for safety purposes unless a larger room is made available by ACU Residence Life Department and specific conversations are had with all parties involved.

We have an Open Door Policy with all of our campers while on campus. While in the dorms, campers’ doors will remain open for their safety and security. Overnight, doors may be shut. Only camp staff with approved swipe cards may access entry into camper’s dorms.

First Aid

ACU Leadership Camps employs only a First Aid Team (nursing students if at all possible) to dispense prescribed medication and provide basic first aid care. They will be First-Aid Certified, CPR Certified, and receive further training from our on-campus clinic concerning best practices and procedures. Health-care professionals are available for consulting and treatment during camps in case of illness or emergency at ACU’s Medical Clinic or nearby at Hendrick Hospital.

Campers requiring prescribed medication to be dispensed while at camp must provide written instructions to the Camp First Aid Staff at check-in. Required, prescribed medicines will only be dispensed by a First Aid Team Member. No camper is allowed to self-medicate prescribed substances and we rely on each camper to come to the specified locations (meals and dorm) for regularly scheduled dispensing.

Parents must provide accurate medical information, allergies, etc. as well as sign the medical release form provided during online registration so the Leadership Camp First Aid Team will have the best information available to serve our campers responsibly.

Any camper presenting symptoms of illness or discomfort will have their temperature taken to assist with any evaluation of their health and well-being. No over-the-counter medications will be distributed by our First Aid Team without verbal consent from a parent or guardian. Any camper presenting with symptoms or situations beyond basic first aid abilities will be referred on to the ACU Clinic or Hendrick Hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Any camper who becomes contagious while at camp (including a fever) must be withdrawn and picked up from camp as quickly as reasonably possible by a parent. guardian, or a mutually approved adult for the safety of all camp participants.

Again, parents/guardians will be notified by a First Aid Team Member in the case of fever, sleeplessness, a possible need for over-the-counter medication, throwing up, or an injury of any kind.

Photo / Video

As a participant, campers may be photographed or videoed during normal activities by a member of the ACU Leadership Camps media team. These photos/videos may be used without compensation in promotional materials or other publications including the camp website to illustrate and promote the camp experience.

Dress Code

Campers will acknowledge and honor the ACU dress code in daily choices of attire. Dress should be modest and requests made by Leadership Camp staff concerning inappropriate attire will be followed. Advertising, pictures, and/or sayings that are contrary to the mission and Christian standards of ACU is also prohibited.Campers, staff, and volunteers may be asked to wear “covering clothing” if these dress code standards are not or cannot be met.

Secure & Protect Personal Property

ACU along with Leadership Camps are not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Visitors

For the protection of our campers, we operate each ACU Camp session as a “closed campus”. Non-camp visitors are not allowed in the campers’ residence halls or at any camp activities unless specifically invited by camp personnel. In the event of an emergency, parents requesting access to visit a camper should contact the Camp Office.

Motor Vehicles

Only designated adult staff members will operate vehicles during camp sessions. Campers who drive themselves to camp will be asked to register their vehicle, turn in their keys to their counselor, and refrain from driving for the duration of the camp session.