Community Standards
At EXPLO, we aim to create a home away from home.
The EXPLO Community
When you ask students, faculty, and staff about what makes EXPLO different than other programs and places, they will almost always talk about the culture and community.
Everything we do is to make sure students feel safe, supported, and most of all, at home. At EXPLO, they feel part of something larger than themselves.
The Standards of EXPLO
Students tell us year after year that EXPLO is an environment where they feel safe, supported, and comfortable. A place where they feel they can truly be themselves. A place where they can stretch and be stretched and not worry about what others think. It really is an incredible environment and creating this kind of atmosphere doesn’t happen by accident.
If EXPLO is going to deliver on its mission for students to challenge themselves and discover the world of people and ideas, then we need to set up a community that helps students do these things. We start with community standards that are saturated in common sense and the golden rule: Don’t lie, steal, cheat, or hit others. Do treat others as you know you would like to be treated ― with respect, courtesy, care, thoughtfulness, and so on.
Respect for Students
EXPLO knows its students well ― we know how old they are, and we understand the developmental stage in which their minds, bodies and emotions currently reside. We do not treat our students as if they are younger then they are ― that would be disrespectful. But neither do we treat them as if they are older than they are ― that would be dangerous, and anxiety provoking for both students and their families.
Our Student Handbook
We believe in communicating our expectations directly and clearly and respectfully. We have a student handbook that lays out the behavior we expect. Within the first days that a student arrives, residential and day advisors go over the rules and standards and encourage students to ask questions to make sure they know what we mean.
Also, students in each smaller community, such as day groups, residential floors and classrooms, all participate in setting standards for behavior for their particular group. How will they take turns using the showers? Is it okay to just yell out an answer, or should we raise our hands? More than one way can work, but students get to discuss how they would like to do it within their group.
Creating the Ideal Community
At EXPLO, we believe we have hit the best balance between responsibility and freedom, because we know they work hand in hand. The art and craft of having a successful living and learning environment is balancing the two with thoughtfulness and care, fully aware of who your students are, and the kind of community you want to create.
