The information in this section applies to all members (students, mentors/volunteers, and parents) who are involved in programs run by growingSTEMS at The Hive. These rules also apply at The Hive and at team events sponsored by growingSTEMS. Some programs will have additional requirements that are listed under each program’s section in this handbook.

All members will be respectful and exhibit age-appropriate behavior at all times. Horseplay can be dangerous around power tools and equipment and is not acceptable. Disrespecting teammates is contrary to the core values of the programs in which we participate. Discrimination for any reason will not be tolerated.

All members will respect and take care of the facility and any tools they use. Resources should not be wasted purposefully and reusable kits should be returned in the form in which they were found. Members who intentionally damage or destroy growingSTEMS property will be required to replace the item.

None of us know everything and none of us think we know everything. However, we are willing to listen and learn and we expect the same from you. Sometimes we will walk you through things and other times we will pose open-ended questions that point you in the correct direction to find your answer. We simply ask for an open mind and some effort on your part to learn something new. At the end of the day, you will likely teach us something new as well.

No member may bring on growingSTEMS property a weapon requiring a state permit to carry, unless they are a current law enforcement officer with the requirement to carry. This is the same restriction found in schools and colleges/universities. Other restricted items include flammable liquids (e.g., gasoline) and other explosives (e.g., dynamite, gunpowder, hand grenades).

All growingSTEMS properties and activities are illicit drugs, tobacco, cannabis, vaping, and alcohol-free. Exceptions to these restrictions (e.g, medical marijuana) may be made on a case-by-case basis and by the Executive Director.

The machine shop contains the majority of our heavy equipment and power tools. This facility is primarily used by our FRC and combat programs but is open to all STEM programs as appropriate.

Due to the risk of injury associated with the equipment in the machine shop, the usage of this room is limited to qualified and trained individuals.

When the machine shop is being used the doors to the room should be closed. This is a courtesy that is afforded to other individuals in The Hive, as the equipment that is located in that room can get rather loud.

Must be supervised by a mentor when combat is taking place, safety equipment must be worn

Members who are sick, or feel unwell, should not attend program events until they are well. Participants are expected to use their best judgment to determine when they are too sick or unwell to attend program events. However, if they are visibly unwell then they may be asked to leave to ensure the safety of other individuals in the facility.

Additional temporary measures may be implemented by growingSTEMS to prevent illness in extreme circumstances (such as the COVID-19 pandemic). They may include reduced capacity, mask policies, or restrictions based on national/local guidance or best practices as determined by growingSTEMS.

The Hive and all team activities are drug, tobacco, vaping, and alcohol-free. The only exceptions are for prescribed medications when used under the direction of a medical professional and over-the-counter medications.

Those individuals who are prescribed medications, or provided over-the-counter medications, are expected to use them appropriately and as directed by the labels. Individuals who need assistance with medication administration are encouraged to ask a volunteer.

You are here to learn and be the best you can be, you are expected to be on your best behavior and kind to your other students as well as mentors. If you feel as you may be angry and or getting angry, take a minute to yourself and take a step back. We are all here to accomplish the same goal as a team. Disrespect to other students as well as mentors will be handled quickly and appropriately.

Mentors and parents may be asked to transport team members to and from events or activities. We ask there always be at least three people in the vehicle if you are transporting children who are not your own. This can be any combination of adults and children.

Different programs have different requirements for how adults and youth interact. For example, FIRST has their Youth Protection Policy (YPP) which FRC is required to abide by. For programs that do not have specific policies, or for policies that are not comprehensive, below are general guidelines to follow. Participants in growingSTEM programs should not engage in the following behavior.

• Any actions or behavior that threatens the safety of other program participants. This is not limited to volunteers endangering students. Volunteers should also not endanger other volunteers. This can include physical behavior, such as unwanted touching, or verbal communication, such as sexually explicit remarks.
• Personal and inappropriate communication (e.g., in-person discussions, phone calls, e-mail, texting, social networking) with underage participants. This can include, but is not limited to, engaging in activities well-outside the purview of the team. For example, it is appropriate to engage in team-building activities (e.g., dodgeball after a meeting). It is not appropriate to invite an underage participant to hang out at the local park.
• Meeting alone or one-on-one with underage students. In general, volunteers should never be alone with an underage student. There should always be at least one other adult or student. When necessary, volunteers can only meet one-on-one with a student when there is no alternative, when all individuals remain in the view of the surveillance system, and when they let another volunteer with access to the surveillance system know that this meeting is taking place.
• Any behavior that, while otherwise acceptable, creates an appearance of impropriety. In particular, this can include keeping activities secret from the rest of the team, from parents, or from other mentors.

In general, all members of growingSTEMS are expected to abide by the above restrictions and engage in other common sense restrictions as deemed necessary. Everyone is expected to police behavior and ensure the integrity of organization and the safety of everyone involved, volunteers and students alike.

growingSTEMS and The RoboBees value diversity in our team members. The team is committed to developing a robust community of STEM learners, as well as fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Participation in the team is available to anyone without discrimination based on race; color; ethnicity; age; religion; sexual orientation; ancestry; political affiliation; language; caste; family structure; national origin; gender; gender-identity or expression; socioeconomic status; military status; social, mental, and physical ability; physical appearance; social, mental, psychological, physical, developmental or sensory disability; or other personal or genetic characteristics.

At no time will members discriminate against or mistreat others based on any of the aforementioned traits and any team members found to have exhibited any inappropriate conduct or behavior against others may be subject to disciplinary action. Team members who believe they have been subjected to any kind of discrimination or mistreatment that conflicts with the above statement should follow the organization’s anti-discrimination policy.

In general, all members of the team have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. Harassment of any form is not tolerated. Any student or mentor who knows of situations involving harassment has an obligation to report those circumstances to a mentor.

Any student or mentor engaging in such conduct will be appropriately disciplined, up to and including dismissal from the team. Any reported cases will be reviewed for possible referral to appropriate authorities, both school and legal. A false accusation is considered misconduct and may result in appropriate disciplinary action as well.

For purposes of clarification, harassment and discrimination may include but not limited to the following categories. In general, anything that makes another person feel uncomfortable (outside of challenging technical or leadership situations) should be avoided.

Verbal harassment - Epithets, derogatory comments, slurs, propositioning, or otherwise offensive words or comments on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or age, whether made in general, directed to an individual, or to a group of people regardless of whether the behavior was intended to harass. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Inappropriate sexually oriented comments on appearance, including dress or physical features.
• Telling lies or spreading rumors about sexuality or sex life of member
• Race-oriented stories
• Whistling or catcalling
• Vulgar or obscene jokes or language
• Comments about offensive television shows, radio shows or magazine articles
• Repeatedly asking someone for a date after you have been turned down
• Referring to someone in demeaning terms such as boy, babe, hunk, girl, honey
• Leering or “undressing the person with your eyes”
• Recounting one's sexual exploits in front of other people; or telling or relating crude jokes

Physical harassment - Assault, impeding or blocking movement, leering, or the physical interference with normal work, privacy or movement when directed at an individual based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or age. This includes, but is not limited to:

• patting or pinching;
• brushing up against someone;
• hugging, kissing, fondling;
• grabbing or touching clothing, hair or body parts;
• inappropriate behavior in or near bathrooms, sleeping facilities and eating areas;
• making explicit or implied threats or promises in return for submission to physical acts;
• leaning over someone for a better view of body parts (down blouses, etc.);
• soliciting or pressuring someone to sit on your knee;
• stalking, invading someone's personal life; or
• revealing parts of your body in violation of common decency.

Visual forms of harassment - Derogatory, prejudicial, stereotypical or otherwise offensive posters, photographs, cartoons, notes, bulletins, drawings or pictures depicting or commenting on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or age. Visual forms of harassment include but are not limited to:

• making gestures with hands or through body movements (sexual or
• non-sexual);
• wearing shirts with inappropriate or offensive verbiage
• staring at someone, making rude gestures, mimicking a disability
• looking a person “up and down”;
• posters, pictures or other printed forms of sexual or discriminatory subjects;
• making facial expressions such as throwing kisses, or licking lips; or
• displaying offensive screensavers, emails, web pages and websites;

Sexual harassment - Any act which is sexual in nature and is made explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of participation in the organization, is used as the basis of a member status change or decision, unreasonably interferes with an individual's performance of duties or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Racial harassment - Discrimination against any individual with respect to their conditions or privileges of membership because of an individual's race or skin color. Forms of racial harassment include, but are not limited to:

• Telling racial jokes;
• Using racial slurs to address someone;
• Displaying offensive pictures or symbols; or
• Referring to someone in demeaning terms such as “Boy.”

Religious, ethnicity, or country of origin harassment - Harassing or otherwise discriminating because an individual is affiliated with a particular religious or ethnic group. Forms of religious, ethnic or country of origin harassment includes, but are not limited to:

• Harassing an individual because of their religious beliefs or ethnic background. For example, harassing an individual because he or she is Middle Eastern or practices Islam;
• Expressing disapproval of a specific religion or religious beliefs; implying someone would be treated better if he or she shared the same faith as you;
• Harassing or otherwise discriminating because of physical, cultural, or linguistic characteristics, such as accent or dress associated with a particular religion, ethnicity, or country of origin. For example, harassing a woman wearing a hijab (body covering) and/or headscarf.
• Harassing or otherwise discriminating because of an individual's association with a person or organization of a particular religion or ethnicity. For example, harassing a member whose family is from Afghanistan.

PDAs are acts of romantic physical intimacy visible to others, not to be confused with platonic acts of friendship. Robotics meetings and events are places for students to work and be focused, and PDAs can be distracting not only to those involved but also to those who witness it.

When engaging in a PDA, members create an unprofessional image and an impaired working environment for the team, whether during a team meeting, competition, or other event. Therefore, all forms of PDA are considered inappropriate and are prohibited at any team event. If you are in a relationship, do not let it interfere with robotics. Couples may not wander off or sit alone. In other words, they should not appear as a couple but as part of the team.

Unacceptable PDA includes but is not limited to:

• Intimate touching
• Hand holding
• Caressing/stroking/fondling
• Kissing
• Cuddling
• Sitting in another person’s lap
• Rubbing or massaging
• Hugging in a romantic manner

We expect mentors to apply these guidelines to themselves with the maturity of an adult mentor. Additionally, student and mentor relationships must always remain strictly platonic and professional. See FIRST’s Youth Protection Policy for more detail.

Members will follow the direction of mentors/volunteers at all times. If a conflict occurs, it will be resolved by the program coordinators (e.g., lead mentors) or the Executive Director.

If a member does not follow these rules, a warning will first be given. This will be followed by increasingly severe consequences up to, and including, removal from the program with no refund of associated costs. Removal from the program is at the sole discretion of the Executive Director.

Additional growingSTEM programs may have different avenues for discipline in addition to those handled at the growingSTEMS level.

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