Southern Tier Robotics is creating a tight-knit community of passionate problem solvers that will graduate from high school ready to take on the world. We do this through hands-on training, community outreach, and intense competitions.

Community

The reach of this program far outstretches the students and mentors that will fill the roster. The reach extends into the school as students recruit their friends and classmates. The reach extends further into the community as the team organizes demonstrations of their robot. The reach extends beyond that to the business centers, fellow teams, and future problem solvers around the world as the team makes connections and builds partnerships. A FIRST team isn’t just the 30 names on a roster but the hundreds of people supporting them along the way.

Passion

This team is so much more than students learning from mentors how to twist a wrench and build a robot. Built on a foundation of passion for the FIRST program, this team was started by experienced mentors, many of which are alumni of the FIRST program. A FIRST team is a wildly vast endeavor; from designing a robot - to designing a logo, from reaching for a game piece - to reaching into the community. Our goal is to give students with all manner of passions the opportunity to hone their craft, learning from the sharpest minds around.

Fun

The only things people truly commit to are things that bring them joy, that bring them satisfaction, the things that they find...FUN. Fun is the ultimate motivator, a fun reward can drive a team through all manner of challenging situations.

We know that if we can create a community of friends, who are all chasing their collective passions, they will have fun along the way. We know that if our students graduate from our program having fun solving big, tough problems, then they will be ready to take on anything that comes their way.

This is how we will build the next generation of problem solvers.

Participation

Participation as a member of Southern Tier Robotics is a privilege which should elicit great pride in both the student and their family. Standards of behavior are necessarily high and a willingness to live up to them is a condition for participation. The following set of rules and regulations have been adopted to cover the conduct of students and adults. The intention of the rules is to help ensure the safety and security of all students, parents, chaperones and mentors. An individual's signature, along with that of their parent/guardian, indicates they both recognize and understand this responsibility and that the individual agrees to adhere to the basic concepts of good citizenship, and those positive examples with which each participant should be identified.

Statement of Inclusion

FIRST is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. We embrace and encourage differences in race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, disability, age, religion, income or any other characteristics that make each member of our team unique.

Exploring, developing and implementing strategies to become more inclusive and ensure access to our programs to all students (as well as access to key supports) is critical for FIRST to reach its goal and mission. ALL young people should have the opportunity to become science and technology leaders. FIRST will remove barriers to program participation for underserved, underrepresented students. Pursuant to that end, FIRST Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion is a concerted, organized effort to develop strategies to make its programs more accessible and inclusive.

Behavior

General Expected Conduct

All members of Southern Tier Robotics shall:

Exhibit gracious professionalism and act as an ambassador for Southern Tier Robotics and Vestal Senior High School at all times
Regularly check their email, respond to team communications, and stay engaged on Discord

Important and detailed communications are sent via email from southerntierrobotics@gmail.com
Team collaboration and day-to-day updates are on Discord.

Remain in designated area(s) during meetings and events unless otherwise instructed by a mentor
Be on time and productive at team meetings by participating in team activities and goals
Adhere to all school rules and policies at all times, regardless of location, day of week and time
Show respect for every individual
Show respect for school and team property

Damage or problems must be promptly reported to a mentor

Prohibited Conduct

No member of Southern Tier Robotics shall:

Break any rule of the Vestal High School code of conduct
Send private Discord messages to a student or mentor. All messages should be in a designated Discord channel or group of at least two other students or mentors.
Use language or gestures that are profane, lewd, vulgar, or abrasive

Couples/Significant Others

Students with a significant other are expected to act as a member of the team and not as a couple at all times. The couple should not appear as a couple but, rather, as a part of the team. Hugging, kissing, sitting on laps, pet names and all other expressions of affection are prohibited at all times. Hand holding is strongly discouraged. Couples must travel in a group. Couples may not wander off alone or sit together alone.

Representing Southern Tier Robotics

When wearing Southern Tier Robotics apparel or communicating online as a member of Southern Tier Robotics, you are acting as a representative of the team, Vestal Senior High School, and our sponsors. When representing the team either in person or online, the following expectations must be upheld:

Gracious Professionalism: Give anyone you are interacting with the same respect you would want from them
At no time should you post information about our team on Chief Delphi, Reddit, FRC Discord, or other social media without asking a mentor first.
When interacting with other teams, students, referees, mentors, volunteers, and event staff, you shall act respectfully, and shall not attack others (verbally or physically).

Workshop Expectations

Team members will exhibit safe and cautious behavior at all times in the workshop

Safety glasses will be worn at all times in the workshop, unless specifically stated by a mentor

Students will be asked to attend a safety training prior to being allowed to work in the workshop.

No food/eating is allowed in the workshop. Water is permitted in a container with a lid that closes securely and it must be labeled with your name.

Goofing off and/or distracting others will not be tolerated. These actions create a potentially dangerous situation and may result in suspension of workshop privileges.
Each student is responsible for their own safety glasses. They must be returned to the white case at the end of each meeting. Students may provide their own safety glasses.
All PPE (Personal Protective Equipment must be ANSI-approved, UL Listed, CE EN166-rated, AS/NZS-certified or CSA-rated, as applicable.

Mentors

The mentors for Southern Tier Robotics are a group of dedicated professionals who are taking on the responsibility of providing you with the best professional training and education today. Hundreds of hours of planning are required to coordinate all the activities for our team. Many of their efforts are behind the scenes pre- and post- season.

The mentors are in many cases professionals at a local business. These dedicated team members spend many hours of their free-time on this project and serve as role models for our students. Their expertise allows the ideas of the students to be transformed into reality.

They are committing time to get to know and help you, so please take the time to communicate and get to know these very talented and generous people. Do not hesitate to ask them for help or advice.

When traveling, all adult mentors are considered your “guardians'' - looking out for your welfare and safekeeping. They take the confidence your parents have placed in them very seriously. Their decisions are always aimed at what is best for the student first and the team second. Please be aware the decisions regarding team rules and procedures are based upon experience, school district, and mentor input. Students are expected to honor a request by any mentor. Students shall treat mentors with respect at all times.

All Southern Tier Robotics mentors are required to do the following:

Sign this handbook and adhere to its expectations
Complete the FIRST Youth Protection Program (YPP) training
Complete the required forms and documentation to be an official school volunteer

If you have any concerns with the activities of a mentor or their behavior towards you or others, please talk to another mentor immediately.

Student Attendance

Consistent attendance allows the team to function more efficiently and allows students to be more engaged in team activities. Communication of attendance is crucial. During the build and competition season, attendance will be tracked via a piece of paper passed around during the meeting.

Attendance expectations are as follows:

Students unable to attend meetings during the competition season should fill out the absence form at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.

If students have other activities (including other teams, clubs, work, etc.) that may regularly overlap team meetings, students are encouraged to share the schedule of that activity as soon as they have it

Absences that are submitted to the attendance form at least one week prior to the absence will be excused regardless of the reason, except for the following required team events: FRC Kickoff
Absences due to illness or other emergencies will be counted as excused as long as the student fills out the absence form (even if the form is filled out after the absence)

For travel or to be eligible for select responsibilities, students must

Attend or be excused from at least 80% of meetings
If you are marked as unproductive for the meeting, it will then count as an unexcused absence.
Absences from unscheduled or extended meetings will not impact a student’s attendance

The goal of these expectations is not to punish or discourage absences, but to ensure that the time of all Southern Tier Robotics members is respected. The mentors want students to be successful in all aspects of life, so please discuss any questions or concerns with mentors. Ultimately, eligibility is at mentors discretion.

Events and Travel

Traveling as a team is very exciting and is often the highlight of the Southern Tier Robotics experience. A great deal of planning and organization is required to coordinate all the associated activities. A strong effort is made to make travel an educational and cultural experience, however safety is always the main concern.

All team members are expected to travel to all events unless otherwise exempted. A student may be exempted from travel due to a prior commitment approved by the mentors in advance or disciplinary reasons from the mentors, or school administration.

Student Travel Requirements

In order to be eligible for travel, students must:

Maintain a C or better in all classes (not an average)
Meet attendance requirements
Be registered as part of the team on the FIRST website and complete all consent and release forms
Fill out all school required field trip and medications forms
Help reach team goals by active participation in their culture and technical projects

These requirements apply whether travel necessitates a school absence or not and are intended to ensure that students are engaged and invested in the team while still putting their academics first. Ultimately, eligibility is up to the discretion of the mentors. If you have a concern, please talk to a mentor.

Student Expectations at Events

Students must remain with the team for the duration of the event.
Should a student leave the main body of the team at any time, they must clear this with a supervising adult first and travel in a group of three or more people.

Students must use transportation authorized by the team mentors.
Students must wear Team Shirts at all events.
Students are expected to show team spirit. Cheering is more than yelling at the top of your lungs. True cheering is enjoying the event and celebrating the excitement of the moment. Organization is the key to this being a powerful tool. You are not expected to be cheering 100% of the time, however, when we are cheering, all team members are expected to cheer to the best of their ability. Looking bored in the stands, jeering, or carrying on personal conversations while others are cheering is not good for the team image and is not permitted.
Team members must sit together at all times. You are expected to be in the stands EVERY time the robot is on the field and showing team pride unless you have another assigned obligation. A lot of hard work from a lot of people has gone into making competing possible, TAKE PRIDE IN THAT!
During the ceremony we will applaud the teams that are earning awards. When we applaud, those that are able will stand to show our respect for what they have accomplished.
Students must stay for the full award ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of all teams that have attended.

Parents are welcome and encouraged to join in team activities, but because the team is responsible for their safety, parents may not separate their student from the group. In the event that a parent would like their student to participate in a non-team activity during the scheduled competition time the activity must be cleared by a mentor prior to the student leaving the group. A student may not be released from the competition venue to any party without prior authorization from their parents/guardians.

Prohibited Conduct at Events

During travel and at events, students may not:

Alter or wear their team uniform in a manner not approved by mentors
Play games of any kind (card, electronic, etc.) without approval from mentors
Engage in negative behavior toward another team or team members
Display displeasure over a decision made by a referee, judge, or volunteer
Exchange negative remarks with one another
Ignore requests from teammates, mentors, or chaperones
Interact with volunteers from the events without mentors permission (this includes on field staff)

Hotels

Some travel will involve overnight hotel stays. Students will be organized into room groups of two to four students, depending on quantity of students and room availability. There are no co-ed rooms. Students are not permitted to be in a room they are not assigned to. If students would like to hang out they must do so in a public area. While in the public areas students will be respectful of all staff and other guests at the hotel. We will have room checks periodically by the mentors/chaperones. After curfew, the hotel room doors will be taped to ensure student safety. Taping the door allows adults to conduct late night room checks without disturbing the students. If the tape is dislodged, adults know students have left their room.

Damage to hotel rooms will be the responsibility of the occupants of the room and their parents/guardians.

Health/Medications

Students taking any medication while we are traveling need to have the list of these medications on file with the designated mentor. School forms will be passed out before competition. The designated mentor will keep all medication in a locked medication case. Students who have a medical condition such as diabetes, asthma, or allergies must inform the designated mentor of their condition. This information will be kept confidential.

In the event a student becomes ill on a trip, parent/guardian contact will be made. If transportation home is necessary, it will be at the parent’s expense. Parents may also come and pick up their child, if needed.

Mentor/Chaperone Responsibilities During Travel

All mentors and chaperones are responsible for:

The safety of all students from departure until return from the trip
Ensuring student adherence to the Team Handbook
Accompanying groups of students around a venue when required
Setting curfews and room checks and implementing them
Inspections of hotel rooms with occupants of each room prior to the first night’s stay and room check and inspections of each room after the last night’s stay
Ensuring that each student has proper meal arrangements throughout the trip
Collection and maintenance of all emergency and medical consent forms
Notification of proper authorities and parents/guardians in case of serious injury to a student
Accompanying an injured student to the hospital
Completing a background check prior to accompanying the team for any travel
Planning free time and group activities for the team
Exhibiting appropriate behavior while at team events and/or while supervising students

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

Parents/Guardians are an integral part of our team and are very important to our continued success. Support in all aspects of team involvement is vital to each team member getting the most out of the program. The more help we have, the more we can provide for the students.

Southern Tier Robotics parents/guardians are expected to:

Provide timely transportation for their student, ensuring that they are at each meeting/event on time and leave on time

Leaving more than 10 minutes after the scheduled meeting end is considered a late departure
One late departure will result in a verbal warning to the student
Two late departures will result in an email to the student and their parents/guardians
Three or more late departures will result in a meeting with parents/guardians and possible removal from the team

Provide accurate medical information and to keep mentors informed of all changes
Bring issues and concerns to mentors immediately
Complete the VHS volunteer background check if they intend to attend meetings or travel with the team
Refrain from foul language, engaging students in disputes, or spreading gossip
Fill out a field trip and medical release form to ensure that your student will be able to receive immediate medical treatment if the situation arises

Consequences

Violators of the Team Handbook will be assigned consequences which include but are not limited to any of the following:

Immediate warning and reprimand
Apology either written or verbal to the entire team, mentors, and/or parents/guardians
Temporary or permanent removal from a project to assist with other team activities
Formal warning resulting in temporary suspension from team activities. The suspension will be lifted once a meeting between the student(s), student(s) guardian(s), and mentors takes place. This is to ensure proper communication between all parties about what happened as well as to maintain an open dialogue about improvements to behavior and team management.
If the violation is prior to the competition or event, the student may not be allowed to participate in the competition or future competitions. The student and student’s parents/guardians will be notified of their disqualification for future participation and any disciplinary action taken at the time of the incident.
If the violation is during or after the competition, parents/guardians will be notified. The student may not be eligible for the FIRST Robotics membership in the future.
If a situation becomes intolerable during a club activity and/or competition, the student’s parents/guardians will be notified to immediately make arrangements to have their student transported home at the expense and liability of the parents/guardians.

Southern Tier Robotics

Team Handbook Expectations

Students and parents/guardians:

Please read the handbook and sign below together to ensure that all parties are aware of the requirements. Return the signed copy to a mentor within two weeks of receiving this form.

A student wishing to participate in any team activities must meet ALL expectations. Not meeting any one single expectation will result in the student’s inability to participate.

1. Participation

I have read and hereby agree to the participation expectations of a team member of Southern Tier Robotics .

2. Statement of Inclusion

I have read and hereby agree to the inclusion expectations of a team member of Southern Tier Robotics.

3. Behavior

I have read and hereby agree to the conduct and attendance expectations of a team member of

Southern Tier Robotics.

4. Events and Travel

I have read and hereby agree to the event and travel expectations of a team member of

Southern Tier Robotics.

5. Parent Responsibilities

I have read the parent responsibilities section of this handbook and agree to the requirements set forth therein.

6. Consequences

I have read and understand that there are and will be consequences for violations of this Team

Handbook.

I have read and hereby agree to all expectations (not just those listed above) in the Team Handbook.

________________________ ________________________ ______________

Student Name Student Signature Date

________________________ ________________________ ______________

Parent Name Parent Signature Date

If you have any questions, talk to a mentor or email southerntierrobotics@gmail.com