Code of Conduct

Rules about Alcohol and Illegal Possessions

1. Any delegate found or suspected of being under the influence or in possession of any intoxicating or mind-altering substance(s), illegal or illicit, at any time during the conference, will be immediately expelled from the conference.  No exceptions will be made.  Such substances include all tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, and marijuana.  Violators will also be subject to the full penalties of applicable federal, state, and/or local laws and ordinances. If such violations are discovered at night, faculty advisors will be awakened and notified of such behavior immediately, as will the administration of the respective schools of such delegates.

2. Any delegate found or suspected to be in possession of any dangerous or potentially dangerous weapon(s) or flammable or explosive substance(s) will be immediately expelled from the conference.  No exceptions will be made.  All such delegates will also be subject to the full penalties of applicable federal, state, and/or local laws and ordinances.  Faculty advisors will be notified of such behavior immediately, as will the administrations of the delegates' respective high schools.

3. Faculty advisors will be expected to search thoroughly the hotel rooms of the delegates for which they are responsible, upon the advice of any member of the conference security staff, if such delegates are suspected to be in violation of the above Rules #1 or #2.

Rules Concerning Stay at the Omni

4. Neither Yale students unaffiliated with Yale Model Congress, nor any other guests may be invited into a delegate’s hotel room or to any conference event by a delegate without the expressed consent of both the President and the delegate’s faculty advisor.

5. Delegates are required to be in their own hotel room by and after all curfews.  Any delegate wishing to buy food or to get ice from the hotel ice machines must do so before curfew.

6. Delegates not staying in a hotel must also have a faculty advisor who assumes the responsibilities delineated in Rule #13 below.  Such delegates may not enter the hotel rooms for any reason, except for registration and other scheduled conference events.

7. Curfews will be strictly enforced through nightly room checks.  Students found in violation of established curfews will be immediately expelled from the conference.  No exceptions will be made. 

General Rules

8. All delegates are required to wear their conference badge at all times during the conference.

9. The delegate dress code requires Western business attire.  Delegates should wear a suit or jacket, dress shirt (with a tie for men) or dress, and dress pants or skirt. Delegates will be asked to return to the hotel to change if their attire is unacceptable.

10. Delegates are expected to behave in a civil, quiet, and dignified manner at all times during the conference. Any type of racial or sexual harassment, as well as crude, hurtful, or inappropriate language or jokes will not be tolerated. If this behavior is identified, the offending delegate will be dismissed from the conference and delegate’s advisors will be notified. If a delegate believes they have experienced any form of harassment they are encouraged to report the incident to the conference. There are 3 methods that delegates can use to report an incident. Each of these avenues will be acted upon; the choice exists only to provide options to delegates in order for them to feel comfortable reporting any incidents.

  • Delegates may talk to their advisors who can then bring the issue to the YMC board

  • Delegates may talk to their chair who will proceed to report the issue to the YMC board

  • Delegates may fill out a google form that goes to the YMC board directly

11. All delegates are expected to attend all conference functions.  If a delegate will have to miss any conference event, the staff of the Yale Model Congress must be notified at Registration.  Any delegate who is inexcusably and unexpectedly truant from any of the weekend's sessions will be immediately expelled from the conference.  No exceptions will be made.

Note to Faculty Advisors

12. All delegations must be accompanied at the conference and at the hotel by at least one faculty advisor per 12 students.

13. Faculty advisors will accept full legal and financial responsibility for the actions of their delegates throughout the conference.  This responsibility includes responsibility for damage to hotel or Yale property committed actively or negligently by the delegates.  Faculty advisors will also assume full legal and financial responsibility for the health and safety of their delegates at all times during the conference. 

Conference Boundaries

14. Delegates are advised to remain within the indicated boundary. When leaving the Omni Hotel, do not turn right onto Chapel Street, left onto Crown Street, or continue on Temple Street beyond Crown Street. Delegates who violate this boundary may be expelled from Yale Model Congress.  

Do not walk past the line into the shaded area

The President reserves the exclusive right to impose additional rules or to alter existing rules at any time during the conference at her discretion.

The President reserves the right to expel any delegate, delegation, school, or group thereof from the conference at any time for violating or failing to comply with the above regulations or for any other reason.

The above rules supplement those established by Federal, Connecticut, and New Haven laws, and your school policy. Violation of any rule may result in the expulsion of the student(s) involved and/or their entire school delegation. The Yale Model Congress Association does not accept any liability. Faculty advisors are responsible for the conduct of their students. 

It is not our intention to convey an overly harsh impression of this conference or its organizers, but the safety and well-being of all students and faculty involved in the Yale Model Congress is our number one priority.   We therefore request that all delegates and advisors be aware of and follow the above rules and regulations.