ESSYI Waiver Form 2023

Note that this form contains three separate release forms on one page and you will be required to type your signature to acknowledge each. The research vessel form is absolutely required for participation in lake research activities. The photograph/video release is optional, but must be signed if pictures of the student participating in activities are to be posted to the ESSYI website during the Institute.

By typing your name and submitting this form you agree that it is your intent to sign this document electronically, that you understand that signing this document electronically is the legal equivalent of a handwritten signature, and that you affirm that you are the person whose signature appears below in the applicable signature box.

This form is to be completed by a parent or guardian.

Student Information

9-Digit Enrollment ID

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Parent/Guardian Information

Name of Parent/Guardian completing this form

Parent/Guardian Email Address

Media Release

PHOTOGRAPH/VIDEO RELEASE - optional, but required if photos are to be posted to the website and/or social media pages.

I hereby give Hobart and William Smith Colleges the right to use photographs and video recordings of my child or ward for news releases and/or program publications.

I DO NOT give Hobart and William Smith Colleges the right to use photographs and video recordings of my child/ward.

Listed below is a detailed list of activities that your child will be participating in during the two weeks at the Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute. We ask that you read this list and either grant or deny permission for your child to participate in these activities:

Cayuga Nature Center - At the Cayuga Nature Center in Ithaca, NY, the students participate in team building activities that help them get to know each other. The aim of using the team-building course at the Center is to cultivate a sense of connectedness among the students while helping them understand the importance of cooperation, communication and problem-solving. There will be no high ropes activities.
Goals:

Team building and getting to know one another
Help students understand the importance of communication, cooperation, and problem-solving

Geography of Garbage (Seneca Meadows Landfill) - The students will learn about the life cycle of trash and where it goes once we put it into the waste stream. We take a bus to the landfill in Waterloo, NY and actually go on top of the landfill to get a unique perspective that not many people get to experience. We will stay in the bus when on the landfill itself, but we will get the chance to walk around a few buildings.
Goals:

Understanding the environmental impact placed on the earth through garbage.
Understanding how garbage is disposed of and managed.
Evaluating ways in which our methods of garbage management may be changed to be more sustainable.

The William Scandling - The students will conduct research about the geological, chemical and biological aspects of Seneca Lake aboard the 65-foot research vessel, the William Scandling.
Goals:

Understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of the Seneca Lake ecosystem
Introducing the issue of invasive species through zebra and quagga mussels
Introducing key field study techniques to the students that will be used the following week in the Adirondacks

Zurich Bog - Students spend this trip at Zurich Bog in Arcadia, NY, discussing and observing the natural ecosystem found at the bog. The walk through Zurich bog is relatively easy and is only a few miles long.
Goals:

Introducing succession, biodiversity, and conservation vs. preservation issues through the bog’s unique ecosystem
Introducing students to hiking trails through a short walk to the bog

Goodnow Mountain - Goodnow Mountain is 2,685 feet tall and has a 60-foot fire tower at the summit of the mountain in Newcomb, NY. The tower was erected in 1922 and it was staffed until 1970. The tower was restored in 1995 by SUNY ESF and the town of Newcomb. It is about a two-mile-long trail to the summit and has one of the best views in the Adirondack Park. Students will take part in a silent hike to the summit and they will be staggered with a partner so that they have minimal interaction with other students.
Goal:

Hiking silently up the mountain will allow time for the students to reflect on the natural beauty around them

Canoe Trip-- We will be canoeing from Rich Lake to Harris Lake via Belden Lake in Newcomb, NY. On this trip, the students will gather water quality data and forest data along the way. Life jackets will be worn at all time.
Goal:

Gathering forest and water quality data so the students can compare the areas of development along the lakes in Newcomb

By typing your legal name in the box below you certify that HWS can use your child/ward's likeness for news releases and/or program publications.

Parent/Guardian Signature:

Activities Release

I grant my child/ward permission to participate in the activities listed above.

I do NOT grant my child/ward permission to participate in the activities listed above.

By typing your legal name in the box below you certify that your child/ward can participate in all program activities.

Parent/Guardian Signature:

In registering for the Institute, I agree to comply with all Hobart and William Smith Colleges regulations regarding the use of facilities and with the Institute Student Life Guidelines. I recognize that Hobart and William Smith Colleges reserves the right to terminate the participation of any student without refund and without formal hearing when the administrators of the Institute deem it to be in the best interest of the student or the Institute. I understand that there will be no refund for students who voluntarily withdraw from the Institute for any reason.

I understand that the deposit of $500 is required to reserve my student's place in the Institute, with the remaining balance of $3400 due on or before June 15.

Information on submitting the deposit and future payments is available here.

Type your legal name in the designated box below to confirm your understanding and agreement to the terms outlined.

Student's Date of Birth

Student's Home Address

Country

Street

City

Region

Postal Code

Signature and Certification

Parent/Guardian Signature:

Date Signed: