New Columbia Swing Policies

Code of Conduct and Safer Spaces Policies

When you sign up for or attend any of our events, you agree to our Code of Conduct.

The staff, board, and owners of New Columbia Swing are committed to holding ourselves accountable to the same code, and we're serious about its enforcement. By following the code, you do your part to ensure that our dance community is an environment where everyone can feel that they belong and an environment where people feel free from harassment, coercion, bigotry, discrimination, bullying, and physical harm.

We care deeply about our dance community, and our Code of Conduct is fundamental to that, so please make sure you read it and understand it!  We have also instituted a thorough set of guidelines to ensure that conduct issues are dealt with appropriately, quickly, and fairly.

COVID-19 Policies

New Columbia Swing takes public health and COVID-19 prevention seriously. Therefore, we have enacted a full set of policies intended to protect our attendees. Adherence to our COVID-19 policies is also required by our Code of Conduct. COVID policies may change frequently depending on conditions, so please read our COVID-19 policies page for current information.

Waiver and Release of Liability

When you attend any our our events or register for any of our classes, you are asked to agree to our Waiver and Release of Liability.  Please do take a read at the whole thing.  However, here are some important highlights:

  • Dancing is an athletic activity and there are inherent risks of injury.
  • You release us and our affiliates from any liability if you get injured at our events.
  • You may be photographed or recorded at our events.
  • We may use photographs or recordings from our events for promotional purposes.

 

Cancellations, Refunds, and Drop-Ins

Inclement Weather and Unexpected Events

  • In the event that a class is canceled due to inclement weather or other unexpected reasons, we will announce it on our website and on social media.  We will also attempt to email pre-registered students and attendees.
  • When possible, we will adjust our weekly class schedule by pushing all class series back a week.  If we do this, current registrants will be notified and will be given the opportunity for a partial refund if they are unable to attend on the revised dates.
  • If we cannot push classes back a week, then the class series will be shortened by one week to maintain the rest of the planned schedule.  We will provide partial refunds for the cancelled class to all students who have pre-registered.  We will attempt to process refunds for electronic payments within 48 hours.
  • If you have paid for a class series in cash, we cannot refund you electronically,  You must speak to the Board member in charge of Weekly Operations (currently Greg Stasiewicz) or the Board member in charge of finances (currently Lee Tucker) to receive a cash refund. 

Other Cancellations and Refunds

  • In rare cases of very low enrollment, we may be forced to cancel an entire class series.  If this happens, we will email any enrolled students by noon on the day of the first class, and we will provide those students with a full refund.
  • We cannot refund students for classes that they have registered for but do not attend.
  • Individual weekly drop-in attendance may be permitted for certain class series, but they are offered at the discretion of the instructors and staff, and they must be paid for at the door.

Age Policies for Classes

We are happy to welcome individuals under the age of 18 to our dances and classes.  However, we ask students under the age of 18 to adhere to the following policies: 

  • All students under the age of 14 must have a parent or guardian accompanying them.
  • Students aged 15-17 may attend our classes without a guardian present.  However, they must submit a signed waiver that is signed by their parent or guardian.
  • To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our attendees, admission to dances and classes of individuals under the age of 14 is at our discretion.

 

Other Policies

  • Please be on time to class.  Late arrivals to classes (more than 20 minutes) are permitted admission at the discretion of the teachers and staff.
  • Please turn off or silence your cell phone prior to the beginning of class.
  • Please do not record or photograph the instructors or other students in class without their permission.
  • Please reach out to us at info@newcolumbiaswing.org to request ASL interpretation for our events at least 5 days before your planned attendance. We look forward to welcoming you! 

 

I Have Questions or Concerns

If you have any questions or concerns about the terms of this waiver, please let us know!  Email us at info@newcolumbiaswing.org. For Code of Conduct issues, you may also contact the Safety Committee directly at ncs.safety.committee@gmail.com.