One of the most beloved traditions at Rice is the Culture of Care. While typically referenced in relation to residential college life or interpersonal relationships between undergrads, Rice uses this philosophy to guide interactions with all who enter the campus grounds. Crucially, the University ensures that the most vulnerable visitors to campus, minors, are protected and cared for during their time within the hedges as part of its Youth Protection Program. Every year, Rice welcomes thousands of youth who are minors, individuals under the age of 18 who are not enrolled or accepted to be enrolled in a degree program at Rice.

In a demonstration of the commitment to the safety of youth-serving programs at Rice, the University has hired Joanne Baptista as the Youth Protection Manager. Baptista joined the Rice community in January 2021 as the Welcome Center Manager, and she is excited to now facilitate compliance for programs across campus that involve work with minors.

At Rice, the Youth Protection Program promotes standards, guidelines and trainings developed to eliminate opportunities for abuse, ensure the safety of minors and compliance with laws relating to programs on—or off—campus with minors. Policy 811, University Programs or Activities Involving Minors, provides the requirements for these programs, including the steps program sponsors must take for university-hosted or permitted activities that involve interactions between non-matriculated minors and university students, faculty, staff and volunteers.

All activities that fall under the purview of Policy 811 must be registered via an online registration system. Established for campus use in Fall 2020, the registration system allows program sponsors to monitor and track all activities involving minors. The system has been instrumental in increasing transparency regarding minor-related activities at Rice. Further, the registration system ensures that all program directors and authorized adults with direct interaction with minors complete a background check and child protection training prior to the start of the program.

The Youth Protection program at Rice is robust across campus. Since the beginning of this fiscal year through December 31, 2022, 122 programs have been registered. These programs and activities include everything from fine arts and academic programs to summer programs conducted by outside organizations, including athletic programs and camps. Additionally, since the beginning of this fiscal year through the Fall Semester, the University has trained over 1,250 program staff, and over 14,500 minors have been able to participate in Rice-affiliated events, forming friendships and memories that they will hold dear for years to come.

If you have any questions about registering a future program or youth protection in general, please contact Joanne Baptista at youthprotection@rice.edu.

Joanne Baptista is Rice’s Youth Protection Manager in the Office of Risk Management