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Student Organizations, Leadership, and Service

Protection of Minors

All POM groups require that all of their members complete their requirements according to their level of supervision.  Please read the Information for Students and Advisers section for more details about what is is required.

Vanderbilt believes strongly in educating individuals on best practices for keeping minors safe. The Protection of Minors policy was created to standardize University practices and to establish expected codes of conduct when interacting with minors. All undergraduate, graduate, and professional students are required to annually complete an educational module on protecting minors.

POM Registration Period

Student groups interested in working with minors for the upcoming academic year must complete their RSO Registration and indicate their intention to serve as a POM group by completing the POM section of the form.  The RSO Registration period for the 2025-2026 academic year will run from March 7 until May 2, 2025.  This is the only period that student groups will be able to apply to become a POM group.  Student officers are encouraged to speak each other and their adviser to determine their POM intention for the academic year.

POM Roster Update Window

There will be two periods of time during an academic year where Protection of Minors organizations (level 1 and level 2) can update their rosters for new membership.  Changes to the roster will not be made outside of these windows. These dates were determined by breaks in the academic year and the registration process.

The POM Roster Update Window for the 2024-2025 academic year will be listed below:

  • Fall Semester: August 1, 2024 – September 30, 2024 (deadline extended)
  • Spring Semester: December 6, 2024 – January 17, 2025 (deadline extended)

Background checks will only be administered for members listed on an RSO’s Anchor Link roster at the conclusion of the POM Roster Update Windows.  Both POM Level 1 and Level 2 Student groups may carryout programs or activities until after the respective window closes.  If you are a POM Level 1 group, complete your roster requirements and would like to have an event prior to the end of the roster update window please email studentorganizations@vanderbilt.edu for more information. 

POM Compliance Extension

If your student group requires an extension beyond January 17, please complete the POM Extension Request Form by January 10th. Requests must include detailed and valid reasoning. Responses regarding approval or denial will be provided by January 13th.

The Protection of Minors Policy is administered by the Office of Risk and Insurance Management. Further resources and information about this policy and the requirements can be found on the Youth Protection Website.

All Vanderbilt undergraduate, graduate, and professional students involved with Registered Student Organizations designated to work with minors – even those who do not currently plan to work directly with minors–must first take the Protection of Minors 101 or Protecting Youth module to be in compliance. Each subsequent year of enrollment, a Protection of Minors Annual Renewal must be completed.Please visit the Protection of Minors online Instructions Webpage. Note: You must use your VUnetID to access these modules.

To review your status, visit the Protection of Minors policy compliance database. When checking your status, refer to the “Training” area to see either a completion date or “No Record”. “No Record” means you will have to complete the Protecting Youth module. A date that is before July 1, 2024 means you will have to complete Protection of Minors Annual Renewal.

Student Organizations that work with minors must register their organization annually and follow all aspects of the POM Student Org Leader Packet.    As a student organization leader, you will be required to do the following:

  1. Be knowledgeable of the Protection of Minors policy and the rules for registering, tracking, and participating in an event that involves minors.
  2. Distribute relevant Protection of Minors information to your organization members.
  3. Review and the RSO Online Events Guidance for virtual/remote engagement with minors and to ensure compliance with Vanderbilt’s COVID-19 guidelines.
  4. Complete a POM Third Party Compliance Agreement if your organization will be working with a third party.
  5. Ensure that every member of the organization’s roster completes the Protecting Youth module, or, if they completed the Protection of Minors 101 or Protecting Youth module before July 1 of the current academic year, the applicable Protection of Minors Annual Renewal module is completed prior to any event with minors.  Student organization rosters should be updated regularly on Anchor Link to ensure compliance accuracy.

*If you are a student organization that is required to complete a background check, all members of the roster must be in compliance with that requirement as well.

POM Roster Update Window

There will be two periods of time during an academic year where Protection of Minors Level - 1 and Level - 2 organizations can update their rosters for new membership.  Changes to the roster will not be made outside of these windows. These dates were determined by breaks in the academic year and the registration process.

The POM Roster Update Window for the 2024-2025 academic year will be listed below:

  • Fall Semester: August 1, 2024 – September 22, 2024
  • Spring Semester: December 6, 2024 – January 13, 2025

Background checks will only be administered for members listed on an RSO’s Anchor Link roster at the conclusion of the POM Roster Update Windows.  

Currently being determined.  More information to come.

POM Groups are determined by the information completed in the RSO Registration, the organizations that will be listed indicated that they will be working with minors and this year.  This informaiton is confirmed and the RSO must have all of its members meet compliance standards.  If your organization is listed or not listed in error, please contact sols@vanderbilt.edu to update accordingly.

  • Students/Faculty/Staff with questions about the Protection of Minors policy or the Protecting Youth module – Please contact Randall Williams at sacompliance@vanderbilt.edu 
  • Student Organizations with questions about the organization registration and POM Level 1 or Level 2 status – Please contact Wil De Los Santos at sols@vanderbilt.edu
  • Student Organizations with POM event registration and approval – Please contact Anchorlink@vanderbilt.edu 

To ensure that student organizations comply with the updated policies for registering, tracking, and participating in events with minors, every registered organization will be working with their Student Organization Adviser, who is a faculty or staff member.

Advisers working with POM groups will receive a list that outlines all registered student organizations that have indicated plans to interact with minors, the level at which these interactions have been approved, and their corresponding Adviser. Student organization leaders have been given information about the Protection of Minors policy, requirements, and procedures through a series of in-person trainings and online communications.

The Advisers working with POM organizations will need to familiarize themselves with the Protection of Minors policy as it relates to student organizations and their events (please refer to the POM Student Org Leader Packet) so that they can assist student leaders in planning and managing events that involve minors properly.

Compliance Check

As student groups host events throughout the year with minors, a student leader from your POM student organization(s) may contact their Adviser to request a compliance check. The Adviser’s role as a POM Advisor is to use the POM Web Application to see which members are in compliance.  Please note that Advisers should not add students to roster as they will be removed on the next day). Compliance requirements are based on the level of minor involvement and the level of supervision present at an event:

  • Level 1 Organizations host and participate in events where all minors in attendance are supervised by a third-party organization or by their parents/guardians for the entire duration of the event. Organizations with Level 1 events must register their events on Anchor Link and complete an annual online training module a minimum of four weeks before the event takes place (the online training is valid beginning July 1 of each academic year).
     
  • Level 2 Organizations host and participate in events where minors are supervised by Vanderbilt students or personnel and there is no third-party organization or parent/guardian present.  This will require members to complete their POM training module and have a background check done (good for four years). Organizations must indicate in their annual RSO Registration and respond to the questions on the form.  Groups must then be approved to participate in Level 2 activities.

Advisers whose organizations are POM will be added to the POM Web App, which provides them with their roster's information about POM Status (completion of POM 101 or Renewal Training, Background Check completion etc.)  In order to have access to the Web App, advisers must be listed as ADVISER (FORMERLY COACHES FALL 22) in their organiation's Anchor Link page and the organization must be listed as a POM group in that same platform.  

Finding an Organization’s Roster POM Status

Below are steps that Advisers must take if a student organization asks them to provide information about their roster’s status:

  • Sign in to the POM Web App: https://admin.app.vanderbilt.edu/protectionofminors/programs/worklist
  • Click on the “Program Administrator” tab to view the organizations you are the POM Advisor for
  • Click on the organization you would like to check compliance for
  • Click on “Event” term (24-25 Roster)
  • Roster members will be listed under “Personnel” (this information is pulled directly from Anchor Link)
  • “Latest Training Date” reflects the date the student completed the Protection of Minors online module
    • Individuals with a training date before 07/01/2023 in the “Latest Training Date” column need to complete the Protection of Minors Annual Renewal module.
    • Individuals with “No Record” in the “Latest Training Date” column need to complete the Protecting Youth module.
    • Individuals with a training date on or after 07/01/2024 in the “Latest Training Date” column are in compliance.
  • “Latest Background Date” and “Latest Fingerprint Date” reflects the date that the student provided a criminal background clearance to the University (review of this is only required for Level 2 organizations)
    • Individuals with “No Record” in the “Latest Background Date” and “Latest Fingerprint Date” column will need to go through the background check process facilitated through Student Accountability.
    • Individuals with a date within four years of when the event takes place in either the “Latest Background Date” or “Latest Fingerprint Date” column are in compliance.

Vanderbilt is committed to protecting minors on its campus and in its programs. As part of this commitment, all students who plan to work directly with minors are required to annually complete an educational module on protecting minors. The Protection of Minors Annual Renewal module is an annual requirement for all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who have previously completed Protection of Minors 101 or Protecting Youth and are going to be working with minors or participating in programs or organizations that put them in contact with minors. To verify your last recorded completion date, visit the Protection of Minors policy compliance database.  Please visit POM Online Training Webpage for all training information.

Access Instructions:

  • Go to https://oraclecloud.vanderbilt.edu/
  • Log in with your VUnetID and Password (if an alternate login page is displayed, click the blue “Company Single Sign-On” button to open the Vanderbilt single sign-on page)
  • Select the “Learning” tile
  • In the “What learning are you looking for?” search bar, type Protection of Minors 
  • Select the Protection of Minors Annual Renewal 2024-2025 course and click “Start Learning”

If you experience any difficulty completing the annual renewal module, contact protectionofminors@vanderbilt.edu.

  1. Log into Oracle, Select the "Learning" tile 
  2. Select "View Transcript" 
  3. A list of available course completions will be visible. 
  4. Select the completed POM course you wish to view.
  5. When on the course completion page, select the “Actions” tile in the grey bar at the top right of the page. You will then get a dropdown with options, select “Print Certificate.”  
  6. You will get a new page with your certificate that can be downloaded, share via screen shot, or printed.
  7. Learners may also check individual POM Compliance status at this link.
  8. If you are unable to view the information needed, please contact  protectionofminors@vanderbilt.edu .  

The following are documents that all POM groups and advisers should use to aid in the organization of thier events with minors:

Third-Party Agreement Form This document is for the organization (third-party) partnering with Level 1 orgs to complete.  This assures the third party understands they are responsible for supervising the minors at all times during activities with your organization. When completed, it must be uploaded with your organization’s event form in Anchor Link.
Parent/Guardian Agreement (Participation and Liability Release) This form is for Level 2 organizations to provide to participating minors’ parents/guardians to review and sign.  It provides information about the activity and parental consent for their child to participate in your organization’s specific activity. It also gives you emergency contact information for the child. This is required for Level 2 organizations.  The signed document is to be given to the Peer Accountability Officer to upload to one of their Anchor Link Folders. 
POM Student Org Leader Packet  (Currently being updated) This detailed docment contains informaiton regarding reousrces and steps that POM groups should take when planning events with minors.  It also contains steps to aid in the preparation of those events.  Student leaders and advisers should review and keep it for their records.

 

 

 

 

Important To Note:

Organizations cannot participate in events with minors unless and until all students participating in the event are listed on their roster completed the compliance requirements for their organization’s designated level and until their event is registered on Anchor Link by the four-week deadline.

More information about the Protection of Minors policy and how it relates to student organizations can be found here: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/riskmanagement/protectionofminorslandingpage.php .

Please email SOLS@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions or if you would like further assistance, and we look forward to working with you throughout the year.