Policies

Code of Conduct

In the spirit of fostering understanding, each Osher at Dartmouth member is encouraged to share opinions and ideas. Osher at Dartmouth class participants do not attempt to "convert" others because there is a mutual respect for each member's experiences, ideas, value systems, and beliefs. The true focus of an Osher at Dartmouth class is the critical examination of issues and opinions. Each participant's point of view carries equal weight. Consensus is not a goal. We encourage participants with all points of view to attend and become engaged through discussion and civil debate.

Attendance

Please make sure your schedule will permit you to attend the majority of the sessions of any full-length course you select, and ALL sessions of any mini-course you select. If unanticipated circumstances will prevent you from attending a class session, please contact your Study Leader or Class Monitor at the first available opportunity. If you are unable to continue participation in a class, contact the Osher at Dartmouth office as soon as you can to discuss dropping the course.

Cancellations

Osher at Dartmouth may cancel a course if minimum enrollment is not achieved. If a course is cancelled prior to the start of term for this or any other reason, registrants will receive a seat in their alternate course selection, if available. If an alternate course was not selected or is unavailable, the office will process a credit of the fees for the cancelled course.  The credit may be used for a future course. 

If weather or other unexpected events should make it necessary to cancel one or more class sessions, participants will be notified as soon as possible.* PLEASE check your e-mail and the Daily Calendar on this website** prior to travelling to your class, and contact your Study Leader if you are still in doubt. Cancelled sessions may be re-scheduled at the request of the Study Leader and in cooperation with the office.

Course Communication

When you register for an Osher at Dartmouth course, you may receive one or more of the following communications:

• Confirmation Email: When you successfully complete registration for a course, you will receive an email confirming your registration later that day. (Check your Spam or Junk folder if the message does not appear in your Inbox.)
• Payment Confirmation Email: When you successfully process payment for a course, you will receive an email confirming payment later that day. (Check your Spam or Junk folder if the message does not appear in your Inbox.)
• Welcome Letter(s): At least two weeks prior to your first class session, the Osher at Dartmouth office will send you a letter containing the following:
• Class schedule
• Contact information for your Study Leader(s)
• Link to the Google Drive folder for your course, which contains the class roster and other materials
• Zoom link for your class; this same link will be used to join every class session
• Information regarding any reading packets or texts for your course
• A welcome message from your Study Leader, usually supplied via email.

If you do not receive the items listed above, you may not be registered for the course. Check your Osher account or contact the office to verify your registration status.

Dropping a Course

Please contact the office via phone or e-mail to withdraw/drop from a course, as this function is not available via your online registration account. Study Leaders and Class Representatives cannot process withdrawal/drop requests.

Participants may request or receive a refund of their course fees for the following reasons:

• If a course is cancelled by Osher at Dartmouth or the Study Leader(s), registrants will be given the options below:
  
  • The member may request a full refund of the course fee
  • The member may transfer to another course
  • The member may submit an email to:  osher@dartmouth.edu that they wish to donate their course fees to the Friends of Osher.  Once processed, Dartmouth College will send you a letter for your tax deductible gift.
• If a member withdraws from or drops a course at least 14 days prior to its first session, they will receive a refund of their course fee minus a $10 administrative charge.
• If a member withdraws from or drops a course less than 14 days prior to its first session, they are not eligible to receive a refund or credit of course fees* or special fees related to the course.
• If a member requests a transfer from one course to another, a refund of the difference in costs will be processed if the transfer is from a course with a higher fee into a course with a lower fee. If the transfer involves courses with equivalent fees, no refunds or charges will apply. If the transfer is from a course with a lower fee into a course with a higher fee, the member is responsible for paying the difference in costs.

Travel - Dropping OUt After Payment

Travel-related payments (which includes payment for day trips, overnights, and extended travel) made directly to Osher at Dartmouth are non-refundable.

Travel-related payments (which includes payment for day trips, overnights, and extended travel) made to an outside vendor (such as Collette Tours) are subject to that vendor’s cancellation policies. Osher at Dartmouth requires all participants to purchase trip cancellation insurance when registering for a trip provided by an outside vendor. This may help in the event that you cannot take part in the trip and wish to request a refund from that vendor. 

Financial Aid

Although our course fees are considerably less than those of many similar organizations, limited financial aid is available for courses. Please call the Osher at Dartmouth office for more information at (603) 646-0154.

Food and Drink

Updated 11/7/22: For health and safety reasons, we are not currently permitting food in any Osher at Dartmouth classroom.   However, refreshments are allowed in the lounge area on the 2nd and 3rd floor classrooms.  Participants may bring a beverage in a covered container such as a travel mug or bottle.

Coffee and tea are provided at many class locations with a suggested donation of $1. Water is also available. Please bring your own travel mug. Please keep any refreshments away from audio-visual or other classroom equipment.

It is the responsibility of any participant with a food allergy or specific nutritional concern to make the final judgment if a food item is appropriate for them to consume. We ask our participants to remember this when registering for a food-specific course, and to please self-identify as having any food allergies and/or specific health related dietary restrictions if participating in a class or event where refreshments are served.

Health & Safey

Masks are strongly recommended for attending in-person courses at Osher at Dartmouth.  Please see Dartmouth College's current guidelines:  https://covid.dartmouth.edu/visitor-guidance

Lab & Material Fees

Lab or Clinic Fees: Some courses may require a lab or clinic fee. These fees are based on the needs or parameters of the course, and can vary. These fees are an additional cost, separate from the course fee and materials fee.

Materials Fees: Some Study Leaders may ask class participants to purchase materials for their course. The cost of these materials should not exceed a $60 total. The materials fee may include reading materials used in the class, such as hand-outs, photocopies, printed materials, and required textbooks.

Membership

You must be a current member of our program to participate in our courses.

Our annual membership year runs from July 1 through June 30.

Membership is open to anyone, regardless of age, academic background, or college affiliation.

For more information, visit our Membership page.

Name Badges

First-time Osher at Dartmouth members will receive a permanent name badge and lanyard  distributed at the first in-person class session of the term. Please maintain possession of your name badge. If you lose your badge, you may order a replacement from the Osher at Dartmouth office for a $5.00 fee.

Online Courses

Members participating in online courses, lectures, or webinars via Zoom are asked to respect and maintain the privacy of that online environment. Unless specific information states otherwise, only registered participants* are permitted to take part in online courses. Non-members should not "attend" by looking on with a registered participant; class members should not share the Zoom link with non-members.

If a Study Leader allows their classes to be recorded, class members will receive links to those recordings a day or so after each session takes place. Members are asked keep those links private as they are intended solely for the use of registered participants. Recordings will remain available for viewing for approximately 100 days after the associated term ends.

Photographs & Videos

Osher at Dartmouth reserves the right to take photographs or videos during the operation of any program and to use them, whether taken by a representative of Osher at Dartmouth or by other participants, for promotional purposes. By enrolling in an Osher at Dartmouth program, participants agree to allow their images to be used in such photography. Participants who prefer that their images not be used are asked to communicate this to the photographer or videographer on site so that arrangements can be made to locate the participant outside of the range of camera equipment.

Protocol for Emergency Medical Situations

Some of our participants — and some Study Leaders — have medical conditions, which means there's always a possibility that someone will experience a medical emergency during class.

If someone experiences a medical emergency, stop the class and call 911. Stay on the line to report your location and to describe the situation as calmly and accurately as possible to first responders. Do not hang up until told to do so.

If there are staff or other personnel available to help (e.g. Osher staff at One Court Street or staffers at the Black Center), send a participant to summon them.

Send a participant outside to meet first responders and guide them to your location.

Keep the victim as calm and comfortable as possible. Enlist other participants to assist, but avoid crowding. Do not assist the victim in rising or moving.

Any Study Leader or participant with appropriate training and credentials, such as being doctors or EMS certified providers (EMT or First Responders), should respond according to their training unless the victim refuses treatment.

If the victim requires transport to the hospital, someone from the class should accompany them.

Please report the situation to the Osher office (603-646-0154) as soon as possible once the immediate crisis has passed.

Printed Course Materials

Printed course materials are usually material collected specifically for your course by your Study Leader, saved online in the Google Drive folder for that course. You may read the materials, or download the file and print it at home. Your Study Leader will email you about your course materials. The link to the course Google Drive folder is included in the Welcome Letter emailed from the Osher office, usually a month before class begins. Questions about reading materials should be directed to your Study Leader.

Recordings

Zoom courses are often recorded. The links are intended for use only by registered members of the class, and are not intended to be shared publicly.

Registration

• Registration for courses is on a first-come, first-served basis.  Payment and registration are per person, whether the class or event is in-person or on Zoom.
• If applications for a course exceed class size, names will be added to a wait-list.  We will contact you if an opening in a course becomes available, typically by email.
• Payment in full is due upon submission of your registration. Online payment can be made via MasterCard or Visa.  If you do not receive an email confirmation, please feel free to call the office to see if your registration went through.

Sexual Harassment Statement

As an organization established by and affiliated with Dartmouth College, Osher at Dartmouth is bound by the College's policy regarding sexual harassment. We expect that members of Osher at Dartmouth, its volunteers and its staff (who are Dartmouth employees) will treat each other with respect at all times and under all circumstances. Unwelcome personal contact or inquiry, sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature with an Osher at Dartmouth employee, volunteer, or member's work or learning, or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or learning environment, are prohibited.

A full explanation of this policy is available on Dartmouth's Sexual Respect website.