GIFTS Policies

1.1 GIFTS will consider applications from any member of the public, and shall not restrict admission of any person for reason of creed, genetic or cultural background, gender or sexual orientation, or physical or mental ability, EXCEPT:
· when special programming is expressly oriented to a particular group;
· when students with mental or physical disabilities are unable to receive proper support.

1.2 GIFTS reserves the right to refuse admittance to applicants who have proven behavioural or psychological problems that pose a risk to other students or staff members. Proof must be supported by either institutional documentation or past experience of staff members. A formal meeting of the GIFTS management team must ratify refusal.

1.3 Applicants must submit an application form via 1) standard print form, faxed or mailed; 2) online registration form on GIFTS' website; 3) telephone in consultation with the school registrar or an approved administrative representative.

1.4 Applicants must pay a non-refundable deposit (MIP, $100.00; IMPP, $300.00; PDTP, $40.00) upon acceptance into the program. Registrations will be held for a maximum of 14 days without this deposit, at the judgment of the registrar.

1.5 Applicants must read and sign the "Agreement to Rules of Residence", and if under 19 years old must obtain a guardian signature as well.

1.6 Applicants must read and sign the Release Form which grants GIFTS a non-exclusive right to use student videos etc., and if under 19 years old must obtain a guardian signature as well.

1.7 Applicants must complete, to the best of their ability, the "Student Information & Medical Form" before course commencement, particularly listing any medical or dietary needs and including emergency contacts and medical support.

1.8 All personal information submitted by students is to be held in utmost privacy in a secure location, unless GIFTS is expressly given permission to make such information available.

1.9 Special needs students must be accompanied by a qualified support person. GIFTS reserves the right to approve of qualifications. Support persons must pay room and board during the session.

2. Media Intensive Programs (MIP)

2.1 MIP course admissions are organized by age groupings. The groupings are: Adult MIP: 19 years or over; Youth MIP: 14 to 19 years inclusive; Pre-teen MIP: 10 to 14 years inclusive. Some courses may run as mixed Adult/Youth MIP, in which case admissions are limited to a predetermined number of spaces based on the segregation of age groups into production teams.

2.2 There are no scholarly prerequisites for admissions to MIP courses, except production streams (also referred to as a "focus") designated "Advanced", in which case the prerequisite is either a previous GIFTS MIP course in the same production stream, or equivalent experience as assessed by the registrar through consultation with the session coordinator.

3. Independent Media Producer's Programs (IMPP)

3.1 IMPP courses are restricted to students 18 years of age or older.

3.2 Applicants must fulfill the prerequisites of either a previous GIFTS MIP course in any production stream, or equivalent experience as assessed by the registrar through consultation with the session coordinator.

4. Professional Development Programs (PD)

4.1 PD courses are intended for, but not limited to, professional media educators. Applicants must be 19 years of age or older.

4.2 No prerequisites are established for this course.

5. Special Programs

5.1 GIFTS may occasionally run special programs which are designated for a particular grouping of students (e.g. ethnicity or sexual orientation) or a particular set of interests in an issue (e.g. environmental or health issues), and admission may be restricted along the guidelines set out in the prospectus for the course.

5.2 In the event of programs run in partnership with other organizations, admission and dismissal policy shall be set out in the contract agreement between GIFTS and the partnering organizations.

Student Dismissal

Dismissal from any GIFTS course or special program is at the discretion of the GIFTS management team.

The circumstances under which a student may be dismissed from a course are:

Refunds & Cancellations

Withdrawal or Dismissal

"Course Fees" includes both room and board and tuition.

Before the course
If written notice of withdrawal is received by GIFTS less than seven (7) calendar days after enrollment and before the course begins, GIFTS will retain 10% of the course fees before taxes, up to a maximum of $100.

If written notice of withdrawal is received by GIFTS more than twenty-nine (29) days before the course begins, GIFTS will retain 10% of the course fees before taxes. If written notice is received less than thirty (30) days before the course begins, GIFTS will retain 20% of the course fees before taxes.

During or after the course
If written notice of withdrawal is received, or a student is dismissed, within 10% of the course's duration, GIFTS will retain 30% of the course fees before taxes. For instance, during six-day Media Intensive Programs, this means Sunday or Monday before noon.

If written notice of withdrawal is received, or a student is dismissed, within 30% of the course's duration, GIFTS will retain 50% of the course fees before taxes. For instance, during six-day Media Intensive Programs, this means before Tuesday's dinner.

After 30% of the course has passed, no refund will be given.

Credit
GIFTS may offer credit towards another course for any amount of the course fees owed if it is agreeable to the student.

Cancellations

Students will be offered full refunds for any course cancellation. They will also be given the option of credit towards any other course for which they are eligible.

Dispute Resolution

This dispute resolution process applies equally to students in conflict with each other, with GIFTS staff or GIFTS itself, or staff in conflict with each other or GIFTS management.

GIFTS is founded upon principles of mutual respect and trust, and the mentoring system is designed to anticipate and remediate conflicts before they develop, in order to exemplify skillful collaboration techniques. If ongoing conflict prevention fails, we encourage informal and personal means of conflict resolution. Should more formal methods be required, we are committed to maintaining our principles of respect and trust.

Protocol (halting at whatever stage succeeds):
1. Speak directly to the person(s) involved in the conflict, remaining attentive to the dangers of escalating the conflict;
2. Bring a written description of the conflict to either the Office Manager or the Session Coordinator and describe the situation verbally. They will then request submissions from all involved parties, including witnesses, and conduct an investigation which involves a meeting with relevant parties within 48 hours, or as soon as is reasonably possible;
3. Bring the documents gathered and any written reports with a full verbal briefing to the Director of GIFTS (George Harris), who will call another meeting.
4. Both parties appoint an outside mediator within 96 hours. GIFTS will bear the cost of mediation. If a mediator is not available or unacceptable to either side of the dispute, an arbitrator may be chosen.

Student Footage

GIFTS is interested in students acquiring the skills they need to become independent producers. The emphasis is on working to a tight deadline, learning to trust creative instincts, and committing to a production plan without excessive hesitation. Students should therefore move on to their next project and shoot on better equipment. In addition, productions are collaborative and shouldn't be in one person's hands.

1. All footage shot during a GIFTS course is property of GIFTS.
2. Raw footage masters may not be removed from the school.
3. Students share non-exclusive distribution rights of the final production with each other and with GIFTS.
4. Students are requested, but not required, to inform GIFTS and their co-producers of any screening or other distribution of their final production.

Admissions