Frequently Asked Questions
Customs
Why do we have Customs?
What are Customs People (CP)?
What's an Upper Class Advisor (UCA)?
What's an Honor Code Orienteer (HCO)?
What are Peer Awareness Facilitators (PAFs)?
What's Customs Week?
Is Customs really a year-long program?
Safety & Security
Are Security officers merely "rent-a-cops"?
How does Security handle sexual assualt statistics?
If I call security about a student who is sick from alcohol and may need to go to the hospital, do I need to worry about police citting for underage drinking?
Library
How do I borrow materials from the libraries?
If something is "on reserve," where is it? How do I get it?
How do I find books?
Where is the Music Library? The science libraries?
Where is the Quaker Collection? Special Collections?
Where is the Cricket Library?
Are there computers I can use in the libraries?
Where are the photocopiers?
Academics
How can I find more information about each department at Haverford?
Why do we have Customs?
Customs is probably Haverford's oldest tradition. Harkening
back to the mid 1800's, the tradition of upperclassmen
showing lowerclassmen the ropes of the College is certainly
an old one. Today, the Customs Program is drastically
different from the sometimes institutionalized hazing
it has been in the past. The overarching goals of the
Program are to introduce students to Haverford and to
prepare them for the upcoming year. To facilitate this,
Customs introduces frosh to a wide range of resources
and information oncampus, as well as encouraging students
to pursue the College's mission: "Non Doctior Sed Meliore
Doctrina Imbutus" or "Not more learned, but imbued
with a higher spirit." This essentially hints at
the College's committment to the ideal of not just giving
students a degree, but helping them learn about both
themselves and their world around them.
What are Customs People
(CP)?
Customs People are Haverford's alternative to a residential
advisor program. Essentially, CPs are there to help
the frosh figure out what they want to do and then help
them get there. Customs People are sort of like Big
Brothers/Sisters crossed with an RA. So you have someone
with all the influence and role-model status with the
responsibility of the RA, but not the dictatorial situation
with most RAs. Two or three Customs People live on each
freshman hall, and serve as resource people for the
frosh.
What's an Upper Class
Advisor (UCA)?
UCAs are juniors or seniors who live on or near the
hall and are particularly adept at navigating the complicated
waters of academic requirements and the academic departments.
UCAs work in tandem with the Faculty Advisor in advising
first-year students about their class choices. UCAs
are chosen from a wide pool in the spring by the Deans
Office and undergo rigorous education to serve as an
advisor.
What's an Honor Code Orienteer
(HCO)?
HCOs are responsible for overseeing first-year students'
introduction to the fabled Honor Code. Nearly as old
as Customs, the Honor Code is quite possibly one of
the most talked-about issues on campus. Each Customs
Group's HCO, among other things facilitates discussions
about Honor Code issues and encourages attendance at
the twice-yearly Plenary meeting. HCOs also function
as a more objective, off-the-hall resource for frosh.
What are Peer Awareness
Facilitators (PAFs)?
PAFs are pairs of upperclass students who work with
each Customs Group (first-year hall) to foster dialog
about issues where are important to college students.
Each dialog takes place at a weekly hour-long session
and can include topics such as Community, Alcohol, Safe
Sex and Contraception, Race Relations or Eating Issues
and Body Image. Peer Awareness Facilitators also function
as off-hall resources for first-year students and can
typically help students get in-touch with the many student
life offices available.
What's Customs Week?
Customs Week is the College's Orientation. It takes
place during the five days prior to the beginning of
classes, just before the Fall Semester. During this
time, frosh meet the other freshmen on their hall, Customs
People, their UCAs, Honor Code Orienteers, Faculty Advisors,
and a host of other people along with many of their
classmates. During Customs Week, freshmen can expect
to have an introduction to many major aspects of the
College as well as meet more people than they'll be
able to keep track of. It's an exciting time, but most
importantly, it's the beginning of everyone's time here
at the College.
Is Customs really a year-long
program?
Absolutely. While the language may seem a little confusing,
the Customs Program itself reaches far past the first
five days of the year. Customs Week is the Orientation,
but Customs is what happens afterward. It's the interactions
and education that happens far outside of the classroom,
in the halls and spaces where professors fear to tread,
where frosh teach Customs People and the other way around.
Are Security Officers
Merely "Rent-a-Cops"?
Our officers have diverse backgrounds – many have
police experience, including several who worked for
years with the Philadelphia Police and Lower Merion
Police Departments. We have a female officer who was
an investigator with the Philadelphia Special Victims
Unit, a manager who has extensive training in Sexual
Assault, a Safety Coordinator who is a Deputy Chief
with the Brookline Fire Department….as well as
people from all sorts of interesting and varied experience.
We all undergo extensive training in CPR, First Aid,
Cultural Diversity, Crimes Code, and Rape and Sexual
Assault issues as well. A number of us have advanced
degrees (Education, English, Criminal Justice) and many
of us have children in college. All of us have a genuine
enthusiasm and commitment for maintaining a safe environment
for our community.
How Does Security
Handle Sexual Assault Statistics?
ALL reports received by Security are reflected in our
statistics, even when the initial report does not identify
the victim by name and the incident cannot be investigated.
Since sexual assault is such an underreported crime,
we err on the side of including everything reported
to our department, even anonymous complaints.
If I call security about a student who is sick from alcohol and may need to go to the hospital, do I need to worry about police citing for underage drinking?
It is critically important to call for help whenever a student's health/life may be at risk and that determination should be made by medical professionals. We have an understanding with the local police departments that students, under normal circumstances, will not be cited when an ambulance is called for an alcohol poisoning. (If a student is disorderly or engages in aggressive behavior related to drinking, police have a right to use their discretion to cite).