Student Policies

Student Guidelines

We hope that students will come to Yestermorrow with an open and accepting attitude, excited and prepared to learn new ideas and be in community with many different people. Students are expected to respect all peoples’ identities, pronouns, gender expression, and abilities. We use the following guidelines for being a respectful and positive presence in our courses, ensuring that everyone feels comfortable taking risks, speaking up, and being their full selves at Yestermorrow.

Step Up, Step Back

Notice how much space you take up. If you find you are doing most of the talking, try to invite space for other voices. If you find you are mostly keeping quiet, try to create space to use your voice.

Respect and Accept

We all have different backgrounds, identities, processes, and ways of being. Come into group spaces with respect for those who are not like you.

Lean into the Discomfort

When there are moments of discomfort, we encourage you to find ways to lean into it as much as you feel safe doing. Oftentimes, these places of discomfort are ripe for growth if we give them time and space.

Room to Process

We all process at different paces, especially depending on the subject at hand. Sometimes time, space, and/or silence is actually where the most resolution, creativity, and ingenuity starts to brew.

Can I be Curious?

When you come up against something or someone that really challenges you, we encourage you to lean into that challenge with curiosity.

Speak to Your Own Experience

“I feel” statements are not overrated :). When we try to speak for others, they may feel deprived of their voice. When we speak for ourselves, we create the opportunity to feel empowered in our own experience.

Practice (Radical) Self-Care

With all this talk of discomfort and tension, it is important to also recognize your need for comfort and safety. At the end of the day, listen to yourself and find space to feel warm and happy when you need/want it.

Feedback and Accountability

As a learning organization, we recognize that there will be mistakes made and blind spots uncovered as we continually pursue education and improvement in diversity and equity. We encourage students to bring any concerns or feedback directly to our staff. We also recognize that not everyone may feel comfortable sharing feedback directly with our staff, so we have provided a few avenues for students to use. If you wish, you may bring concerns directly to your instructor or to Sarah, the Student Services Manager. We will work to address any issues as soon as they arise.

We also have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion feedback form on our website which you may submit anonymously. This form can be used for any student concerns relating to your experience in your class and at Yestermorrow. We will check this form regularly to address time-sensitive issues. You will also be provided with a course evaluation form at the end of your class, which you may also submit anonymously if you choose. We read all of our evaluations with care, and base many of our policies around this feedback.