Geocaching policies for Universities or Colleges

[+c&s 143]

I work for a University and a group of us want to develop an official geocaching policy for the campus. I would like to take a look at other campus policies to help get started.

 

Does anyone know of a college or university that has an official geocaching policy in place?

 

Thanks!

 

Craig

C&S 143

www.yogosc.org

[+ScoutingWV]

Would this be a policy that would allow caching in some form to be permitted on the property of a college or university, or are you looking for suggestions/guidance on how to incorporate the game into a course of some sort?

[+c&s 143]

Would this be a policy that would allow caching in some form to be permitted on the property of a college or university, or are you looking for suggestions/guidance on how to incorporate the game into a course of some sort?

 

We actually have a phys ed course right now for geocaching (I wish I could have gotten college credit for geocaching). We are looking for mainly a policy for hiding caches on campus property. We have a few ideas already but wanted to see what other campuses are doing as well.

 

Craig

[+Cache O'Plenty]

A number of states and communities have set up park guidelines that you might be able to adapt to your situation.

 

Try this site for some things Washington state has done:

 

http://www.wsgaonline.org/forums/index.php...code=stateparks

 

The first section might interest you.

 

This is the State Park Guidelines and Permit Application in Word Format for Washington.

 

http://www.wsgaonline.org/files/directive2006.doc

Edited March 30, 2009 by Cache O'Plenty

[+Renegade Knight]

I work for a University and a group of us want to develop an official geocaching policy for the campus. I would like to take a look at other campus policies to help get started.

 

Does anyone know of a college or university that has an official geocaching policy in place?

...

 

I would reccomend that you focus on 2 things.

 

1) What you need to acomplish.

2) Minimize the work to acomplish it.

 

What that means is that if you sole worry is a cache in the main flowerbed in the entrance. There is your one policy. If you don't want them buried, that policy already exists. No need to reinvent the wheel. No doubt your school arleady has policies on a myraid of things. No need to rehash them. It just leads to confusion when the rules change and they are repeated in 200 locations and only 150 of them get updated.

 

Do you really want to review each cache? Does your campus actually care if caching takes place any more than frisbee?

 

I would ask this though. Why do you need a policy for a casual recreational activity? What's the problem that needs fixed?

[+c&s 143]

I work for a University and a group of us want to develop an official geocaching policy for the campus. I would like to take a look at other campus policies to help get started.

 

Does anyone know of a college or university that has an official geocaching policy in place?

...

 

I would reccomend that you focus on 2 things.

 

1) What you need to acomplish.

2) Minimize the work to acomplish it.

 

What that means is that if you sole worry is a cache in the main flowerbed in the entrance. There is your one policy. If you don't want them buried, that policy already exists. No need to reinvent the wheel. No doubt your school arleady has policies on a myraid of things. No need to rehash them. It just leads to confusion when the rules change and they are repeated in 200 locations and only 150 of them get updated.

 

Do you really want to review each cache? Does your campus actually care if caching takes place any more than frisbee?

 

I would ask this though. Why do you need a policy for a casual recreational activity? What's the problem that needs fixed?

 

There is no actual problem at the moment. However, there are also no caches hidden on our main campus yet. The most basic reason for the policy is to establish where caches can NOT be placed. Being a college campus with students living on campus, there are security concerns. If no policy is in place and someone hides a cache in the bushes outside a student dorm room, that would be very bad. I am basically trying to head off any potential problems that might lead to an outright ban on cache hides on campus.

 

I definitely don't want to make this a huge deal. I want to keep the rules to a minimum for the benefit of the hiders and the enforcers. But I also want to make sure that the safety and security of the campus is maintained.

 

Craig

[+jimmyreno]

What's the problem that needs fixed?

 

Someone put a cache in the rock wall of a local park,

cacher's nearly tore the wall apart looking for the cache,

an employee went around the park & muggled about 6 caches.

 

I'm under the impression that none of the cache owners asked permission.

[+Renegade Knight]

...But I also want to make sure that the safety and security of the campus is maintained....

 

It's very hard to quantify all the various impacts places and locations of a cache and what all concerns may crop up. If you are willing to assume that the majority of caches pose no issues and that your goal is to spot the few that do the problem and the solution change a bit.

 

Might I suggest two solutions depending on your local circumstances.

 

If you have a local group perhaps meet with them once a month over lunch to review new caches, maybe even spot check a couple of old ones to see how they are doing. The local group should be able to field a volunteer to print a map and talk location and hide type. The best thing here is the eduction that you can provide to the locals just by going through the process.

 

If you don't have a local group to but are yourselves caching enthusiasts you can do both roles. Find and review the campus caches for concerns. I don't know how big your campus is but locally on our campus there are not a large number of caches. Keeping tabs on them over time would not be a taxing proposition.

 

Both let you catch things like the rock wall hide mentioned above which I absolutly detest for exactly the reasons they mentioned.

[+JoesBar]

Your policy can be very simple. The college allows caches. The college must review the location prior to granting permission. a permit is given to the hider. The permit may or may not have an expiration date.

 

This requires that someone is willing to check locations for caches. This same person should notify campus police of the cache.

 

You don't need to have specifc rules about placement. If there is any reason that the cache should not be where the hider desires, it's not given a permit. the college can work with the hider to make the hide better.

[+Rick618]

Speak with the campus police.

[+c&s 143]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. We will consider them when we put together our policy.

 

Just to give a little more information, I am an avid cacher and there is a very active local caching group. Our group was founded by 8 people, 5 of whom work for the University. Our campus is not so large that visiting each cache would not be overly burdonsome.

 

I think the general idea will be to have a placement approval policy.

 

Thanks again.

 

Craig

C&S 143

www.yogosc.org