Stanford National Forensic Institute

Frequently Asked Questions about Stanford National Forensic Institute programs

This FAQ is intended to answer the questions which we receive most often from students and parents. We also have an Enrollment Policies page which addresses questions about our deadlines and enrollment procedures, and an Airport Transportation page which describes our optional airport shuttle. If you have a question that is not answered on this page, please contact us.

• How do I access the Parent Portal for enrolled families?

  The Parent Portal is located at http://snfi.org/users/login.

• When are your application deadlines?

  To view our application deadlines and enrollment policies, please visit our Enrollment Policies page.

• Do I have to attend with my regular debate partner?

  For all debate events, it is not necessary to attend with your regular debate partner. In fact, the majority of students who attend each summer come without their partner. Students attending the Individual Events camp and planning to work on Duo Interp must attend with their partner, however.

• I mailed in my payment 3 days ago, and it isn't reflected in my account. Why?

  Please keep in mind that US mail can sometimes take upwards of a week to be delivered. We also don't have the chance to check our mail every day during the off-season, as our office is only staffed part-time until the summer months (early July until the end of camp).

  As soon as we receive and process your check, our system will send an automated confirmation to the registered parent email address along with an updated invoice.

• What is the difference between the Residential and Commuter options?

  The academic content is identical for both programs. For the Commuter program, students arrive before 9AM in the morning, and should plan for academic activities to continue into the evening until at least 8PM. Commuters are able to eat lunch and dinner in the cafeteria. The Residential program adds breakfast (for a total of 3 meals per day) and accommodation in Stanford housing. Most students attending the SNFI choose the Residential program.

• Where will my child be staying as a resident camper?

  All of our resident students will be housed on campus in a Stanford dormitory, and meals will be provided in a nearby Stanford dining hall.

• What does tuition cover?

  Tuition for residential students include room, board, and tuition. Commuter fees include tuition and lunch and dinner most days of the program. Laundry facilities (washer and dryer) are free, however you must either bring detergent or purchase on campus.

  For policy debate students at the SNFI the fees include a disc of all evidence produced at the camp. In addition, each pair of debaters will receive a printed copy of the necessary evidence files for camp debates.

• What is not covered by tuition?

  Costs do not include transportation to and from the program, spending money, bath and bed linens, additional nights of lodging if necessary, camp memorabilia (such as t-shirts), copies made in the library, and optional recreational excursions.

  We offer a bed linen service, commemorative camp t-shirts, additional nights of accommodation and optional recreational excursions via the Parent Portal.

• What happens on the weekends?

We treat the weekends just like a regular day of camp. We hold classes and activities along the same schedule as if it were a week day.

• My child is a vegetarian. What special arrangements do I need to make?

  Stanford University's dining facilities serve vegetarian options with every meal, so there is no need to make any special arrangements.

• This is my child's first time away from home. Is the camp environment safe?

  The Stanford campus is one of the safest college environments in the nation, separated from the nearby communities by large tracts of undeveloped land which are owned by Stanford University. However, we of course recommend that all participants practice common sense while at the program.

  During the time of our program, we will not be sharing our dorm space with other non Stanford Debate programs, and college students will not be living in our dorm during the summer. Our camp staff will live in the dorms, as will one or two employees of Stanford Conference Services who are present to make sure that the facilities are operating correctly. Getting into the dorm requires an ID tag which electronically controls access, and individual student rooms are secured by key.

  We separate our housing by gender--by dorm for floor when possible, but always on a hall by hall basis at a minimum. We have set curfew times at which students are required to be back in the dorm, a set time when students are required to only in the spaces assigned to their respective genders, and a time at which students are expected to be in their own rooms. Our staff have a night time rotation duty, and a member of our staff is reachable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the camp office phone number in the event of a serious situation.

  During the day, classes are held in the dorms and in the academic quad. We ask that students travel in groups of two or more around the campus, but do not require that students go to class accompanied by our staff members. However, a staff member will leave from the dorms to each class, and students are welcome to accompany them to the class location. We do expect that all students will attend all listed classes, lectures and practice debates. If a student is missing from a scheduled event, our office staff will be attempting to reach them once it is reported that they are not present.

• Will my child have a roommate?

  Most of our dorm rooms are either double or triple occupancy. You will have the option to preference a roommate beginning in mid-April. We will do our best to accommodate roommate requests, but can't promise that we'll be able to fulfill your request. A valid roommate request must be submitted at least 14 days before the start of your camp session, and both roommates must mutually prefer one another. If you don't have a friend coming to camp, we will assign you a roommate based on your camp session, and then by your age.

• Can I request a private, single occupancy room?

  Yes, it is possible to request a single occupancy room. Availability is limited, and there is an additional charge. This option will be available in the parent portal beginning in mid-April.

• Do you offer transportation between the airport and SNFI?

  Yes, we do offer airport transportation, but ONLY from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), however there are limitations on the dates and hours of pickup and dropoff, and other important conditions. For more information, please visit out airport shuttle page.

• Does my child need to arrive the day before camp starts?

  Please plan to arrive on the listed first day of camp, preferably between 2PM and 4PM. We do check-in and then orientation after lunch, and camp gets underway after dinner.

• I'd like my child to attend two camps, but the listed start date for the second camp is the day after the first camp. What do I do?

  We are able to house students for the one night between such programs, but you need to be sure to appropriately note this on the Arrival and Departure Info screen once you've signed up so that we know to make appropriate plans. There is also a nominal charge to cover housing and dining for the extra night.

• My child is busy, and needs to arrive a day late, or leave a day early. Is this a problem?

  Each summer, there are a handful of students who need to arrive a day late or leave a day early. If you need to arrive or depart outside of our regular times, this is not a serious problem. You simply need to note this on the "Arrival & Departure Info" tab of the "Camp Session Information" page for your camp session. No other special accommodations need to be made for a late arrival or early departure.

  The first day of the camp generally consists of an orientation and opening lecture. The morning of the second day is when serious academic content begins. Students who arrive after the second day of a camp should be prepared to do some catch-up work.

• Can students arrive before the first day of camp, or leave after the last day of camp?

  We generally can accommodate an early arrival or a late departure, however there is an additional charge of $70 per extra night of accommodations needed. In order to add extra nights of housing, please log in to your parent account and add extra nights via the "Optional Services" tab of the "Camp Session Information" page for your camp session. You also need to note your early arrival/late departure on the "Arrival & Departure Info" tab of the "Camp Session Information" page for your camp session.

• Is there a dress code during camp? Should students pack suits?

  The dress code during camp is casual--common attire on the Stanford campus is shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, especially during the warm summer months. We request that students think about the clothing that they bring to camp to make sure that any articles of clothing wouldn't be a distraction from the learning environment.

  Debate students don't need to bring dress clothes or a suit.

  Individual Events staff request that students attending the Individual Events camp consider bringing something a bit nicer, perhaps a suit, to wear in the event they are speaking in the final exhibition round at the end of camp. These rounds will be open to parents to observe, and will be recorded.

• Will students have access to a computer lab during camp?

  Yes, Stanford Debate operates a computer lab in the dorm during the SNFI. Students will have an opportunity to access the computers during their free time, but scheduled class time in the computer lab takes priority.

• Should I bring a laptop computer to camp?

  We can't guarantee the security of any personal property during a student's time at camp, or be responsible for any loss or damage. Students are responsible for securing their property, including laptops. A laptop computer would be very helpful during camp, however, as our computer lab isn't big enough to accommodate all students at once, and students with laptops will have greater flexibility to do research, cut cards, etc.

• Is internet access free? Can I just connect to the network with my laptop and surf?

  Stanford's computer network is access controlled, meaning that you must first register your computer on the network and prove it's safety and security in order to get on the internet. Each device which has a unique IP address needs to be separately registered on the network (computer, phone, etc). There are several steps to registering a computer. First, your computer must be fully updated (windows updates), have a password, and also have an anti-virus program installed and updated. We recommend that students install needed software and update their computers at home to make registration smoother. Second, you must pay for your desired length of internet access.

  The payment options are $30 per week or $75 for the entire summer, and you can pay during the registration process with a credit card, or you may take cash to the Meyer Library tech help desk. The fee covers the registration of a single device (one IP per device, although laptops receive both wired and wireless IPs). This money does not go to Stanford Debate, but directly to Stanford University's residential computing program. During the academic year, Stanford students are also charged $75 per quarter for network access.