This announcement contains important information about the general tournament policies as well serving as the release of the event schedule. Please read all information carefully and do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns should they arise.
Fairness: Out of fairness to all teams, the official event rules will be followed as closely as possible. Events will be run according to REGIONAL rules. If one block of competitors is adversely affected (i.e. starts late or receives a hint 15 minutes into the exam), we will attempt to treat each block the same. Additionally, clarifications affecting everyone will be made in the FIRST block. If a problem is found in later blocks, no change will be made.
Disqualification/Tiering: A team may be disqualified for the following reasons including but not limited to:
Event challenges/concerns: If an issue with an event arises, the disputes should first be handled informally as a conversation between the competitor and the event supervisor. If there are any concerns that can’t be handled this way, please file an appeal through the Scilympiad online submission system at statescioly.org/golden-gate. Coaches may also contact the arbitration committee by phone at 206-484-6767 or in person at the director headquarters in Tilden (5th floor MLK Student Union). Parents and coaches should NOT interact with event supervisors. Event supervisors have the right to issue scoring penalties or disqualifications to students due to aggression from parents or coaches.
Wristbands: Every competing student must be wearing a wristband. Students without wristbands will not be allowed to compete.
Waivers: Every attending minor must fill out two forms prior to the tournament. The first form is a liability waiver that can be found here. The second form is a media authorization that can be found here and should be printed and distributed to all minors (including competing students, alternates, and siblings that choose to attend as spectators).We are asking that coaches then scan the stack of forms and upload the file to a confidential Google Form here no later than December 20. The forms may be submitted as a single pdf file or several, but a single is preferred. We will not require any paper copies to be submitted. If you haven’t worked with Google Forms before, consider asking a tech-savvy student to help you out! If you’re still having trouble, please reach out to us ASAP. Scans must be done on a scanner or a cell phone scanner app.
Badges: All tournament directors and event supervisors will have lanyard badges. Coaches and parents will NOT be allowed into exam rooms or into event competition areas that are not open to the public.
Photography: For spectator events, only a team’s own coaches/parents may photograph that team and their devices. No one should take photos of other devices in impound. Breaking these rules could result in disqualification/tiering. Official tournament photographers will have badges and will take pictures of events to be shared with everyone!
Never alone policy: As we have minors on campus, we are following a “never alone” policy. There must never be a minor alone in a room with one adult at any time. Correspondingly, at no point should a minor be forced into a one-on-one situation with a volunteer, a member of our event staff, or other adult. We take our commitment to this policy very seriously. If you see an ongoing violation of this policy, notify headquarters immediately.
Food: Berkeley does not allow food in reserved rooms. Please DO NOT throw your trash away in the rooms. If food or food trash is found in the event rooms, UC Berkeley will fine you up to $5,000. Unfortunately, we feel obligated to enforce this rule harshly, since a university violation would prevent future GGSO tournaments from being possible (and violating schools may share financial burden of any fines). Teams with food in their homerooms and trash cans face possible point deductions on their score and blacklisting from future GGSO events. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience but hope that it’s not too troublesome. You are, however, allowed to have food anywhere outside!
Home Rooms: Each school will be assigned a spacious homeroom to use as a base for their teams. Schools may store tools, devices, and other belongings here, however, you should never leave your room vacant when you have valuables inside. Golden Gate Science Olympiad is not responsible for any stolen or missing items. You may move desks around if necessary, but all desks and chairs should be returned to their original position. We recommend taking a picture at the beginning of the day so you have a reference of how to put the room back together. Please refrain from adhering items to the wall and from using the projector and other built-in technology in the room. Again, food will not be allowed in any of the home rooms, classrooms, or any indoor area.
Open Flames: Open flames, flammable materials, and incense, are prohibited by the UC Berkeley fire code. In particular, this means no barbecues.
Damage to University property: We are lucky to be able to host the Golden Gate Invitational at UC Berkeley. To maintain a positive relationship with the University and out of respect for University property, we expect that all of our competitors, coaches, and parents will treat University facilities with care. Competitors, coaches, or parents who damage University property may be dismissed from the tournament. Among other things, damage may constitute: Littering or other inappropriate trash disposal, burn damage, and broken desks and chairs. Additionally, do not forget that we are subject to University and City of Berkeley code. It is your responsibility to be aware of and obey these rules.
Event Schedule: The event schedule can be found here. Please remember that this is tentative, and we reserve the right to make any necessary changes should the university require us too. We will, however, make every effort to avoid any adjustments, and notify coaches ASAP should any occur. Detailed instructions on signing up for events will be given out in the next informational email.
Thank you for your time, congratulations, and please feel free to reach out with questions! We are very excited about hosting this tournament and wish you luck in your continued preparations.
Links
Liability Waiver
Media Release
Waiver Upload
Event Schedule
Golden Gate Science Olympiad is run by Golden Gate Science League, a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Questions? Interested in sponsoring? Joining us as a student at Stanford or UC Berkeley next year? Shoot us an email to get involved with our team!