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Sooner Discovery Parents and Guardians

Parents and guardians, please read all of the information below. Included are important dates, safety information, our visitation policy, and necessary forms. All of this information will be included in our Sooner Discovery orientation for students on the first day of the program.

Sooner Discovery Students in OKC

Please consider the following dates before committing to Sooner Discovery, as the dates listed are mandatory for participation in the program. 

Orientation: Sunday, June 9, 2024

Classes begin: Monday, June 10, 2024

Classes end: Friday, July 5, 2024

Students are expected to attend class Monday - Friday throughout the program, as attendance is mandatory. 

Students will have in-person field trips on each Saturday of Sooner Discovery.

If there are any conflicts with these dates, please contact us as soon as possible.

Sooner Discovery includes the academic classroom experience, the online learning experience, and the community residential experience. It is our goal to create and imitate the first-year freshman experience of OU students for Sooner Discovery participants. Sooner Discovery has developed programs and activities that are structured around building community and developing students as achievers and leaders, as well as giving students and enjoyable experience.

There will be optional evening study break activities planned each evening during the in-person weeks. Study hall is open and available every day of the program (virtual and in-person). Discovery Guides and staff will be available for academic assistance, and tutors will be available on request.

Class attendance during in-person weeks is mandatory, no exceptions.

“Sunday Funday” is a mandatory program-wide get-together. During this time, students will engage in a fun activity on-campus and break up into small groups.

Sooner Discovery students are required to attend all mandatory programming (class, weekend trip, Sunday Funday activity). Participation in other Sooner Discovery activities and programming is highly encouraged. Noticeable absence from Sooner Discovery functions may serve as grounds for disciplinary action or removal from the program.

Most importantly, Sooner Discovery students will be required to adhere to the university’s student conduct policy. For a full list of student policies at the University of Oklahoma, please visit the University of Oklahoma’s Student Handbook.

In addition to the University of Oklahoma’s policies, students will adhere to Sooner Discovery’s policies in order to protect and ensure the safety of all students.

If parents or any other visitors are planning to visit students at Sooner Discovery on campus, a parent/guardian must call at least 2 hours in advance to approve of the visitation. Approval must be made via email or phone call to the Program Coordinator or Graduate Assistants. Contact information can be found on the Contact Us page. Visitors are not allowed in the Residence hall living quarters, only common lobby areas. The visitor must sign in and out with the Sooner Discovery headquarters upon their visitation.

If a parent/guardian wishes to take a student off campus, please see the "leaving campus" section for information. 

Visitation hours are 3:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. daily. Sooner Discovery reserves the right to change and/or limit visitation hours.

Students are not allowed to leave campus unless they notify and get approval from a parent/guardian (24 hour approval is necessary) and the Sooner Discovery staff team. Students must check out with Sooner Discovery Staff and explain where they are going & when they will be back in order to retrieve their car keys.

Parents/guardians, please send the check out form for your student at least 24 hours in advance to soonerdiscovery@ou.edu. The form can be found above or under "Forms and Documents" at the bottom of this page. 

Students will be allowed to leave campus on Sundays on their own, with parent approval, as long as they do not drive with any other Sooner Discovery students in their vehicle. University cars driven by Sooner Discovery staff will be available for students on Sundays if they need/want to leave campus. We consider the freedom students have on Sundays a privilege, and we reserve the right to change or limit these restrictions. 

Sooner Discovery students are not allowed to go outside of the defined parameters Monday - Sunday without special permission and following the sign-out protocol with Sooner Discovery staff.

Sooner Discovery Campus Parameter:

  • Northern border: Boyd Street
  • Eastern Border: Jenkins Ave
  • Western Border: Elm Street
  • Southern Border: Timberdell Road
Campus Parameters

Students are allowed to drive to campus for Sooner Discovery move-in. They will be able to leave their cars near the residence halls during the program. Sooner Discovery will supply a parking permit for that purpose. However, students will not be allowed to leave campus unless they have been granted permission from a parent/guardian and Sooner Discovery staff. In order to maintain that system, students will be asked to turn in car keys upon their arrival at Sooner Discovery and are allowed to check their keys back out when they sign-out.

Sooner Discovery students will be required to check in with Sooner Discovery staff 3 times per day. The Minors on Campus Policy at the bottom of the page has more information regarding check points and student safety, including a plan of action if a student has missed a check point. 

  • Morning Check Point: 8:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. check-in at the Sooner Discovery office in the residence halls before the students morning course
  • Afternoon Check Point: 1:30 p.m. attendance at the Introduction to Academic Discovery course 
  • Night Check Point: 11:00 p.m. Sunday - Thursday, 12:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8:00 p.m. on Sundays for the weekly program meeting. Check-in no later than the time listed at the Sooner Discovery office. 
Students must be in their residence hall room or in the study room at curfew. No exceptions will be granted to ensure the safety and success of Sooner Discovery students. 
  • Sunday – Thursday 11:00 p.m.
  • Friday & Saturday 12:00 p.m.

Quiet hours will be observed on the halls where students are living at the times listed below. There is a Sooner Discovery student lounge where students can play games and work on group projects until curfew. 

  • 9 p.m. – 11 a.m. Sunday through Thursday
  • Midnight – 11 a.m. Friday – Saturday

Any student with a disability should notify Sooner Discovery staff in order for necessary accommodations to be made.

The University of Oklahoma is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full participation for students with disabilities. Consistent with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, The University of Oklahoma ensures that no “qualified individual with a disability” will be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination solely on the basis of disability under any program or activity offered by The University of Oklahoma. Accommodations on the basis of disability are available by contacting the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center at 730 College Avenue - University Community Center, Norman, OK 73019; (405) 325-3852 Voice, adrc@ou.edu.

More information on Disability resources can be found at ou.edu/adrc.

In the event of an unforeseen circumstance or emergency where a student needs to be removed from Sooner Discovery, a parent or guardian should immediately contact the program director and notify them of the occurrence. Following the initial notification, the parent or guardian of the student needs to fill out a withdrawal form and follow the process listed on the Academic Advising website. The Sooner Discovery Program Fee is non-refundable. Tuition is 100% refundable should a student withdraw before attending the second scheduled class during the first week of the June Block.

If you have any questions about the program, application, or admissions process, email soonerdiscovery@ou.edu or call 405-325-2151.