Travel Advisory Policy
July 19, 2021
To monitor risk and assessment, the recommendations offered by the Director of International Programs to the Vice President for Academic Affairs will use the following analytical framework:
Faculty Leaders, with assistance from the Director of International Programs, are charged with the duty to regularly and responsibly monitor safety issues in the Union College Study Abroad Program that the Faculty Leader is facilitating and, as part of this process, the Faculty Leaders are encouraged to follow the steps in the attached document entitled “International Travel Risk Assessment Guidelines” including the completion of an International Travel Questionnaire. The information provided by the Faculty Leader will be provided to the Director of International Programs. The Director of International Programs, with input from the International Programs Risk Management Committee and International SOS, is charged with evaluating the safety of programs and sites in areas of potential heightened risk in countries and with making a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs to approve or not approve the international program. The decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs is final. Upon completion of this assessment, the Director of International Programs will offer to the Vice President of Academic Affairs a recommendation to approve or not approve the international program. The Vice President of Academic Affairs’ decision is final.
All students are required to obtain an accident and sickness health insurance policy, which includes coverage for medical treatment, evacuation, repatriation, and security assistance, unless an exception applies.
Introduction
Union College plans to make available to qualified students the opportunity to participate in the wide variety of programs offered by the International Programs Office provided, to the fullest extent possible, the program can be conducted in a manner that addresses health, safety and security concerns. To minimize health, safety and security risks due to unpredictability of world events (e.g. pandemic, natural disaster), and as a result of recent changes in the U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Policy and Center for Disease Control International Travel Notices, effective immediately, approval of any College-sponsored program through the International Programs Office will be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs on a program-by-program basis based on a recommendation and analysis completed by the Director of International Programs with input from the International Programs Risk Management Committee, key stakeholders (including Faculty Leaders), and outside consultants. This update to the Travel Advisory Policy represents a departure from making decisions to approve or not approve a program based primarily upon a U.S. DOS and CDC travel advisory level for a particular country; instead it expands upon the due diligence previously done as set forth below.To monitor risk and assessment, the recommendations offered by the Director of International Programs to the Vice President for Academic Affairs will use the following analytical framework:
- Health and safety of student participants and Faculty Leaders.
- Financial considerations.
- Quality of student’s experience.
- Legal liability concerns.
I. Risk Monitoring and Assessment — Union College Faculty Led International Programs Sponsored by the International Programs Office.
The Director of International Programs, with input from the International Programs Risk Management Committee, is charged with monitoring world events and will, when applicable, work with Faculty Leaders to communicate risks and mitigation strategies. The Director of International Programs may do one or more of the following in its effort to gather information and assess the situation including consultation and/or review of:- Open-source news reports and government advisories on a local, regional, national and international level.
- U.S. DOS travel information, such as Emergency Messages, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings, and travel health notices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Information provided by our evacuation assistance provider and other security assessment providers.
- Information from a security analyst for Overseas Security Advisory Council or a Regional Security Officer in the applicable U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.
- Open source consular documents produced by other governments, such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
- Health and safety experts at our peer institutions operating in the same location.
- U.S. offices of the study abroad programs or providers located in the affected countries as well as our partner and affiliate universities abroad in addition to any Union College faculty or staff involved in the experience (here or abroad).
- Situation with Union College (or other institutions’) faculty experts on this location.
Faculty Leaders, with assistance from the Director of International Programs, are charged with the duty to regularly and responsibly monitor safety issues in the Union College Study Abroad Program that the Faculty Leader is facilitating and, as part of this process, the Faculty Leaders are encouraged to follow the steps in the attached document entitled “International Travel Risk Assessment Guidelines” including the completion of an International Travel Questionnaire. The information provided by the Faculty Leader will be provided to the Director of International Programs. The Director of International Programs, with input from the International Programs Risk Management Committee and International SOS, is charged with evaluating the safety of programs and sites in areas of potential heightened risk in countries and with making a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs to approve or not approve the international program. The decision of the Vice President for Academic Affairs is final. Upon completion of this assessment, the Director of International Programs will offer to the Vice President of Academic Affairs a recommendation to approve or not approve the international program. The Vice President of Academic Affairs’ decision is final.
II. Non-Union College Faculty Led International Programs Conducted by Sponsoring Organizations, Host Institutions, or Program Providers
Sponsoring Organizations, Host Institutions, and Program Providers are charged with the duty to regularly and responsibly monitor safety issues in each of Union College’s study abroad program locations and are required to complete a risk assessment. The Director of International Programs may do one or more of the risk assessment steps as set forth in Section I in an effort to gather information and assess the situation. The Director of International Programs, with input from the International Programs Risk Management Committee, is charged with evaluating the safety of programs and sites in areas of potential heightened risk.III. Risk Monitoring and Assessment
Risk Mitigation
All Union College sponsored travelers, such as study abroad participants and non-credit, non-study abroad travelers, are required to participate in some type of pre-departure orientation or educational program that discusses health and safety. Faculty Leaders, approved third party providers, and host institutions also provide a country-specific orientation in which health and safety precautions are outlined.All students are required to obtain an accident and sickness health insurance policy, which includes coverage for medical treatment, evacuation, repatriation, and security assistance, unless an exception applies.