St. Lawrence University: International Programs

Travel Policy for SLU Faculty-led and Student-led Student Group Travel Abroad

This policy is intended to cover all extended travel outside the U.S. (other than the semester and yearlong programs administered through the Center for International and Intercultural Studies) subsidized by SLU and/or arranged by SLU faculty, staff, or students to benefit SLU students. It includes travel components that are either elective or required in connection with a course; travel for credit and not-for-credit; travel linked to summer courses; and student travel outside the country when arranged by an SLU student group. It is not intended to cover day-trips or short overnight trips to Canada.

Faculty, staff, or students planning the kind of travel outside the U.S. that is defined above must fill out, several months in advance of travel, an application form for their project. The application form is appended below and also available from the Center for International and Intercultural Studies (CIIS) and it asks for basic information about:

projected size of group
dates and duration of travel
costs of travel program
sources for funding the travel
group organizer’s experience in the host country
consultation with the director of the health center about student health requirements for your program
recruitment and selection processes
any security/safety/health issues raised by the proposed travel, activities, or destinations
a copy of the Consular Information Sheet and any relevant public announcements or advisories from the U.S. State Department: http://travel.state.gov/

all the planning required for publicizing, recruiting, selecting, budgeting
booking of air travel, host country accommodations, guides, etc.
preparing a Parent/Student Agreement form, in consultation with CIIS and Student Financial Services
keeping records of all forms completed by student travelers
informing and orienting students
providing information to participants about passport and visa requirements
at least 6 weeks prior to travel , sending the Health Center a list of participating students and ensuring that no student travels without clearance from the Health Center (n.b. immunizations take 6-8 weeks to become effective).
taking with you, when you travel, the medical emergency forms and other essential health records, especially noting special medical conditions and medications for participants
providing essential information to parents about itinerary, including information about where the student is to be picked up, upon return
notifying parents/guardians that CIIS will be the on-campus contact in case of an emergency
keeping financial records and providing final accounts to the business office at the end of the travel period.

When the proposal for travel is submitted to CIIS, the associate dean for international and intercultural studies will immediately review the proposal and discuss any concerns with the group organizer. Security concerns may also arise in the course of subsequent preparation for travel. If at any point the associate dean and the travel organizer are in disagreement about the planning for the proposed travel or about the safety of the proposed travel, or if they need further information, the associate dean will convene an ad hoc group to evaluate the proposed travel. This group of no fewer than 5, including the group organizer and the associate dean, will be drawn from members of the International Education Advisory Committee and/or those on campus with relevant expertise. This group will advise the proposed travel organizer and may recommend alternate travel plans or cancellation of the travel. In the event that the group organizer is dissatisfied with the recommendations of this group, s/he can request that the group’s recommendations be reviewed by the dean for academic affairs or, where appropriate, by the dean of students.