Health, Safety, Liability

Health & Travel Preparation

Safety is a serious concern for everyone involved in study abroad -- the students, their families, Faculty Coordinators and associated faculty, our partners abroad, and SAEP. Anecdotal evidence suggests that in general, students abroad are as safe as, or safer than, they are on U.S. campuses. However, there are particular risks that may occur overseas, and when any safety issue arises overseas, the fact that students are far from home and in an unfamiliar culture may make the experience more traumatic than it would be in the U.S.

Pre-departure and on-site preparation can make all the difference when dealing with health and travel-related emergencies. Below are some basic guidelines to assist you in your preparation and operation of a safe program.

Travelers' health considerations and resources
When planning a program at a particular site, the Faculty Coordinator should consider questions such as the following:

• What kind of local health care is available and how can the Faculty Coordinator and participants access it should it become necessary?
• If a participant becomes ill at the beginning of a three or four week program and is unable to attend class for a week or two, how will credit be earned when so much time has been lost?
• If a participant has an accident while on a program which travels extensively, who stays behind to attend to the participant's medical needs while the group moves to the next site?
• Has the Faculty Coordinator warned participants of any aspects of the program which may carry a higher risk of injury or danger?

The Center for Disease Control is an excellent resource for learning about country-specific health issues of concern to travelers. Their travel health website http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ gives information on common illnesses, recommended vaccinations, and more. If you believe that there is a health risk to your students, contact SAEP to decide upon the appropriate action.

Study Abroad and Exchange Programs is unable to provide any recommendations or advice regarding vaccinations or medications for going abroad, but please feel free to refer students to the CDC website. You can also check with the health officer or nurse at the U.S. Embassy or consulate in the host country to learn about any health concerns in your destination country. This may also be a way to identify local health care resources should they become necessary.

Prior to departure, all participants are required to fill out a Medical Report and Medical Release form, provided by SAEP in the acceptance packets. These are considered confidential documents, but are carried on the trip in a sealed envelope by the Faculty Coordinator in case of emergency.

Accessibility is an important consideration for some participants, and extra planning by the Faculty Coordinator may be required to serve students who self-disclose and request special accommodations. CWU's Student Affairs and Disability Support Services offices can be an excellent resource and can assist the Faculty Coordinator in providing for the specific needs of individual participants.

Access to emergency funds
Before you depart from Ellensburg, be sure that you have a credit card that provides you with access to emergency cash. The university issues the ProCard, but this is a personal card and any expenses charged on it are billed to the cardholder. You may also choose to dedicate one of your personal credit cards to professional usage. SAEP would reimburse you for expenses incurred in handling an emergency.

Calling cards/emergency communications
You and your students need to be familiar with use of calling cards for the public phones abroad and how to place international calls. As Faculty Coordinator, you should always have a means to contact SAEP or an emergency services provider, either through change for payphones or a telephone card that can be used with payphones. Whichever option you choose, be sure you have enough funds available to call the U.S.

If you have a U.S. calling card, we recommend that you bring it with you overseas. While U.S. calling cards are generally more expensive than the local equivalents, there may be times when certain circuits are busy and you will be able to get through on the lines owned by a major U.S. carrier. In other words, be prepared by having as many options as possible for communication with SAEP.

Pre-departure preparation
SAEP cannot approve a study abroad program of any sort in a country that has a current travel warning. Travel warnings are issued when the State Department decides to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. SAEP monitors the U.S. State Department web site on a regular basis and will inform you of updates before your group departs. You should also check the web site: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html.

At this URL you'll also find Consular Information Sheets. Consular Information Sheets are available on every country in the world and include information such as the location of the U.S. embassy or consulate, unusual immigration practices, health concerns, minor political disturbances, currency information, entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties. If an unstable condition exists in a country that is not severe enough to warrant a warning, a description of the condition(s) may be included under an optional section entitled "Areas of Instability."

Discuss safety at orientation
During your pre-departure orientation, you and SAEP staff will provide health and safety information so that students can make informed decisions concerning preparation, participation, and behavior while they are in the program. Both at this orientation and your in-country orientation, you will need to include information on safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country. You should deal with health and safety issues and potential risks, and emergency response measures. FYI, the major causes of death abroad include injuries, primarily auto-related, and drowning. If you are directing a program where students will have the opportunity to swim other than at swimming pools, be sure to include information about safe and unsafe areas for swimming.

Programs which include physically strenuous or potentially high-risk activities require extra consideration in protecting students and the university. The risks for the group activity should be weighed against the necessity to the program, and special attention should be paid to safety issues in the pre-departure orientation.

Discuss with your students the concept of preventable accidents such as not driving abroad (automobiles, motorcycles, mopeds), pub and drinking culture, drug laws, and returning in the wee hours of the morning from a club. Also, note particularly dangerous environments, such as busy airports, train stations, subways and other areas known for pickpockets or muggings. Caution your students about the wise use of ATM machines and about keeping money and other valuable belongings out of sight.

On-site safety
Major safety issues have been rare in study abroad, but minor issues, such as ill students or muggings, happen more frequently. Part of successfully managing the on-site safety of your program is in preparing students, as mentioned above, and acting quickly and calmly to address the situation. While U.S. students abroad are no more likely to be harmed while abroad than they are at home, dealing with an injury, illness, or traumatic incident while out of their cultural "element" significantly compounds the stress they experience.

If the program involves research in the field or physically rigorous activities, the Faculty Coordinator will want to check on local conditions and take necessary precautions before the program is undertaken. If the program has an unusual or high risk involved, the Faculty Coordinator should inform participants of the potential risk. This may include such things as sports or physical activities, political instability, high altitude, and health and environmental concerns. Environmental concerns may be anything from poisonous snakes and insects, to air or water pollution, to nuclear hazard. Many life-threatening diseases are transmitted through the bites of infected insects or animals, and can pose a major health threat to the unaware or unprotected.

If U.S. State Department public announcements, worldwide cautions, or travel warnings are issued, SAEP will send e-mails and faxes to faculty abroad. In the event of a local or regional crisis, you should maintain contact with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for updated security information. If a crisis should occur, review precautions with students so they can better assure their own safety.

Communicate the applicable codes of conduct and the consequences of failing to comply with them clearly to students. If you need clarification concerning CWU's general policies, including the drug and alcohol policies and the policies on sexual harassment, consult the CWU Student Affairs website at http://www.cwu.edu/~saffairs/ and click on "Student Information" and then "Judicial Code." These basic policies transfer well to overseas programs.

Lost or stolen documents
Because of the travel element of many short-term programs, time is essential in the replacement of lost or stolen documents. Participants and the Faculty Coordinator should carry a copy of their passport and airline tickets, and keep these separate from the originals. If a ticket or passport is stolen, the whole group may be required to wait with the victim until the consulate or embassy can provide the necessary replacement document. To further ensure swift action, the Faculty Coordinator may wish to keep a copy of each participant's passport and airline tickets.

Early departure from a program by a participant
If a student needs to leave a program early because of serious illness or an accident or due to a family emergency at home, the Coordinator must notify SAEP immediately. Students may not leave the group to pursue other interests, meet friends or family, or for reasons other than true emergencies; such an action will result in dismissal from the program and the forfeiture of monies paid and a loss of credits.

Early departure from a program by the Faculty Coordinator
If an emergency occurs in the life of a Faculty Coordinator (serious illness or accident while abroad, grave family emergency at home), it is possible that he/she will need to leave the program early. The first step is to contact SAEP. If the program is affiliated with a host university, the university may be able to assign a faculty member or administrator to the remainder of the program. If this is not possible, SAEP will work with the Faculty Coordinator to try and find a solution so that the program may continue.

Under no circumstances can a Faculty Coordinator abandon the students. The final option would be to cancel the program and bring the students home.

Contact with families
Each program participant lists a person for emergency contact at the time he/she fills out the basic program application. In the event of an emergency, SAEP will contact the individual named on this form. Faculty Coordinators are asked to contact SAEP first in an emergency; SAEP may request that the Coordinator speak directly with a student's family after SAEP or Student Affairs staff have made the initial contact.

Explore. Dream. Discover.
Study Abroad