Health, Safety, and Security Issues

We intend to take a proactive and preventative approach that informs and educates our students before problems arise. We want to make students aware of what they are likely to encounter so that they can make an informed choice about their participation before they leave and make sensible choices while they are abroad. IEP and the Resident Director share the responsibility for monitoring local and national conditions affecting student safety and providing relevant information to program participants. Participants themselves are responsible for becoming familiar with all materials provided and for following safety guidelines given by Cal Poly and any host institutions.

Cal Poly cannot guarantee student safety or eliminate all risks associated with a stay abroad. Orientation information, both printed and oral, contains information for faculty and students about health and safety issues related to international travel. Adherence to these recommendations, along with appropriate behavior, caution, and common sense, can prevent many crisis situations. Decisions regarding program itineraries are made based on information from the U.S. State Department and on-site Resident Directors. Cal Poly is prepared to make changes on short notice should a situation arise in-country that causes serious concern.

Faculty should be aware of the potential dangers and liability associated with operating study abroad programs. Based on advice provided by the following three sources, the University has developed safety guidelines for the campus community:

1. The California State University Risk Management Policy – Executive Order 715, Attachment A-3, dated 10/27/99, provides a list of risk management guidelines for off-campus activities involving international travel, which are consistent with the California State University Risk Management Policy guidelines (attached).
2. The Interorganizational Task Force on Safety and Responsibility in Study Abroad, a joint venture of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA); NAFSA: Association of International Educators; the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE); NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education; and other professional organizations, as well as a number of study abroad providers, summarize a set of guidelines in their document: Responsible Study Abroad: Health and Safety Guidelines.
3. The SAFETI Clearinghouse (Study Abroad First – Educational Travel Information), under the leadership of Dr. Gary Rhodes, Director of the Center for Global Education at Loyola Marymount University, provides resources and information to assist study abroad program providers in the area of health and safety and study abroad. The SAFETI Clearinghouse has been funded through a grant from FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education) and is designed to provide study abroad program administrators with a place where they can share the resources that other institutions have developed and share their own resources with other institutions on issues related to safety and study abroad.

Please read the following hand-outs provided in the Appendices:

• Promoting Safety in Study Abroad by William Hoffa
• Health Check for Study, Work, and Travel Abroad by COUNCIL
• Health Information for International Travel by CDC
• Checklist for Faculty: Health and Safety Guidelines for Study Abroad (DEVELOP)

Many crises affecting U.S. students overseas arise from lack of preparation, misconduct, or carelessness. Other problems occur when students are victimized by social, political, or natural circumstances beyond their control. In an ideal world in which students did not act as students sometimes do – forgetting or disregarding warnings, believing in their own invulnerability, and naively assuming that America norms are universal – many such crises would be preventable. Unfortunately, you can talk yourself blue in the face to students about health and safety before they get to the host country, but it’s not until they arrive and live there that they really start listening to what you’re saying.

Students should be apprised of the current political atmosphere and told about the University’s procedures in case of emergency situations, be they political, natural disasters, terrorist attack, etc. Students should be given practical advice on how to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Common sense goes a long way. Don’t be out alone at night, don’t carry much money, keep a copy of your passport, etc.

Non-traditional destinations do sometimes involve increased health risks, from traveler’s diarrhea to more serious maladies such as malaria. Pre-planning and common sense are the best prevention. Participants should receive detailed information in writing as to what the risks are and how they can be avoided, including vaccination information and tips for personal first-aid kits. The program administrators should require health insurance coverage in the checklist of documents to be provided by all participants. Note that the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) comes with basic insurance coverage, medical evacuation and repatriation insurance but alone does not meet Cal Poly recommendations. The ISIC is available at Travel Time for minimal cost ($22 in 2001). A Teacher’s Identification Card may also be purchased at Travel Time.

Students and Resident Director should consult the following resources prior to international travel:

• Center for Disease Control
• Cal Poly’s Campus Health Center