Travel Safety Policy

Policy Statement

I. PURPOSE

Dartmouth College (referred to in this Policy as "Dartmouth") is committed to supporting travel opportunities for all members of the Dartmouth community, both domestically and abroad, and encourages off-campus and experiential study, research, fieldwork, community-based learning, internships and other activities. These experiences help members of our community to develop important competencies through first- hand travel experience. Dartmouth also recognizes that its scholars are part of intellectual communities that span the globe, and supports the ability of its students, staff, and faculty members to travel to perform scholarly work, attend scientific conferences, present their discoveries, serve as peer reviewers, and engage in other forms of academic and scholarly partnership. Supporting these activities requires the management of risks and weighing of potential benefits to participants, with a goal of to maximizing personal safety and compliance with applicable regulations while enhancing the academic experience and respecting commitments to our off-campus partners.

II. SCOPE

This policy applies to all Dartmouth community members (students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, and others who are participating in Dartmouth programs) travelling on Dartmouth Business ("Dartmouth Travelers"). For the purposes of this policy, "Dartmouth Business" means travel that Dartmouth requires, supports, supervises, controls, or manages, which is financially supported by Dartmouth or through any Dartmouth account, and/or is expected to result in the granting of academic credit from Dartmouth. Note that travel supported by external grants (e.g., from federal agencies or private foundations) made to Dartmouth is included in the definition of Dartmouth Business.

III. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR DARTMOUTH TRAVELERS

A. Travel Registry

The Dartmouth Travel Registry is used to assist in identifying the needs of Dartmouth Travelers in the event of an emergency. Registration in the Dartmouth Travel Registry is required for all students (including all undergraduate, graduate and/or professional school students, as well as executive education students and others as required in any particular case) travelling internationally on Dartmouth Business, and is strongly recommended for all other Dartmouth Travelers.

B. Travel Exceptions

Using travel risk assessments conducted by several international organizations, Dartmouth has identified certain destinations which, due to safety considerations, will require that a Dartmouth Traveler obtain a "Travel Exception" before a trip is initiated. Please note that the list of countries may change from time to time in light of updated assessments or changing conditions. Travel on Dartmouth Business to any destination so identified is prohibited without a Travel Exception issued by the Office of the Provost before departure. Dartmouth Travelers will be required to  sign  a  release  of  liability  form  as  part  of  Dartmouth's  Travel  Exception  application  process. More information about the Travel Exception application process is available on the Global Dartmouth website.

C. Visa and Immigration Matters

A visa or other permissions may be required for the off-campus conduct of Dartmouth Business. Dartmouth Travelers travelling internationally are responsible for confirming whether a visa or any other permissions are needed well in advance of travel. Information on visas or other permissions needed is available through a third party vendor for outbound travel requirements (fees may apply) (see the Global Dartmouth website). In addition, individuals who are not US citizens or lawful permanent residents ("greencard holders") should contact the Dartmouth Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS) well in advance of departure to be sure that they understand any impact that traveling internationally may have on their ability to re-enter the United States.

D. Compliance with Dartmouth Policies

Dartmouth Travelers must comply with all applicable handbooks, codes of conduct, and policies and procedures of Dartmouth while travelling on Dartmouth Business. Additionally, Dartmouth programs or activities may have specific policies and procedures (for example, requirements imposed by sponsors of research) with which Dartmouth Travelers are expected to comply. Failure to comply with applicable policies and procedures may subject Dartmouth Travelers to disciplinary action.

E. Financial and Staffing Arrangements and Vendor Contracts

Official Dartmouth bank accounts may be opened only with prior approval from the Controller's Office, which will consider US and local rules and regulations (e.g., banking and tax) applicable to the particular country in which the account will be opened. Legal matters, such as those related to contracts, employment and/or engagement of independent contractors in support of Dartmouth programs operated internationally must be reviewed by the Office of Procurement Services and the Controller's Office, with consultation to the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Risk and Internal Controls as needed, before execution to ensure compliance with regulatory and other legal requirements. For more information on international staffing, see the Dartmouth International Staffing Policy.

F. Incident Reporting and Clery Act Compliance

All health and/or safety incidents should be reported to the Dartmouth Traveler's program or department. In emergency situations, or when Dartmouth Travelers learn of health or safety incidents that are of immediate concern, they should report such matters as soon as possible to their program or department and to Dartmouth Safety and Security. When communicating about incidents, it is important to include information about the date, time and location of the incident, identify who was involved, and provide a brief description. To report more routine, unfortunate events like the theft of a camera, laptop or other personal belonging, Dartmouth Travelers are encouraged to email a summary of the incident to their Dartmouth program administrator and/or faculty advisor. Having good information about incidents, even relatively minor ones (e.g., theft of a cell phone), enables the institution to improve information and support travelers.

In addition, responsible employees (known as Campus Security Authorities or CSAs) are required to disclose the occurrence of certain crimes and incidents to Dartmouth Safety and Security to ensure that Dartmouth is able to meet federally mandated reporting requirements. For more information about CSAs and reportable offenses, please see Clery Act compliance at Dartmouth on the Sexual Respect website or contact Dartmouth Safety and Security at (603) 646-4000.

IV. INFORMATION FOR DARTMOUTH UNITS ADMINISTERING OR FUNDING STUDENT TRAVEL

A. Orientations and Pre-Departure Resources

The Travel Safety Committee at Dartmouth has developed a number of sharable resources (available on the Global Dartmouth website) for Dartmouth Travelers that cover basic information on health, safety, and emergency response protocols, and is available to consult on the development of training materials. While an in-person pre-departure orientation is considered best practice, if a department, program or other unit administering or funding travel by students on Dartmouth Business is unable to offer such a session, at minimum these sharable resources are to be disseminated to the applicable Dartmouth Travelers (participants and trip directors/leaders) for review prior to their departure.

B. Continued Oversight of Student Travel on Dartmouth Business

Departments, programs, and other administrative units at Dartmouth have the following responsibilities when organizing, administering and/or funding travel by students on Dartmouth Business:

• Identify primary departmental contact for travel emergencies and any after-hours support, filed with Department of Safety & Security and Dean's On-Call lists.
• Maintain clearly written response plans/protocols in place in case of emergencies. (Samples are available on the Global Dartmouth website.)
• For travel to destinations requiring a Travel Exception:
  • Submit programmatic-level Travel Exception requests for group programs organized by the department, program or administrative unit. NOTE: programmatic-level Travel Exception should be secured prior to the advertisement and/or selection of participants in a program. If traveling internationally under a programmatic-level Travel Exception, advise all participants to also register their travel with the US State Department or the nearest embassy or consulate of their country of citizenship in their destination country.
  • If programmatic-level Travel Exceptions are not organized through the department, program or administrative unit (e.g., for small groups/pairs travelling together), monitor the Travel Exception requests submitted by individual participants.
• Collect and maintain records of signed risk acknowledgement forms and signed release of liability forms, as required. Samples of Dartmouth-approved travel risk acknowledgement and release of liability forms and guidance on when these forms are required are available from Global Dartmouth.
• Maintain an active record of travel itineraries of all participants and on-site contact details (e.g., cell number including country code for international numbers, web or app-based messaging contact information, local address, and/or other way to reach beyond Dartmouth e-mail), and emergency contacts.
• Ensure all students (including all undergraduate, graduate and/or professional school students, as well as executive education students and others as required in any particular case) that are travelling internationally on Dartmouth Business have registered their travel with the Dartmouth Travel Registry prior to departure.

• Provide participants with the following information:
  • Departmental contact details and after-hours (department or Department of Safety & Security) emergency support information.
  • Appropriate referrals for visa and passport services to ensure internationally-bound participants have any required permissions in connection with the Dartmouth Business (work, study, or other engagement) to be undertaken.
• Except as may be otherwise required, issue Dartmouth funding, academic credit, etc., only AFTER intended itineraries, emergency contacts, and any required release of liability/risk acknowledgement forms are completed and filed with the sponsoring department or program, Travel Registry entry has been completed (if travelling internationally), and any required Travel Exception has been granted from the Provost's Office.

V. GUIDANCE

Additional information, including travel guidelines and a travel checklist, of interest to Dartmouth Travelers are included on the Global Dartmouth website. These guidance documents may be amended from time to time by the Director of Risk and Internal Controls or his or her designee.

VI. EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICY, AMENDMENTS AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

This Policy is effective as of January 1, 2020 and replaces the Dartmouth Travel Risk Policy dated as of September 2012. This Policy may be revoked or amended by Dartmouth, in whole or in part, from time to time. The Provost (or his or her designee) and the Executive Vice President (or his or her designee), acting together, shall have the power to make revocations or amendments. Any such revocation or amendment shall become effective upon adoption by the Provost or the Executive Vice President, or as of such other time as the Provost or the Executive Vice President shall specify. Questions or disputes regarding the application, interpretation or implementation of this Policy shall be resolved by the Provost and the Executive Vice President, in consultation with the Director of Risk and Internal Controls and the General Counsel as needed. The decision of the Provost and the Executive Vice President on the matter shall be binding on Dartmouth and all individuals subject to this Policy.