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Study Abroad and International Travel Policy

Purpose

In keeping with its mission to “prepare students for membership in a global society,” Massasoit Community College (Massasoit or the College) strives to provide international study abroad experiences through its Global Learning at Massasoit (GL@M) program. This Policy provides parameters and expectations for College-sponsored international student travel to ensure the health and safety of all participating faculty, staff, and students when traveling to, from, and within a foreign country.

Although this Policy should be applied in conjunction with the College’s Local and Domestic Travel Policy, this Policy supersedes any conflict with the Local and Domestic Travel Policy.

Program Development

Generally, planning in collaboration with GL@M should begin 12-18 months in advance of the proposed date of travel. Faculty interested in leading a GL@M trip develop a general itinerary aligned with previously-vetted locations, such as Ireland, Morocco, Costa Rica, and Portugal. The GL@M team approves the itinerary and selects Faculty Leaders based on interest in leading the proposed trip and knowledge of the country’s history, culture, and/or language.

The Faculty Leaders identify and screen a reputable, third-party travel vendor with extensive experience hosting American groups in the country.  GL@M selects and approves the proposed programs from the vendor and the Faculty Leaders develop curriculum for the proposed program and may visit the country (with additional colleagues as needed) in advance of the proposed trip to further develop the program. 

Program Approval

GL@M presents the trip to the Dean of Liberal Studies & the Arts for review and submission to the College Cabinet for Consideration. All travel under this Policy must be approved by the College President after review and consideration by the College Cabinet. The College may not execute a contract or submit a deposit to its third-party study abroad vendor prior to the President’s approval.

Travel is prohibited to areas with any active U.S. Department of State or Centers for Disease Control or Prevention warnings or alerts that advise to reconsider or cancel travel plans. Trips may be cancelled at any point prior to departure and trips may conclude early if concerns escalate or advisories increase.

Program Launch

Upon approval by the President, faculty can begin student recruitment and help facilitate completion of any contracts and payments required to confirm the trip. Reminder, contracts are signed by the appropriate administrators in Administration & Finance. Student recruitment materials must include the information set forth below in the section titled Communication & Transparency.

Participant Eligibility

In order to participate in College-sanctioned study abroad opportunities, trip leaders, cultural or language liaisons, and participants must be:

  • Massasoit faculty or staff with a legitimate business reason for participation.
  • Massasoit students enrolled and accepted in the study abroad trip.
  • Other individuals with a documented reason for participating and approved by the Dean of Liberal Studies & the Arts, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management, and the President.

 

Anyone traveling under this Policy must have the appropriate documentation - regardless of citizenship or legal status - allowing them to do so. This includes, but is not limited to, possession of a valid passport, necessary travel authorizations, and necessary visas at the time of travel. It is the responsibility of trip participants to obtain their own documentation and provide copies to the College.

Minimum Requirements for Students

In order to participate in a study abroad program at Massasoit, students must, at the time of travel:

  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Be in good academic standing as defined in the College Catalog.
  • Be free of any administrative or conduct restrictions that would preclude participation.
  • Be enrolled in the INTR 202 Global Studies Seminar after successfully completing an application and the admission process.
    • This includes additional application requirements and steps.
  • Have completed English Composition I.
  • Note that a Modern Language class is also strongly recommended.

Minimum Criteria for Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff selected to participate in study abroad at Massasoit must, at the time of travel:

  • Be currently employed by the College.
  • Be a full-time teaching faculty member that has received Global Learning training or be an employee with experience managing conduct, Title IX, and other non-discrimination compliance protocols.
  • Be approved to participate by their supervisor and the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management, or President as appropriate.

Roles and Responsibilities

Faculty Leaders

Faculty employees of Massasoit responsible, in collaboration with GL@M, for all aspects of planning and implementation of the proposed trip, including identifying potential destinations; coordinating with third-party study abroad vendors; creating the itinerary and curricular components; obtaining approval from the Dean of Liberal Studies and Arts; submitting appropriate financial, insurance, and travel requests; and fulfilling all other requirements set forth in this Policy.

The Faculty Leaders serve as the programmatic contacts during the trip, maintain contact with the third-party study abroad vendor(s) and host institutions, and manage all academic and social aspects of the trip in collaboration with other members of the GL@M Team.

In-Country Leader

Employee of Massasoit designated to manage health, safety, security, and conduct aspects of the trip while in the country. They serve as the primary point of contact while in the country, and responsible for risk management, health and safety, and conduct for all participants, and have the ultimate decision making authority while in the country. They are expected to lead the group safely through the host country’s border zone and are scheduled to remain in the host-country for up to two full calendar days after the departure of the group should any student be denied reentry to the United States or if any adverse issues impacting a student's return arise while in the country. They can contact emergency contacts to help facilitate direct contact with the student. At the border zone, while the In-Country Leader stays back, the Faculty Leader will lead the group through boarding, flight home, and reentry in Boston or Providence.

Additionally, the In-Country Leader shall register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy in the host country, and provide the Embassy with the program itinerary and participant names. The In-Country Leader will serve as the College’s primary point of contact, check in daily with the Stateside Leader, and remain “on call” at all times throughout the duration of the entire trip. The College will issue the In-Country Leader a cell phone with an international plan for use during the trip and will provide access to a procurement card.

The In-Country Leader will be designated by the Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management after consulting with the GL@M Team.

Stateside Leader

Non-faculty employee of Massasoit responsible for coordinating with the In-Country Leader to monitor and mitigate risks. In the event of an emergency, the Stateside Leader will facilitate communication between College leadership, emergency response staff, and student emergency contacts if needed. If the emergency involves an employee, the Stateside Leader will contact the Office of Human Resources, which will then communicate with the employee’s emergency contact.

The Stateside Leader will be designated by the Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management. The Stateside Leader will serve as the immigration resource for the trip and maintain a relationship with the College’s DHS field representative. Please note, the College’s role is limited to providing support, information, and resources, and is not required to provide direct advocacy or representation. The Stateside Leader will be “on call” at all times throughout the duration of the entire trip.

Staff Liaisons

Faculty employees of Massasoit primarily responsible for assisting the Faculty Leaders with in-country programmatic, linguistic/cultural, and academic aspects of the trip. Liaisons may assist the Faculty Leaders in developing, planning, or coordinating aspects of the trip in the months leading up to the trip. Additionally, liaisons will assist the In-Country Lead in emergency situations as needed. All liaisons are required to add an international plan to their cell phone to be used in emergencies, which the College will reimburse.

Student Communication & Transparency

Throughout the participant recruitment process and in advance of purchasing tickets, the College will provide students with information about participation requirements, travel documentation requirements, travel risks, required releases and forms, travel preparation advice, sufficiently detailed itinerary information to allow students to determine whether they are mentally and physically able to participate, and the availability of reasonable accommodations.

All participants will be advised concerning the following:

  • Conduct expectations
  • Academic program expectations
  • Safety and security overview
  • Health and wellness overview
  • Immigration/customs overview
    • Includes awareness of any criminal background/history that may delay or inhibit reentry into the United States.
  • If students are not U.S. citizens, they are advised to:
    • Have a conversation with the College’s International Coordinator
    • Speak to their immigration attorney about their specific circumstances
      • If a student does not have an immigration attorney, the College will direct them to a free/low-cost resource.
      • Non-citizen participants should include their immigration attorney as an emergency contact.

Student participants will be required to attend an information session where the above information will be shared and discussed.

Student participants will be asked to submit:

  • Copies of their passports/travel documents
  • Proof of travel insurance
  • Signed trip release form
  • Signed vendor release form (if applicable)
  • Signed health history form
  • Signed international trip health clearance form
  • Signed media release
    • With exceptions for those with confidentiality holds
  • Signed international trip expectations acknowledgement
  • Completed emergency contact sheet, including immigration attorney contact information where applicable.

The above documentation should be submitted to GL@M and will be saved in the Dean of Students Office and copies provided to the students.

At all times when traveling to, from, and within the host country, students must:

  • Conduct themselves in accordance with the Code of Conduct at all times.
  • Travel with the group to and from the host country and not travel separately to, arrive earlier to, or depart later from the destination. The Faculty Leaders will coordinate group travel to and from Logan International Airport in Boston or T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island.
  • Remain in groups of two or more at all times, except in special circumstances in accordance with the explicit permission of the Faculty Leaders, and advise the Faculty Leaders, In-Country Leader, or Liaisons of their plans and expected time of return.
  • Utilize an agreed-upon communications method to stay in contact with the Faculty Leaders, In-Country Leader, Liaisons, and other participants in the group.
  • Stay overnight only at their assigned accommodation.
  • Call local authorities immediately and subsequently notify the In-Country Leader in the event of an immediate threat, danger, or health emergency. Notify the In-Country Leader immediately of any adverse incident that does not present immediate threat, danger, or health emergency.
  • Carry a copy of their passport, enough currency for phone calls and transportation, and the hotel phone number and address.

Risk Management

Travel Insurance

All participants are required to procure a personal travel insurance policy that covers the costs of flight delays, trip cancellations, medical emergencies, baggage delay or loss, interference by weather or civil disturbances, evacuation, repatriation, etc. In some instances, a specific policy may be recommended/required by the College or the vendor. Proof of insurance is required before the College purchases airline tickets.

Additionally, the College may procure a group policy. Further, the Commonwealth’s insurance covers employees when travelling with the authorization of the President and on College business.

Documentation

The In-Country Leader must carry the following documents at all times during the trip:

  • Copies of participant IDs/passports with photos
  • Emergency contact lists
  • Emergency response protocols with contact information and actions/steps.
  • Emergency response guide
  • Incident report form

Emergency Reporting

In the case of a life-threatening emergency, including but not limited to fire, active threat, or a medical emergency, all participants are advised to immediately contact local authorities if a leader is not immediately available. For example, in Ireland the emergency services contact number is 999 or 112, and in Portugal it is 112.

For all other emergencies, participants are advised to contact the In-Country Leader immediately. Once initial safety measures are taken and it is safe to do so, the In-Country Leader is to then contact the Stateside Leader. Anything involving a crime or the health of a student should be communicated to the Stateside Leader immediately. All other issues should be communicated within 24 hours.

Conduct Expectations

As representatives of the College abroad, at all times throughout the duration of the trip, participants must assume responsibility for their own actions and comply with all applicable conduct expectations, including:

  • The standards and policies established by the College, including the Code of Conduct, which is located in the College Catalog, along with any other policies provided to participants in advance of the trip.
  • The laws, regulations, and customs of the host country, and any rules set forth by a host institution, place of accommodation, or trip vendor.
  • The laws and regulations of the United States of America as it pertains to traveling through its border zones - including airports.
  • The reasonable directives of College personnel, law enforcement, or other first responders during the performance of their duties.

A student found in violation of the College’s Code of Conduct shall be subject to sanctions as defined in the Code of Conduct, including but not limited to restriction from further participation in the trip, including but not limited to, the immediate return to home country, and a requirement that the student reimburse the College for the cost of the trip.