1. Faculty-Led International Travel Risk Mitigation, Emergency Preparedness and Response
CSU Channel Islands
Katharine Hullinger, ARM
Risk Manager
(805)

2. Purpose of Emergency Preparedness
CI Risk Management, along with the CI Center for International Affairs (CIA) and the CI Police Department, strive to provide support and services to the study abroad community (students, faculty, staff, and parents) in order to prepare for emergencies and respond to crises abroad.

3. Crisis Response Team
Travel Leader (typically a faculty member leading the program)
Program Coordinator (Chair or Dean)
Academic Program Representative
Risk Manager
CSU’s Foreign Travel Insurance Program Administrator
Public Information Officer
Student Affairs Representative
Campus Legal Counsel
University Police

4. Prevent, Prepare and Respond
Prevent foreseeable harm
Prepare for conceivable emergencies by providing information, tools, and resources
Respond to needs of students, parents, faculty, and staff

5. Reasons for Advance Planning
Reduce anxiety on the part of students, parents and program leaders
Give all participants some control over their safety and well-being
Facilitate support for program leaders in difficult situations

6. Tools & Resources for Student Preparation
Orientation – plan orientation meetings that prepare students for their international experience.
Discuss with students the typical risks associated with foreign travel, as well as destination-specific risks that students should consider.
Reference Materials – inform students about guidelines for safety abroad, found on the State Department’s Travel Warning website; University’s Code of Conduct.
Student Health Center – students should discuss the following with a medical professional:
Pre-existing medical conditions
Vaccines/preventative medications
Health precautions (waterborne diseases, insects, etc.)
Medical Disclosure forms should be collected from each student.

7. Preparation and Response
General Emergency Preparedness
Pre-departure orientations
Foreign Travel Insurance and Travel Assist Cards (required)
On-site orientation
Responding to Emergencies
CSUCI 24/7 Emergency Assistance Line (University Police)
Medical Emergencies
General Emergencies
Discipline Problems
General Liability or Legal Problems
ACE Travel Assistance
Program

8. General Emergency Preparedness

9. Pre-departure for Students
Do not give medical advice to students – refer them to the Health Center, Center for Disease Control (CDC), and their own physicians.
Require that students attend program orientation meetings.
Collect Air Travel and University Waivers, as well as Medical Disclosures from students

10. Pre-departure for Faculty
Begin preparations at least 6 months prior to departure.
Identify potential risks in host country using the U.S. State Department website and disseminate relevant information to students.
Read the Crisis Response Plan and the Faculty Handbook.
Follow the Checklist for Planning a Trip Abroad.
Notify Risk Management of pending trip – required travel insurance will be obtained for all travelers.

13. Travel Assist Document

14. Foreign Travel Insurance and Travel Assist Cards
CSU maintains Foreign Travel Insurance
Foreign Travel Insurance is a blanket policy funded by the CSU, with premiums absorbed by the Risk Management office.
Providing this information ensures that the participants have proper travel assistance and ensures knowledge of whereabouts in the event of an emergency.
A Foreign Travel Insurance Travel Assist document must be obtained PRIOR to departure. This document serves as your confirmation that coverage for your trip is in place.
Please contact the campus Risk Manager (805) for additional information.

15. Foreign Travel Insurance benefits include:
Liability coverage, excess auto liability when renting vehicles, medical repatriation, accident, illness and dental coverage, simplified access to embassy and consular contacts, and other executive assistance services.
International workers’ compensation claim processing for University employees injured while traveling abroad on University business.

16. Cell Phone Information
Arrange for international phone service in advance.
Confirm ability to access
voice mail.

17. What to Bring Cell Phone (do not pack in suitcase)
Copy of each student’s passport
Travel Assist document
Students’ Medical Disclosure Forms
Scanned copies of Liability Waivers – they contain medical treatment authorization.

18. What To Do Immediately Upon Arrival
Confirm that your cell phone international calling plan has been activated.
Notify CI CIA immediately if a student does not arrive.
Refrain from turning off phone for long periods of time.

19. First On-site Orientation
Remind students not to leave money, electronics, jewelry, or other valuables unprotected in residences.
Have students write the emergency information in their handbooks or on back of business cards.
Include name, program, residence name, address, phone number, faculty leader name/cell, and local emergency number (host country’s equivalent to 911)
Always carry the Travel Assist document.
Discuss known risks with students.
Share faculty cell phone number with students.
Convey the local emergency number.
Obtain student cell phone numbers.
Implement a “communications tree” for students.
Consider a “buddy system”.
Remind students to never leave lodging without money or ID.

20. Create an Emergency Action Plan
Discuss how to respond to potential
crises in your area:
Instruct all students to read the Crisis Management page of the Study Abroad Safety Handbook.
Designate a primary and secondary meeting place.
Agree on when, where, and how to meet.
Require students to check-in with families or their emergency contact.
Designate a student leader in case faculty leader is incapacitated or unavailable.

21. Responding to Emergencies

22. 24/7 Emergency Assistance Line
To report an emergency or receive immediate guidance, call
This number is answered by the CI Police Dispatcher, who will take your information and contact the most appropriate CI official to address your concerns.
Keep your phone handy. The CI official will call you back.

23. What is a Medical Emergency?
Any hospitalization, no matter how brief, and
Sexual assault
Severe food poisoning
Severe allergic reaction
Any mental health issue
Any incident involving serious injuries, such as sports or leisure accidents, slips and falls, etc.

24. Responding to Medical Emergencies CI faculty and staff must do the following:
Seek appropriate medical care.
Provide appropriate medical information (supplied by student on his/her medical disclosure form).
Call ACE Travel Assistance Program for 24/7 Emergency Assistance at
This number is on your Travel Assist document.
Notify CI CIA of your location and status by calling CI CIA at
(during business hours) or Campus Police at
(24/7).
Protect students’ right to medical privacy. Share only necessary details with individuals on a need-to-know basis.
Incident Report Form to CI Risk Management upon return to campus.

25. Injuries to traveling staff and faculty
The University’s foreign travel insurance policy provides University employees traveling abroad with workers' compensation coverage.
Please contact the campus Risk Manager at if a staff or faculty member is injured while traveling abroad.
The Risk Manager will report employees’ international travel related injuries to the appropriate claim administrator.

26. What is a General Emergency?
Protests/Civil Unrest
Armed Conflict
Terrorist Activity
Military Coup
Widespread Rioting
Earthquakes
Hurricanes
Epidemic
A general emergency is anything newsworthy regardless of its impact on students or programs.

27. Responding to General Emergencies
CI staff and faculty and must do the following:
Secure a safe location.
Contact or respond to directions of local authorities.
Call CI CIA at (during business hours)
or campus police dispatch at (24 hours) and
advise of your location and status.
Wait for further instructions from CI CIA.
Communicate CI instructions/information to students.
Maintain communications with CI CIA and campus police.
may be the best form of communication. Use and check
often during a crisis.

28. On-Campus Emergency Response Team Priorities in a Crisis
Account for all students, staff, and faculty.
Respond to concerned callers.
Receive valuable information about crises from CSU’s foreign travel insurance administrator.
Provide CI leadership with regular updates.
Assess safety of location for continued program presence.
Communicate safety assessment to faculty/students.
Interact with the media

29. Discipline problems
Read the CSUCI Student Code of Conduct in the Student Guidebook.
Read the campus substance abuse and alcohol policies.
Keep CI CIA informed of discipline problems – CIA staff can assist with assessment and response.
Violations (NOTE: Egregious violations allow for immediate dismissal)
1st - Verbal Warning (and CI CIA)
2nd - Written Warning
3rd – Dismissal
Include in warning letter:
Incident
Effect on self, other students, program, and/or host country
Notation of program policy violation
Warning and disciplinary action (written explicitly)

30. Personal Liability
General Liability coverage is included in the Foreign Travel Insurance Program (FTIP).
The University will indemnify and defend faculty and staff provided they have acted reasonably in the scope of their employment.
Faculty and staff are expected to respond to emergencies with reasonableness and good faith.

31. Mitigate Potential Liability
FERPA/HIPAA
Protect students’ medical privacy.
Title IX Prohibition Against Sex Discrimination
Do not hold office hours in your hotel room.
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption with students or while on duty.
Discourage students of the opposite sex from sharing accommodations.
Americans With Disabilities Acts
Understand that some medical conditions may qualify as disabilities, and that many disabilities are invisible.

32. The Americans with Disabilities Acts
Be aware that the Americans with Disabilities Acts (1990 and 2000) prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.

33. Limiting ADA Claims
Do not discourage students with disabilities from studying abroad.
Do not over-promise an ability to provide the same accommodations abroad.
Be factual about challenges (such as lack of curb cuts for wheelchair users), but do not impose judgment on a student’s ability to meet such challenges.
Offer students opportunities to share their needs – trust them to know what they can and cannot do.

34. Upon Return - Talk to Risk Management
We improve our overall ability to mitigate risk and respond to emergencies by analyzing both positive experiences
and problems we have encountered.