International Trip Approvals

Any trip sponsored by Whitman that involves students travelling outside the United States must be approved by the College.  Depending on which department is sponsoring the trip, the approval will come from the Provost (Academic) or the Dean of Students (Student Services) through an application submitted to the Off-Campus Studies Office, Mem 204.

A trip is considered "Whitman sponsored" if any one of the following is true:

• The trip is organized by a Whitman department, office or student organization
• The trip is receiving funding from Whitman College
• Whitman credit is earned for the trip
• A Whitman faculty or staff member is leading the trip with Whitman students

IMPORTANT:
The College normally does not approve trips to destinations with a US Department of State Travel Warning recommending that US citizens defer non-essential travel and higher-level warnings.  Similarly, trips to destinations with a high health risks based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) advisories will also normally not be approved.

College funds will not be released until the trip has received final approval by the appropriate Budget Officer under this process.  For that reason, we highly recommend that you do not make financial commitments (ie purchase airline tickets) until you have received your notification of approval.

Types of trips in this category include:

• Student-organization sponsored international trip without a faculty/staff leader
• Student(s) engaging in an international internship or community service project abroad funded by Whitman
• Student research abroad funded by Whitman and not accompanied by a faculty/staff leader

STEP 1: SUBMIT TRIP FORM - 3 months prior to departure

Student trip leader* should download and submit an Unaccompanied Student Trip Approval Form to the Off-Campus Studies Office, Mem 204 no later than 3 months prior to departure.

Notification about trip approval will be issued by the Dean of Students Office.  Approval for such trips may be withdrawn if conditions in the destination countries deteriorate prior to departure.

*  All unaccompanied student trips abroad must have a designated trip leader.  This will either be the individual student (when only one student is travelling) or a student who has been designated as the group leader.  

Unaccompanied Student Trip Approval Form (please download)

STEP 2: SUBMIT REQUIRED DOCUMENTS - 1 month prior to departure

After submitting the Unaccompanied Student Trip Approval Form the student trip leader is responsible for distributing and collecting the following completed pre-departure forms from each of the students and submitting them to the Off-Campus Studies Office at least 1 month prior to departure.

1. Dean of Students Clearance Form - This form will be used by the Off-Campus Studies Office to send the list of names of the participants to the Dean of Students Office to make sure that participants have no history of discipline or other nonacademic problems. Trip leaders must wait until receiving word about clearance from the Dean of Students Office before purchasing airline tickets for themselves or for other participants.
2. Unaccompanied Student Trip Release Form must be signed by both the student and parent.  The CDC immunization recommendations and U.S. State Department Travel Advisories for countries to be visited must be attached for participants to review.
3. Proof of Medical Insurance Form (demonstrates student is covered while abroad)
4. ISIC Application (benefits include medical evacuation insurance)
5. Final itinerary includes flight numbers and accommodation addresses and telephone numbers with relevant dates
6. Emergency Contact Form (provides cell phone number(s) for trip leader(s) and other emergency contact information)

STEP 3: REGISTER GROUP WITH EMBASSY - 1 week prior to departure

Prior to departure the trip leader is responsible for registering all group participants on-line at the U.S. Embassy in the countries that you will be in so that U.S. officials can contact and assist the group in the event of an emergency.

STEP 4: PROVIDE LOCAL EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO - immediately upon arrival

Immediately upon arrival overseas, the trip leader should provide participants with local emergency contact information, such as how to reach the leader after hours and where to go for medical attention.

IMPORTANT PREDEPARTURE INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

To help the students have realistic expectations for their foreign experience, Whitman students leading trips should provide their fellow participants with appropriate pre-departure information. Guidelines for pre-departure information are described below. While it is the student leader's responsibility to organize the pre-departure information, the Off-Campus Studies Office can provide suggestions for sources of information.

• Information on how to obtain a passport and visa if required
• Description of course/activity including details about credit, prerequisites and academic expectations
• Description of physical abilities necessary for activity (e.g. strenuous hiking)
• Calendar and itinerary
• Program cost, availability of financial aid and billing procedures
• Description of housing and living conditions
• Banking and money matters (ATM, Travelers Checks, etc.)
• Description of local conditions including access to medical facilities, road safety, health risks, crime, attitudes toward Americans
• Cultural norms and taboos
• Appropriate clothing, luggage and other items to bring
• Emergency contact information for the student group while abroad such as e-mail address, fax and telephone numbers for participants to give to their parents