Rhodes College Faculty and Staff Travel Policy
Rhodes College Faculty and Staff Travel Policy
Introduction
The Rhodes College Faculty and Staff Travel Policy determines in which countries and regions Rhodes College faculty and staff may travel for work or professional development as representatives of the College. Resources: US Dept. of State Travel Advisory Page and International SOS Travel Risk Interactive Map.
Restricted Destinations
Policy
Rhodes College will not support or finance any travel to countries designated by the U.S. State Department as a Level 4 country. Level 3 countries are presumed to be off limits but permission may be given under certain conditions, see below. Travel to Level 2 destinations will generally be approved after the faculty or staff member indicates they have reviewed the details of the travel warning and are willing to accept the risk. (See below)
Approval
It is expected that approval will be granted for many proposals for travel to restricted destinations. Faculty travel approvals are made by the Provost and staff travel approvals are made by the relevant supervisor, both in consultation with the Buckman Center. The approval process includes a thorough review of the components of the proposal, i.e., the diligence of the proposal (level of strategic planning, level of vetting of vendors/partners/providers), the relevance of the purpose of the trip to the mission of the College, the experience and the perceived competence level of the proposer, and an in-depth review of the particular destination and itinerary within the restricted country.
US State Department Advisory Levels
Level 4. No approval for travel to these destinations will be given.
Level 3. Approval may be given for proposals for travel to Level 3 destinations if:
- No other of the following international travel advisories (Australia, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand), advise against travel to the destination.
- International SOS risk rating is no higher than medium.
- The itinerary must be limited to regions within the destination country for which the US State Department has indicated that the risk is lower than that for the overall risk of the country and International SOS has indicated that the risk is no greater than medium
- The itinerary has been reviewed and approved by our Risk analysis consultants, Loadstone International.
- The application demonstrates competence and due diligence including an understanding of the hazards and the implementation of risk mitigation strategies.
- The applicants agree to any additional requirements, e.g., Buckman Center requested changes in itinerary, the carrying of satellite communication devices, an agreement that no itinerary changes will be made once the program begins without permission and any additional vetting or addition of personnel deemed necessary.
- Approval may be granted for faculty applying for individual professional travel as well as to lead Rhodes students abroad.
- International SOS risk rating is no higher than medium.
- The itinerary must be limited to regions within the destination country for which the US State Department has indicated that the risk is no greater than that for the overall risk of the country and International SOS has indicated that the risk is no greater than medium.
- The application demonstrates competence and due diligence including an understanding of the hazards and the implementation of risk mitigation strategies.
- The applicants agree to any additional requirements, e.g., Buckman Center requested changes in itinerary, the carrying of satellite communication devices, an agreement that no itinerary changes will be made once the program begins without permission and any additional vetting or addition of personnel deemed necessary.
- Approval may be granted for faculty applying for individual professional travel as well as to lead Rhodes students abroad.