03.510 Travel Abroad and Re-Entry Policy

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Established May 1, 2009

• UNCW Education Abroad Program Refund Policy
• UNCW’s Communicable Disease Policy
• UNCW Leave Policies
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Federal Pandemic Flu Site, Travel Section
• World Health Organization
• US Department of State, Travel Section
• Overseas Security Advisory Council

Office of International Programs

Policy Details:

1. Purpose

   1. UNCW seeks to balance its strategic goal of creating an educational environment that prepares students to be global citizens with the goal of providing a safe living, learning and working environment. This policy supplements the university’s safety initiatives and the pandemic flu plan to reduce the likelihood that faculty, staff, and students are exposed to high risk situations such as terrorism, civil unrest, war, pandemic virus, or natural disaster.

   2. While these situations are rare events, their occurrences or spread cannot be predicted. The university relies on U.S. Department of State (DOS) travel warnings and consular information sheets, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel notices and health advisories, and the World Health Organization (WHO) alerts to determine if university travel is safe for employees and students.

   3. Since the university cannot guarantee safety, university employees and students have the responsibility to assess their own personal risks and make a decision either to continue with the planned travel and/or undertake measures to minimize the risk of exposure to a pandemic virus or volatile regions of the world. Faculty, staff, and students who intend to travel or are traveling are responsible for their own personal safety and must take an active role becoming informed about the

      potential hazards or risks associated with travel to the country where they are going. Faculty, staff and students are responsible for reviewing all alerts, notices, advisories, and warnings issued by the DOS, the CDC, and/or the WHO for the travel country, both prior to and during travel.

2. Policy

   1. Faculty, staff, and students are discouraged from traveling to any at- risk countries, locales or regions as identified by DOS, CDC or WHO.

   2. All university travel shall be banned or suspended in countries, locales or regions where the DOS forbids, restricts or otherwise urges U.S. citizens to defer travel or where there is a WHO designation of Phase 5 or higher. No employee or student is required to travel to any place where DOS has issued a Travel Warning, the CDC has issued a Travel Health Warning or the WHO has issued a Phase 4 Alert.

   3. Depending on the level of advisory, alert or warning, the university may ban or suspend travel to a particular country, locale or region. The discretionary decision to ban or suspend travel shall be made by the Provost or designee.

   4. The Office of International Programs shall maintain a list of banned travel locations for university travel. Any exceptions to the banned travel list shall be submitted to and be made by the Provost or designee and shall only be for reasons related to essential research or service or requested expertise in a particular subject matter.

   5. If travel is banned to a particular location, no university funds may be used for such travel. The university may not sponsor student activities and programs in such cases, but students may complete a supplemental waiver, take a leave of absence from UNCW, or study abroad independently with possible eligibility for transfer credit which is not guaranteed. In the event of travel suspension, university officials will determine the best means for faculty, staff and students to return to the United States.

   6. Travel includes transit through an airport in an affected area.

   7. Students may be eligible for a refund of all or a portion of the payment of a university-sponsored study abroad program, but the availability of a refund is not guaranteed and will depend on the circumstances of each case. Refunds of tuition, mandatory fees, and/or program fees shall be processed and made in accordance with established university policies.

3. Procedures for Travel Advisories Related to the Pandemic Flu Virus or Other Communicable Disease

   1. In the event that the pandemic virus or other communicable disease begins to spread to humans and the CDC issues a travel advisory, employees and students traveling to affected countries, locales or regions must notify their respective dean or director or immediate supervisor, and the Office of International Programs prior to leaving or, if travel has already begun, prior to returning to campus.

   2. International employees or students arriving from countries, locales or regions on CDC’s travel advisory list will be required to provide documentation that they have been outside of the affected country, locale or region for at least a full two weeks prior to working, enrolling, or returning to campus. Employees and students must notify the Office of International Programs prior to their intent to return to campus.

   3. If an employee or student travels on university business or on a university sponsored program, as a condition of that travel, he or she must agree to abide by current CDC recommendations for travelers returning from influenza pandemic virus or other health advisory areas, including any provisions for self-quarantine prior to returning to campus, even if the individual has no symptoms. This is a precautionary measure for the safety and health of the campus community.

   4. If an employee or student travels on his or her own, he or she must also agree to abide by current CDC recommendations for travelers returning from advisory areas, including any provisions for self- quarantine prior to returning to campus, even if the individual has no symptoms. This is a precautionary measure for the safety and health of the campus community.

4. Leave Accounting and Return to Campus

   1. Employees who have traveled and are self-quarantined or experience illness may take leave from work as follows: sick leave, administrative leave in accordance with the UNCW Communicable Disease Policy, annual leave, accrued comp time, worker’s compensation, and/or leave under the UNCW Family and Medical Leave Policy. Such employees must contact their immediate supervisor and the Office of Human Resources for leave accounting purposes.

   2. Students who have traveled and are self-quarantined upon return or experience illness may seek medical withdrawal from either the Office of the Dean of Students (undergraduates) or the Graduate School.

   3. Before returning to campus, employees must be symptom-free and are required to submit a fitness for duty certificate from their health care provider to Human Resources and receive prior approval from the university to return to work.

   4. Before returning to campus, students must be symptom-free and are required to submit a medical release from their health care provider and obtain a health clearance from the Student Health Center.