College for Creative Studies (CCS) is committed to recruiting international students and developing global partnerships; however, the College recognizes that situations exist in which the risks may outweigh the advantages of the international travel. All employees planning to travel abroad, must discuss their travel plans with their Vice President prior to making travel arrangements. The Vice President will research travel advisories. The College reserves the right to cancel or alter any program when, based on a review of relevant information and resources, we determine that the security or health of employees may be threatened.
Statement of Policy:
Destinations (countries, states, or cities) with travel advisory levels 2, 3 or 4 from the United States Department of State (DOS) or under an active travel advisory from the World Health Organization (WHO) and/or Centers for Disease Control (CDC) may be determined to be high-risk travel destinations. All international CCS-related travel to any such destination requires approval from the employee’s Vice President; travel to destinations with a level 3 or 4 DOS advisory requires approval from the employee’s Vice President and approval by the College’s leadership. A High Risk designation may also be given to countries or regions with a rating of a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1-5) by the College’s third party travel security firm.
For the purposes of this policy “international CCS-related employee travel” is travel on behalf of and paid for by CCS. Personal travel is not covered by this policy.
| Advisory Level & Source | Required Protocol | Decision/Approval Authority |
|---|---|---|
| DOS Level 1 – exercise normal precautions | Submit travel plan to employee’s VP | VP approves |
| DOS Level 2 – exercise increased precautions | VP approves or consults with College Leadership to finalize decision | |
| WHO/CDC alert or advisory | ||
| DOS Level 3 – reconsider travel | If approved by VP, must also be approved by College Leadership
| |
| DOS Level 4 – do not travel | VP conduct full review |
Process to Request Permission to Travel to a High Risk Destination
Any employee that would like to participate in an international travel activity to a location determined to be high risk, must seek approval through their Vice President. Depending on the nature of the international travel, other members of the CCS community may also be asked to participate in the analysis, when appropriate.
The request for permission to travel to a high risk destination should be sent to the employee’s Vice President must include the following:
- Employee must complete the Request for Exception to Travel Restrictions form.
- Proof of comprehensive medical insurance coverage and appropriate vaccinations if health risk is present.
The Vice President will review the request to travel and if approved, will forward the request along with the rationale for approval to CCS College Leadership who will make the final decision if the travel is to a destination with a DOS Level 3 or 4 warning.
Approved travel – if the situation deteriorates or the DOS significantly changes its advisory, permission to travel may be revoked at the discretion of the College Leadership.
If the permission to travel is denied and the employee travels despite the denial:
- Any travel to the denied destination will be considered personal travel;
- No logistical support will be provided by the College;
- No funds processed through CCS may be used for this travel