Faculty and Staff
Emergencies Abroad
Contact the local 9-1-1 equivalent in that country and know how to ask for first responder help in the foreign language, to include providing your location. Travelers should also have familiarized themselves in advance with the locations of the nearest police station and medical facilities.
When it is safe to do so and depending on your insurance carrier, contact the international emergency assistance provider AXA Assistance (faculty/staff/employees) or On Call International (students) 24/7 for assistance and reference your policy number when calling. These providers are NOT first responders.
Faculty should have the emergency contact information for all students traveling on their program.
Link here.
Apart from teaching your course, faculty leaders are responsible for their students during the program abroad. Student health while abroad is of the utmost importance and SDSU provides faculty with predeparture training to prepare them to support students’ health and wellness.
Suggested Timelines
Risk Rating
Review the Department of State country information and travel advisory pages, the On Call International risk rating(s) or Chubb Travel Intelligence Portal, and any other open-source intelligence information for the foreign country(ies) and locations you are visiting to ensure you understand the safety and security risks and can properly mitigate those risks via risk mitigation planning. Log into the On Call International plan information portal with the SDSU Group ID 100204GRIP22 to learn more about available services and benefits, gain access to pre-trip resources through plan materials and orientation videos, and access its Global Risk Intelligence site for country-specific health, safety and cultural information and advice.
Generally, travel is prohibited to high-risk countries or locations for which 1) the Department of State (DOS) or On Call International risk ratings are "Level 4 (Do Not Travel)" or "Critical (5)”, respectively, 2) the CSU Risk Management Authority (CSURMA) foreign traveler underwriter has listed as a high hazard or war risk country, or 3) there is reliable information of significant safety, security, or health risks. Travel to all high-risk destinations, to include the aforementioned and DOS Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or higher or On Call Risk Rating of “High (4)” or higher, require pre-approval by International Affairs.
Faculty, staff, employees, and student employees traveling on university approved business to international destinations as part of their employment are REQUIRED to be enrolled in the CSU's Foreign Travel Insurance Program (FTIP) prior to departure. The FTIP coverage summary can be accessed here via a valid SDSU ID. Coverage is not automatic; travel must be reported to Risk Management at least 45 days prior to departure to ensure the binding of coverage and administrative processing. Depending on the employment category of faculty/staff, complete a T2 (Request for Absence from Campus) and the FTIP request form or Concur travel request via the Travel Section of the Procure to Pay website (see Resources & Support for campus travel policy, procedures and forms). Approval of your international trip within the Procure to Pay system (Concur) is conditional upon you registering complete travel details in the Travel Registry. Submit all paperwork through your campus department for approval. For additional details, refer to the BFA Risk Management website regarding Foreign Travel.
Chubb Insurance is the insurance carrier for FTIP and the full coverage summary can be accessed via a valid SDSU ID. On Call International insurance, aka “SDSU Travel Abroad Insurance” through the JCB website is optional for SDSU faculty, staff, and employees who are enrolled in the required FTIP insurance. On Call provides different coverages than FTIP for different claim types, i.e., pandemic coverages. Faculty/staff and employees should review the coverage exclusions and inclusions of both the FTIP and On Call policies to determine whether they would like to purchase the optional On Call insurance. On Call provides a 'Resource Hub' (link) that lists detailed insurance plan documents, pre-departure resources (pre-trip itinerary review), 24/7 Global Response Center contact information, claims information, etc. As applicable, contact [email protected] for instructions on how to purchase the On Call insurance.
All travelers to any location, particularly ones traveling to high-risk locations as defined in the 'Risk Rating' section above, can request an On Call "Pre-Trip Itinerary Review" via the aforementioned Resource Hub link or via [email protected]. In addition to the information listed in the insurance plan documents, On Call can provide requesters of this review information about what to do in the event of trip interruptions / delays caused by an emergency / non-emergency and what is / is not covered by the insurance BEFORE they experience an adverse situation.
If travel is to countries on the CSU High Hazardous / War Risk Country List, the CSU Chancellor’s Office must review / approve the travel. An additional premium to the FTIP insurance applies to travel to these high hazard countries. Additionally, if travel to an OFAC-sanctioned country on the CSU High Hazardous / War Risk Country List, a travel certification / OFAC affidavit must be obtained from [email protected], signed by the traveler, and emailed back to the referenced Risk Management email.
If faculty are traveling with students, please refer the students to the Global Education Office, 619-594-2475 or [email protected] to complete their travel requirements and enrollment in the On Call / SDSU Travel Abroad Insurance. Faculty leading students must be enrolled in the FTIP insurance and will also generally be batch-enrolled in the same On Call insurance as that of their students at no additional cost to the faculty.
Review the information about how to access your international travel insurance abroad and how to contact the associated international emergency assistance provider in case of emergencies.
Check your personal health insurance plan for international coverage.
Schedule a Travel Medical Consult: SDSU Student Health Services provides these services to help you plan a safe and healthy trip whenever you travel outside the U.S., whether for vacation or university business abroad.
If you have prescription medication, ensure you have enough medication to last the entirety of your travels and check that it’s legal to bring to your destination.
Schedule a medical consultation to ensure you are healthy to travel and obtain vaccines required for entry into the foreign country(ies).
Register your travels on the TerraDotta website. SDSU strongly recommends activation of the Alert Traveler smartphone app and enabling GPS and associated location searches to be “ALWAYS ON” in the event of an emergency.
Decide which electronic devices to bring and if necessary, request loaner devices (laptop, tablet, etc.) from the SDSU Information Technology Department. Depending on what you are taking and the country to which you are traveling, a license could be required from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, or Treasury.
Determine if your phone plan covers international calls, texts, and data and activate international phone and data service.
Identify specific challenges in the country you are visiting to prepare for your travels and develop a contingency plan to deal with identified safety and security risks.
Create a communication plan including key contacts.
Make backup copies of your important travel documents.
Register your travels with the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
Notify your financial institutions of the countries to which you are traveling.
Be cognizant of Clery Crimes and Title IX Violations reporting timeframes. If you are a Campus Security Authority (CSA) and are seeking to report a crime that you learned of in your role as a CSA, provide information about the crime here. To report a Title IX incident, use this link.
Comply with any U.S. entry requirements regarding vaccinations, disease testing (and proof of negative results), etc.
Comply with SDSU health restrictions after travel.
Visit SDSU Counseling and Psychological Services if experiencing reverse culture shock.