As part of a continual effort to ensure the safety of Dartmouth students and faculty abroad, the Off-Campus Programs Office is creating a travel risk policy to address proposals for travel to countries currently under warning by the U.S. Department of State.
Until now, funding for travel proposals beyond those organized by the College has been considered on a case-by-case basis.
Although the College will continue to read and consider all proposals, officials are requesting that students and faculty abstain from traveling to the 25 countries on the State Department's travel warning list, including Indonesia, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and parts of Israel.
Other universities have adopted similar policies. After recently revamping its study abroad policies, Harvard cut funding for travel to any country on the State Department's warning list late last year after seeking legal counsel and deciding against the risk of being held liable for the safety of students studying abroad.
Harvard still encourages students to travel to these places on their own.
Dartmouth's new policy, which is nearing completion, was written with input from the Provost's Office, the Office of General Counsel and several other departments and offices. Dartmouth travel is defined as "travel by any member of the Dartmouth community related to any program or activity that is required or run by Dartmouth or financially supported through any Dartmouth account."
The policy, which distinguishes between Dartmouth-related travel and personal independent travel, states that a waiver must be signed when combining the two.
If a student proposes a trip to a country under warning, "it probably wouldn't be funded," Director of Off-Campus Programs John Tansey said.
Tansey added that the College would still consider all proposals because unforeseen circumstances might arise that should be considered. A waiver would be granted in extraordinary circumstances.
Because Dartmouth's foreign study programs are run primarily in European nations and other areas not currently under travel warning, the new travel risk policy will largely affect proposals for funding through the Dickey Center for International Understanding.
The College has previously banned foreign travel when students were perceived to be at risk, including an FSP to Beijing that would have followed the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome there.
Jamie Goodman '05 is currently taking a year off from Dartmouth to conduct field research for his thesis in Iran.
Although he said he took the year off partially to have enough time for research, he cited Dartmouth's stance on travel to tumultuous regions as another reason for his leave.
"Dartmouth is obliged to discourage enrolled students from visiting the Axis of Evil and some neighboring nations," Goodman said. "On the advice of Dartmouth faculty, I sought non-College financial aid."
Goodman found funding for both his upcoming trip to Iran and a recent internship in Kuwait, but it did not come from Dartmouth
College policy does, however, distinguish between the State Department's advice not to travel and the stronger travel warning. Regarding those countries on the advice-not-to-travel list, students and faculty are asked "to heed advice not to travel but are free to make their own informed decisions," as the policy states.
The United States government issues travel warnings when the State Department de cides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country.
The State Department list currently includes Libya, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indonesia, Sudan, Burundi, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Nepal, Iraq, Haiti, Pakistan, Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Algeria, Zimbabwe and Colombia.
