Safety and Security Resources for Faculty Program Leaders
Creating a Culture of Safety
This information is intended to assist UT Austin faculty and staff prepare for and coordinate a safe program abroad. Staff in Texas Global can assist you during program development as well as in the event of an emergency. The resources below will help you establish a culture of safety before departure and prepare you to handle an emergency abroad.
The spreadsheet linked here provides an overview of the responsibilities of a faculty member in taking a single student or a group of students abroad.
- Safety Assessment for an International Group Experience (SAIGE)
All university-related group trips must complete the SAIGE process, including the Restricted Regions addendum, if applicable.
- New Programs: Get started by filling out a Travel Request Form.
- Established Faculty or Staff-Led Programs: Complete your Faculty and Staff SAIGE form and submit it to Global Risk and Safety (GRS) at grs@austin.utexas.edu.
For more information, please email grs@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-9581.
- In an Emergency: Incident Reporting
Any faculty member sending or accompanying students abroad is responsible for informing the Global Risk and Safety office of any health and/or safety incidents that occur abroad. Faculty leaders are required to complete an Incident Report and submit it to Global Risk & Safety at emergencyabroad@austin.utexas.edu for any incident that occurs abroad during the course of the program that affects UT Austin students and/or employees.
UT Austin has 24/7 emergency support for faculty, staff and students. Bookmark our Emergency Support page for important information and phone numbers.
For urgent issues while abroad, faculty and staff can call the Global Risk and Safety emergency cell phone at (512) 669-8488.
- Faculty Program Guidance
In order to assist departments in creating and running safe study abroad programs, Texas Global has created a Canvas site, updated often with new information and tools to assist faculty program leaders. For access to this resource, please contact Global Risk and Safety at grs@austin.utexas.edu. Please include your UT EID in your request.
- Student Health and Safety Pre-Departure Orientation
Texas Global has developed standardized health and safety pre-departure materials, which they can deliver in person or virtually to groups going abroad. Any UT Austin international program sending any number of students abroad should require their students to attend a Health and Safety Pre-Departure Orientation. Texas Global requires that every student must either observe a session or watch a recorded session online (view Global Risk and Safety events). To schedule a session or request more information, please contact Global Risk and Safety at grs@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-9581.
- Health Clearances
Any UT Austin international program sending any number of students abroad on a program 15 days or longer in duration must require their students to obtain a health clearance signed by a licensed health care provider. Completed health clearance forms must then be transmitted securely to Texas Global. Students with chronic or recurring health conditions may be required to be evaluated by their primary care provider and/or specialist prior to participating in a study abroad program, who will complete a separate Specialist Form in order to complete the health clearance process. For more information, please see the Health Clearances page or contact Global Risk and Safety at grs@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-9581.
- Student Enrollment in Overseas Insurance
Any student traveling outside of the U.S. for any university-related purposes must be enrolled in UT Overseas Insurance (unless the student has a passport issued by the country to which they are traveling). The cost is $19/week. Enrollment happens automatically when a student registers their travel in the MyAbroad Portal or the UT Austin International Travel Registry (ITR). For more information, please contact Global Risk and Safety at grs@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-9581.
- Restricted Regions
The University of Texas System requires all travel to countries designated as high risk to be reviewed and approved by the university's International Oversight Committee (IOC).
The Restricted Regions Policy details the established criteria for designating a location as high risk, and outlines the procedures that all students, faculty, and staff must follow to ensure their international travel complies with the UT System directive.
- Mandatory Pre-Departure Updates
Group leaders will be asked to confirm or update their itinerary, roster, and in-country contact information that they originally provided to GRS in their SAIGE at least 30 days prior to departure. For more information, please contact Global Risk and Safety at grs@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-9581.
- Student Conduct
Students participating in approved UT Austin programs are bound to the terms outlined in the Responsibility of Participation, Code of Conduct and the Misconduct Resolution Policy. Faculty dealing with conduct issues abroad should refer to these documents and contact Education Abroad for further guidance. Education Abroad will then liaise with the Dean of Student's Office.
- Validation of Good Academic Standing and Disciplinary Clearances
Faculty leaders taking or sending students abroad must validate that each student is in good academic standing, meaning that the student must have at least a 2.0 GPA (for undergraduate students) or a 3.0 GPA (for graduate students). For faculty assistance on this matter, please contact Education Abroad at educationabroad@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 471-6490.
Additionally, students going on programs four weeks or longer in duration must have their complete student records reviewed by the Office of the Dean of Students to assess if there have been any documented disciplinary infractions. Documented disciplinary infractions can result in students being ineligible to participate in programs. The Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity can be reached at studentconduct@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 471-2841.
- FERPA Compliance
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that pertains to the release of and access to educational records. The law, also known as the Buckley Amendment, applies to all schools, universities, and colleges that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information can be found on Texas One Stop's Personal Information page.
FERPA requires that faculty and staff do not release any personal information about students. An emergency clause can be invoked in an emergency situation to share information with an authorized person working in an official capacity.
For more information, please contact the Office of Registrar at studentacademicrecords@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 475-7644, or the Office of Legal Affairs at vpla@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 471-1241.
- Clery Act Requirements: Campus Security Authority (CSA)
All faculty, staff and students serving in TA or GA roles with education abroad programs, as well as program and resident directors, are required to comply with requirements set forth in the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. This includes acting in the role of a Campus Security Authority (CSA), incident reporting, and fire safety. Faculty and staff members are considered CSAs.
A CSA is a person who is responsible for reporting crime information accurately to the correct people in a timely manner. A faculty or staff member is expected to listen to an individual sharing experiences and provide them with options and resources. CSAs are not responsible for determining if a crime took place, finding and/or apprehending an alleged perpetrator, or convincing a victim to contact law enforcement.
CSAs include university police and non-police staff responsible for monitoring student and campus activities, such as: student housing, student discipline, campus judicial proceedings, resident assistants, academic advisors, faculty and other employees who travel abroad with students, and coaches.
Any faculty or staff member who sends a student or accompanies a student abroad has Clery Act responsibilities. In any international program, a faculty member is a UT Austin-designated CSA.
Additional information, including an online Clery Act reporting option, is available on the University Risk and Compliance Services Clery Act website. While abroad, faculty can call the Global Risk and Safety emergency cell phone for additional guidance.
For more information, please contact the Clery Program Manager with University Compliance Services at campussecurityauthority@utexas.edu or call (512) 471-8198.
- Title IX Requirements and Support
All faculty, staff and students serving in TA or GA roles with study abroad programs, as well as program and resident directors, are required to comply with Title IX requirements. This includes serving as Responsible Employees and reporting all Title IX related incidents (past or present). If a faculty or staff member sends or accompanies students abroad, they have Title IX responsibilities and are designated as a Responsible Employee.
Responsible Employees have the authority to take action to redress an alleged violation of Title IX policy and are designated with the duty of reporting such allegations to the University Title IX Coordinator or designee, or an employee whom an individual could reasonably believe has this authority or duty. A Responsible Employee is required to promptly report any incident of prohibited conduct. While Responsible Employees cannot maintain confidentiality, they can protect privacy. Title IX protects against sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and retaliation.
While abroad, faculty and staff can call the Global Risk and Safety emergency cell phone at (512) 669-8488. Additionally, a web based Title IX reporting option is available for student misconduct, employee misconduct, compliance concerns, and campus climate concerns. For any questions and concerns, or to request more information, please contact the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 232-3992.
Detailed information of this policy can be found in the General Information Catalog under Appendix D or in the Handbook of Operating Procedures, 3-3031.
Do you need help? The Title IX Office is here to assist you: Title IX Emergency & Support Resource Guide for UT Staff and Faculty.
- Disability and Access
The primary role of UT Austin Disability and Access (D&A) is to ensure students with disabilities have equal access to their academic experience at UT Austin. D&A also consults with other campus offices and departments to facilitate access and inclusion in all aspects of campus life, including studying abroad and international travel.
UT Austin is required by federal laws to provide equal access, and faculty and staff play a vital role in ensuring compliance by accommodating students with disabilities. D&A is available to consult with faculty or staff about how to accommodate or work with a student with a disability, and resources on this matter can be found on the Disability and Access website.
For more information, please contact Disability and Access at access@austin.utexas.edu or call (512) 471-6259.