Student Travel Policy

This policy provides basic guidance for undergraduate and graduate students and student groups seeking to travel with Thayer financial support and/or for a trip that requires Thayer leadership approval. Students should work with the Thayer Advancement Office prior to approaching alumni about potential financial support. Financial support includes:

• funds provided to or raised by a student group
• funds requested of the administration for specific travel

As soon as a student or student group believes that travel is necessary and appropriate, they should review the information on organizing student travel at Dartmouth. Any entity organizing, administering, or funding Dartmouth travel is responsible for ensuring their travelers are compliant with Dartmouth’s Travel Safety Policy.

For travel organized by a student group, if the group is not sending the entire membership, they must use a documented and fair process that engages associated students and student leaders to identify trips, determine budgets, and select participants. Documentation of the process used may be requested.

Students or student groups requesting travel support or approval from Thayer to visit locations requiring a travel exception or if the trip may otherwise be high risk (including but not limited to: technical risk, tight timelines, student safety, safety of the public, challenging implementation conditions, challenging geography, state department hazard designation, etc.) are additionally required to adhere to the following protocol before final approval for travel will be given:

1. At least two full academic terms prior to the proposed trip, students must meet with the associated Faculty or Staff Advisor (if applicable) and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and present a document/slide deck that outlines (to the extent known):
   1. project/meeting/travel rationale and expected outcomes (ie. why are you going?);
   2. travel logistics (transportation, lodging, side trips, language barriers);
   3. travel safety considerations, technical safety considerations (if applicable);
   4. and proposed budget (including likely sources for funding). Please note: students may not approach alumni for funding without first consulting with Thayer’s Advancement office.
      
      Students should also identify potential cultural considerations, opportunities, or sensitivities as appropriate to their project and the proposed location. The Associate Dean will either approve the student/group to move forward or request a revision and follow-up meeting.
2. At least one full academic term prior to the proposed trip, students must meet together with the associated Faculty or Staff Advisor (if applicable); Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs; Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education (if primarily undergraduates) or the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs (if primarily graduate students); and the Thayer Dean to present a more finalized document/slide deck with details in the categories described above. Additionally, a Dartmouth faculty or staff member should be identified as the primary on-campus contact for the duration of the trip. Updates regarding trip progress or contact about issues or concerns should be made through this primary on-campus contact. The Thayer Dean or their designee must approve the travel prior to incurring any associated travel costs. Note: scheduling this meeting typically requires three to four weeks of lead time to align calendars of faculty and administration representatives.
3. You also will be required to:
   1. Identify a primary on-location contact who resides in and has high familiarity with the location you are visiting and with whom you will maintain contact at regular intervals during the trip. This person should be able to provide support locally if needs or emergencies arise.
   2. Identify a chaperone who will be present in or near the location of the trip for the duration of the designated travel period. The chaperone should be a faculty or staff member of Dartmouth or an approved volunteer who receives information about relevant Dartmouth policies and procedures. This person should be able to lend to the experience for the student/group. They will monitor the behavior of the participants to ensure that Dartmouth policies and procedures are not violated and oversee the health and safety of the students. If any concerns arise, they must be in immediate contact with the Dartmouth primary on-campus contact for the trip. The chaperone must have the contact information for all students, and must be available to participants via phone or in-person at all times for the duration of the travel period. The primary on-location contact and chaperone may be the same person. If only graduate students are traveling, a request for a waiver for the chaperone requirement may be made.
   3. For technical projects with safety considerations, identify a technical advisor with relevant technical experience who will be present for the designated travel period. The technical advisor should be a faculty or staff member of Dartmouth or an approved volunteer who receives information about relevant Dartmouth policies and procedures. The chaperone and technical advisor may be the same person.
   4. Create a contingency plan that considers what you will do in the event of emergencies, if a significant event affects your original plan, or if your designated primary contacts, chaperone, or technical advisor become unavailable to serve in these roles.