Your Health & Safety is Our Highest Priority

For the latest updates on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit our COVID-19 Response page.

Studying off campus is an opportunity to transform the way you experience the world. Do so with peace of mind by preparing yourself to explore your new home safely. You will receive 24/7 support, pre-departure guidance, and on-site orientation to equip you to exercise caution and feel confident wherever you go. Each program offers on-site support staff, and the CCCU maintains appropriate insurance coverage for the scope and breadth of off-campus programming activities and conducts regular risk management reviews. While CCCU GlobalEd cannot guarantee a risk-free environment, the policies we have put in place are made to best ensure the safety and well-being of program participants. It is important for students, parents, and campuses to recognize that participants must take responsibility for their own safety and security. The same precautions anyone would follow at home should be maintained while studying off campus. Click on an icon below to learn more.

Pre-Departure

Pre-Departure

Crisis Management Team

Crisis Management Team

Local Contingency Plans

Local Contingency Plans

Mental Health

Mental Health

24/7 Emergency Support
Our offices in Washington, D.C. are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.
You can call our main office at 202-548-5201.
For emergencies after regular business hours,
we can be reached at our 24/7 emergency number at 202-751-7920.
CCCU GlobalEd

Pre-Departure

Pre-Departure
 
Ensuring your health and safety while studying off campus starts long before your adventure begins. You will receive specific health information for your program after you are accepted. In the meantime, we encourage you to start thinking about and researching your future host city. You should talk with your family and physician about how conditions in your destination (such as altitude, pollution, required immunizations, proximity to medical facilities) might affect your wellbeing. Medical and mental health resources vary throughout the world, so if you are unsure of your program’s resources, please contact your program advisor.

It is important that you follow up with any pre-departure appointments required to ensure your wellbeing. You must also have valid health insurance while participating off campus, as well as an International Student Identification Card. Once you have arrived at your program destination, you will attend in-depth orientation that will equip you with skills to remain healthy and safe while studying off campus. If you are participating in an international program, you will be registered with the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) prior to departure.

Crisis Management Team

Crisis Management Team
 
CCCU GlobalEd maintains a Crisis Management Team (CMT), that monitors, assesses, and responds to any emergencies involving students, faculty, and staff at all domestic and international program locations. To ensure the highest level of health, safety, and security, CMT personnel consult, as appropriate:

  • On-site program staff
  • Local in-country resources
  • Host universities
  • Sending campuses
  • U.S. Embassy officials in-country
  • U.S. State Department Country Desk Officers
  • U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council
  • Emergency Services providers

Local Contingency Plans

Local Contingency Plans
 
Each CCCU GlobalEd program has a contingency plan that is activated if a known local condition requires (a) extra caution; (b) restriction of program travel or activities; (c) relocation of the program to a different site in the same city, same country, or a nearby country; or (d) suspension of a program and evacuation of participants. All programs are also equipped to handle medical emergencies, accidents, personal threats, and student-family crises.

In the event of a Program Emergency (e.g., political crisis, civilian/natural disaster, large scale civilian protest, imminent threat of terrorist activity):
On-site personnel (director and staff) contact all participants to ascertain participants’ well-being and to provide information, instructions, and advice.
  • On-site personnel notify the CCCU GlobalEd D.C. office that all participants are safe and accounted for. They consult with the CMT regarding next steps, including relocation, suspension, or restriction of program activities or evacuation.
  • Arrangements are made for participants to contact their parents, guardians, and/or emergency contacts as soon as possible.
  • The CCCU Global Ed D.C. office sends regular email updates to the participants’ emergency contacts and home campus officials, as necessary.
Anyone may contact the CCCU GlobalEd D.C. office to receive current and pertinent status and safety information: 202-548-5201.

     
In the event of a Participant Emergency (e.g., serious illness/injury, mental health/emotional problems, crime involving program participants or staff):

  • On-site personnel (director and staff) contact the appropriate local authorities (police, embassy, medical personnel) to commence local action.
  • On-site personnel contact the CCCU GlobalEd D.C. office to report the situation.
  • CCCU GlobalEd alerts the emergency contacts of the person(s) involved in the crisis via phone to apprise them of the situation if they have not already been contacted. FERPA rights are waived for emergency contact situations.
  • The CCCU GlobalEd D.C. office contacts the Chief Student Development Officer at the student’s home campus to report the situation, as necessary.
  • All necessary action is taken to address the situation, such as provision for in-country medical evaluation and care. In case of serious illness or injury, CCCU GlobalEd staff and local medical personnel consult with the student’s emergency contacts to determine appropriate care for the student, including arranging for medical evacuation if necessary.
These local contingency plans are reviewed regularly in light of local regional advice, risk management consultation, the standards of good practice within the field of off-campus programming, and experience gained from previous emergency events. Our program staff have many years of experience and are well connected within local communities, enabling them to draw upon deep networks of resources for advice and assistance.

 
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
 
In all emergency situations, students enrolled in a CCCU GlobalEd program must comply with all emergency measures decided and implemented by program staff. If a particular student (or parent or campus) elects to participate independently in an emergency response plan (such as relocation or evacuation) other than or in addition to that of CCCU GlobalEd or its representatives, the student must first withdraw from the program in writing. Once CCCU GlobalEd — as well as the student’s emergency contacts and home campus — has been notified of the withdrawal, the student will be released to the care and supervision of their selected emergency response provider. The student, parent, or campus will bear all responsibility for notification of the emergency response provider and compliance with their terms, policies, and procedures.

Mental Health

Mental Health
 
Studying off campus can pose unique challenges, so it is important that you consider what coping strategies you may need to adopt while participating in a CCCU GlobalEd program. We recommend that you consult with your family and mental health professionals about your plans to adjust to a new culture, balance your wellness in an unfamiliar location, and maintain realistic expectations. On-site staff are able to assist in case of an emergency and can connect you with resources in the region, such as counsellors and medical providers. Certain programs offer regular counseling services.

Mental health resource availability varies based on program location and duration. If you are unsure of your program’s resources, contact your program advisor. For more information, please visit the Health & Safety tab on your program page.