CIEE Study Centers
Revised: September 3, 2009
Disclaimer
This describes the efforts made by CIEE to help participants enhance their safety and to help them respond to emergency situations. Nothing in this plan is a guarantee that any specific action will be taken in any given situation, nor is anything in this document a contract or part of a contract between CIEE and any other party, nor is any statement in this document intended to sell a service to a prospective customer, nor to attempt to persuade any party to avail themselves of any program or service provided by CIEE. Health, safety, and recovery from emergency situations are the sole responsibilities of each individual participant.
Contact Us
Our main toll-free number for use during office hours is 1-800-40-STUDY (1-800-407-8839) is answered 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. During business hours, when the recording starts, press the zero key and you should reach an employee. If for some reason the toll-free number is not working, dial 207-553-4000 to reach an operator.
Public Announcements
In the event of a major crisis affecting multiple locations, CIEE will:
- Send an email message to SECUSSA-L, the major industry list serve.
- Post a message on our website: www.ciee.org.
- Attempt to send email messages to all participants’ emergency contacts within 72 hours of the event.
Emergency Response Team
The CIEE Study Centers emergency response team consists of the following individuals:
| Name |
Title |
Area of Responsibility |
Telephone |
| Catharine Scruggs |
Director |
Western Europe |
207-553-4055 |
| Daniel Olds |
Director |
Asia-Pacific |
207-553-4048 |
| Adam Rubin |
Director |
Africa, Eastern Europe,
Middle East |
207-553-4051 |
| Max Savishinsky |
Director |
Latin America |
207-553-4054 |
| Martin Hogan |
EVP |
Worldwide |
207-553-4200 |
Risk Assessment
All decisions regarding program operations are made with reference to data from a number of sources. In addition to the consular information sheets and advisory messages posted by the U.S. Department of State (www.travel.state.gov), our resident directors and program directors use information gathered locally and through conversations with other providers in the city or country. CIEE program management staff regularly monitor additional resources such as daily OSAC, CDC, and WHO briefings and international news alerts. In making individual decisions concerning participation, we suggest that participants and their parents carefully review the State Department Travel Advisories found at http://travel.state.gov.
CIEE works with a private security consulting firm for additional support in Africa and the Middle East. This firm provides CIEE with updated information on incidents or potential risks in the region and can support CIEE with emergency group evacuation if necessary. This firm has also reviewed various CIEE safety and security plans and provided feedback for improving the emergency contingency plans in specific locations.
Orientation and Training for Participants
Every CIEE Study Center program begins with a comprehensive orientation to the country, city, university, and the program, which includes, among other information, an explanation of any local risks that the Resident Director (RD) has identified and tips for enhancing personal safety. In addition, each RD distributes a local emergency contact information card to each participant. Finally, the RD registers each participant with the local U.S. Consulate or Interest Section.
On-Site Care and Insurance
Each Resident Director maintains lists of recommended health and mental health providers. CIEE includes a mandatory health insurance policy for every participant in the program fee. Each RD also establishes an emergency phone tree to be activated in the event of a necessity to contact all participants quickly. CIEE has established protocols to be used in the event of health emergency, serious accident, political crisis, natural disaster, crime, rape, or death of a participant. For security reasons these documents are not public.
Monitoring
Resident Directors make every reasonable effort to keep abreast of local conditions and changes in local health and safety risks and to inform participants of these changes. Resident Directors and members of the Emergency Response team subscribe to the U.S. State Department’s service and thus automatically receive any Travel Warnings and Advisories as soon as they are issued.
Local Contingency Plans
Each CIEE Study Center has contingency plans which will be activated in case there is a known local condition that requires (a) extra caution, (b) removal of the program to a different site in the same city or country or a nearby country, or (c) suspension of a program and evacuation of participants. For security reasons these local contingency plans are not available to anyone except CIEE staff.
In the Event of a Local Emergency
The Resident Director contacts participants as soon as possible to ascertain participants’ well-being, and to provide information, instructions, and advice. In emergency situations, the Resident Director will call the CIEE U.S.-based Program Director to provide information and discuss any necessary follow-up plans.
When possible, participants are advised to contact their parents, guardians, or emergency contacts as soon as possible. Students are advised to alert the CIEE Resident Director to the problem before contacting their parents, guardians, or emergency contacts.
The Resident Director reports to the CIEE U.S. office as soon as possible whenever an emergency situation arises. The CIEE U.S. Office reports to sending schools within 24 hours.
Depending on the severity of the situation, the CIEE U.S. office may also report to participants’ emergency contacts.
In the event of major emergencies impacting a specific study center location (i.e. natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, pandemic health issues), CIEE resident staff and program management will work together in order to decide what action should be taken, if any, regarding the possible modification, early termination, or suspension of a program. Additional outside resources will be consulted in order to make a careful and appropriate decision. During major emergencies impacting an entire program, the CIEE U.S. Office posts notices on its website, communicates with sending schools, and attempts to communicate with participants’ emergency contacts.
In the Event that the U.S. Office of CIEE is Unable to Open or Communicate
CIEE program management staff have all critical data regarding participants, insurance providers, worldwide staff contact information, contact information for CIEE Academic Consortium Member Institutions, and other safety and crisis resources at their homes. As soon as possible, CIEE establishes alternative communication facilities and announces these to sending schools and, to the extent possible, to participants’ emergency contacts.
Advice for Participants and their Families
CIEE strongly recommends that unless specific situations dictate otherwise, participants should designate their parents as emergency contact persons.
- Participants and their emergency contacts should keep in touch with each other throughout the participants’ time out of the U.S.
- Participants should make sure their parents and/or emergency contacts have their accurate and up-to-date local contact information at all times.
- Participants should immediately notify their emergency contacts in the event of any emergency, accident, serious health problem, or other serious mishap.
- Participants are required to notify the RD in the event of any health condition that lasts longer than a day or two.
CIEE advises participants and their families that communication between CIEE and participants’ sending schools is considered “internal communication” in the sense of the Family Rights and Privacy Act, and that therefore CIEE has the right and the duty to communicate all relevant information concerning participants’ health and safety, academic progress, behavior, etc. to appropriate officers at the sending school on a need-to-know basis.
The Terms of Participation of the CIEE Study Center specifically authorize CIEE to communicate any relevant information to participants’ emergency contacts.
Participants and their families need to be aware of the fact that the U.S. Department of State Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management will generally not release information about specific individuals to CIEE or to other third parties.
The U.S. State Department website includes the following statement: “Families in the United States whose U.S. Citizen relatives abroad are directly affected by a crisis can communicate with the Department of State through our Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management (202) 647-5225."