Comprehensive, Health Safety and Security Program
The health, safety, and security of all international travelers is vitally important. In early 2022, Global Safety & Operations implemented a new, best-practice based plan designed to keep Drexel travelers safe and secure. The main elements of our plan include:
- Maintaining On-Call emergency assistance coverage for all Drexel Travelers.
- Maintaining a fund dedicated to emergency support and directing travelers to other funding sources throughout the university.
- Maintaining coverage of 24/7 emergency phone and connecting travelers to resources on a case by case basis.
- Developing and implementing a new crisis responses training for faculty and program leaders.
- Developing and maintaining a new multi-point travel registration system for faculty and staff travelers.
- Developing a new best practice based health, safety and security orientation for students going abroad (coming in 2024).
- Involvement in NAFSA, Pulse, OSAC, and other organizations that increase our institutional knowledgebase and reach.
- Presenting at conferences, leading dialogues, participating in podcasts, and providing media interviews related to best practices in health, safety and security.
- Meeting our duty of care requirements as we visit, see, hear, interview, assess, question, etc. sites that are either new or problematic. Based on these interactions, we make decisions about continued involvement.
- Meeting duty of care requirements by certifying and recertifying our sites. This includes physically inspecting housing, training on the ground staff, conducting interviews, meeting with students, etc. The more students/faculty/staff we send to a place, the more important this is, and the more often we visit.
- All students participating in a Drexel Education Abroad program must be properly insured. We already require this for short terms travelers, and we now require uniform emergency medical and travel assistance coverage for all student travelers.
- All faculty and staff travelers receive uniform travel assistance coverage.
- New-protocols for selecting and training new faculty/staff leaders, including one-on-one meetings
- Maintaining funds for the appointment of a second leader, if needed
- Training partners who provide student support so that they are equipped to respond on the ground in a “Drexel approved”, reasonable fashion.