Kenyon's Travel Warning Policy

Kenyon College recognizes both the importance of a carefully chosen off-campus study (OCS) program for academic purposes and the importance of the student participant's safety while abroad. The following policies and procedures have been established in order to protect the safety and well-being of OCS participants. As a general policy, Kenyon does not approve OCS in countries for which a U.S. Department of State Travel Warning has been issued. Exceptions to Kenyon's Travel Warning policy may be granted upon receipt and consideration of a petition for a Travel Warning policy waiver from a student with support of the student's academic advisor and department chair. Petitions must also be submitted by a faculty member seeking to lead an OCS program in a country for which a Travel Warning is in effect.

When the petitioner is a student, a Travel Warning policy waiver may be granted for a particular program (not all programs in a particular country) for the student petitioner only. When the petitioner is a faculty member, a Travel Warning policy waiver may be granted for the faculty member's proposed program only, with application to all Kenyon students who apply and are accepted to the program through the usual OCS approval process. The faculty member agrees to share copies of the petition with all students applying to participate in the program.

In some cases, petitions may be approved for programs in specific regions of countries while other petitions in specific regions of the same country are denied.

Petitions cannot be approved for countries under US Trade & Economic Sanctions: http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx

If a Travel Warning policy waiver is granted, liability waivers must be signed by each student participant and a parent or legal guardian, acknowledging the Travel Warning and potential risks. When the program is led by a Kenyon faculty member, students will also be required to acknowledge that they have read the petition for a Travel Warning policy waiver submitted by the faculty member.