Course Description/Registration
If the study trip is linked to a course, there needs to be an additional sentence included in the description for students to consider during course registration. The purpose of this sentence is to provide fair notice for students of the financial responsibility and does not serve to market the trip. The sentence should be similar to the following:
“An optional one-week study tour to (enter location) will be held during (enter approximate date). There will be a fee of approximately (enter amount) for this optional study tour. Need-based financial aid will be available to students who receive financial aid from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾.”
Following course registration and once the total list of potential participants is known; please email this student list to Michael Albano, Director of Student Aid (malbano@bowdoin.edu) to determine aid need among potential pool of participants. Student aid will provide numbers at each possible level:
- Full aid---full program cost covered
- 80% aid—80% of full program cost covered
- 60% aid—60% of full program cost covered
- 40% aid—40% of full program cost covered
- 20% aid—20% of full program cost covered
- No aid—no program costs covered
Modify the budget accordingly to determine potential student contributions and needed funds from departments, programs or other College offices as well as the Dean’s office.
Total number of participants should be finalized roughly 3 months prior to the departure date in order to purchase airline tickets. Therefore, if the study trip will occur during March break, the final participant numbers should be finalized in late December/early January and airline tickets purchased at that time.
Confirmation of Participants
An email should be sent to the total pool of participants (e.g. all students registered in a particular course) as early as possible after the first phase of course registration. This email should include program cost (and what this includes), estimated additional costs, financial assistance, passport information (if necessary) and deadlines to participate and payment of deposit and full payment. See Sample Communication (Email Communication #1 in appendix).
Following confirmation of participation, an initial Qualtrics survey should be sent out that ask participants for the following information (assistance can be provided by the Director of Off-Campus Study to create the survey):
- First name, middle name, last name
- DOB
- Passport Number
- Passport Expiration Date
- Departure and Return City for airline ticket (it is preferable to have the entire group depart from and return to the same city)
In reviewing information, ensure that the names match the passport and that the expiration date is 6 months following return to the U.S.
Note: If a student does not carry a U.S. passport, please review entry requirements for that respective country. Further, determine whether or not international students or foreign nationals (green card holders) will be able to re-enter the U.S. upon completion of the program.
Finally, a list of potential student participants should be sent to Student Affairs to inquire if any of the Student Deans have concerns regarding participation.
Finances
The Office of the Academic Dean will provide a project code number for all expenses related to the study trip. Incoming student funds will need to be deposited into this project number and all expenses for the study trip (prior to departure and on-site) will need to be linked to this project number.
During the program, the preferred method of payment is with a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ issued credit card. However, petty cash is also a common and sometimes the only method of payment available. It is the faculty leader‘s responsibility to collect, keep and organize all receipts. In the event that some vendors do not provide receipts (tips, taxi drivers, food stalls), the faculty leader must write down the details of the expense on paper and include the date and their initials.
It is recommended that a review of all expenses be done on a daily basis, as it is difficult to remember details on the timing and details of payments following the trip. Compare these expenses to your budgeted amount to ensure that you are remaining on track financially. Upon return to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, you will be required to submit all receipts and provide an expense report of all purchases.
Recommended Currency converter website: .
Host Partner
Working with any host partner must be approved by the Dean’s office as part of the proposal process. If a host partner is arranging any on-site components and making payments on your behalf, you will need to establish the process and dates by which the international wires are made to this partner. The wires will have to be requested with roughly 2-3 weeks’ notice. You will need to obtain the following information from your host partner or institution receiving payment:
- Invoice
- Bank name
- Bank ABA #
- Bank Address
- Bank Account Name
- Bank Account Number
- SWIFT Code
To request wires, contact the Controller’s Office:
Glenn Morin
Senior Financial Analyst (Foreign/domestic wire transfers)
X: 3251/email: morin@bowdoin.edu
Travel/Airline Tickets
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ recommends using Concur for booking flights. (You will need to contact Jim Kelley for a username and password, jkelley@bowdoin.edu.) You can provide them with the dates of the trip and they can provide you with itineraries and you may also research itineraries on your own and provide them with your preferred itinerary. You will need to send the full name, DOB, passport number, and departure city for individual travelers. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ has a credit card already affiliated with Concur and they can directly bill that credit card with the project code number.
Local Transportation
It is possible that you may have to obtain transport for students from the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ campus to a local airport. Through ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s Facilities Management, it is possible to rent a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ college van (12-passenger). They have a vehicle request form under the “Transportation” tab. It is recommended that you have a registered van driver (sometimes a student worker) drive you back and forth to the airport.
Abroad, you may have to use local transportation including train, van, boat, taxi and bus. Be sure to use transportation options that are safe vis-à-vis local options. For instance, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ recommends that you travel during the day (rather than overnight travel) in certain locations.
Student Forms & Information
All participants must complete certain forms/surveys during the planning stage. Examples of these documents are included in the appendix.
- Assumption of Risk Statement and Indemnification Release
- Medical History Form
- Survey #2 (on-site information)
- Passport Scan
The first two forms may be obtained by contacting James Kelley in the Treasurer’s Office. He will send them to you by attachment. You will need to forward them to each participant and establish a deadline by which they must be completed.
Survey #2, also available on Qualtrics, should ask participants for the following information:
- First name, Last name
- Type of Cell Phone
- Cell Phone Number
- Emergency Contact
- Emergency Number
- Allergies
- Food Preferences
Keep all originals for your use and make copies (or, in the case of the survey, information summaries) to send back to Jim Kelley prior to departure. The medical history form, especially, should be kept on-hand throughout the study trip. Emergency contact information should be programmed into your mobile phones and shared with each participant.
Emergency procedures
Please refer to the Emergency Preparedness Procedures document for additional information about student welfare and emergency contingency responsibilities.
Final Preparations
A pre-departure orientation should be held at an appropriate time (two to three weeks ahead of departure) for all participants. At this meeting, faculty leaders will go over the final draft on-site itinerary, go over health and safety information, distribute the Emergency Assistance Plan cards, ensure student understanding of expected behavior and field any student queries.
Note: It is highly recommended that a detailed itinerary be created specifically for faculty leaders to identify individual responsibilities for the separate components of the trip.
On-site Tips/Recommendations
The following is a list of recommendations for once you are on-site and conducting the field-study trip. Of course, these may not be applicable depending on your location and/or size of group.
- One of the two faculty/staff leaders should always be the last person to “go through” (including going through customs, leaving baggage, boarding taxis) to ensure that student participants are not alone if they encounter any difficulties.
- At least one of the leaders should be in the same accommodations as the student group.
- During the initial hours on the ground, the leaders should accompany the students to change/withdraw money and ensure that everyone has some petty cash.
- A short walking tour in close proximity to the hotel should be conducted during the first few hours so that students have some familiarity with the surrounding areas of their accommodations.
- It is important to have snacks and water handy in case there is a delay in the meals.
Upon Return
Financially, reconciliation of all expenses will need to be completed within a month of return. Credit card, wire and cash expenses will be compiled to ensure complete recording of the total costs associated with the trip.
Faculty leaders will be responsible for submitting a final report to the Dean’s office. A template is available in the appendix.