Faculty: Update on University Travel Policies and Travel Support Resources

*Published on May 12, 2021

Dear Northeastern University Faculty,

As opportunities for global travel expand in the coming months, Northeastern strives to provide the best safety guidance and comprehensive support to community members.

To that end, the university has updated its policies for university travel— applicable to faculty, staff, and students who are traveling on university business (a conference, for example) or for a university program or project such as teaching, research, consulting, co-op, service, administrative work, field studies, volunteer work, performances, and athletic competitions.

University Travel Registry 

Under the new policy, all university travel—both domestic and international—must be entered into the university travel registry so that we can easily communicate with you and provide assistance if something happens to affect your safety or itinerary. You can find additional details in the Policy Requiring Registration of University Travel. Please email mytravelplans@northeastern.edu for assistance or book your travel through Egencia to have it automatically moved to the travel registry.

University Travel to High-Risk Destinations 

Because most of the world remains high-risk due to COVID-19, the university is temporarily publishing a list of Lower and Moderate Risk locations. If your intended destination is not listed, it is considered by the university to be “high-risk.” Please note:

• Locations on the Lower and Moderate Risk list may still have prohibitive entry/exit restrictions.
• Locations that are not high-risk for COVID may not appear on the Lower and Moderate Risk list because they are high-risk for another reason.

To travel to a high-risk location, first obtain authorization from your Dean or Dean’s designee. After receiving approval, complete one of the following:

• Submit an acknowledgement of risk for high-risk travel if you are traveling alone, OR
• If traveling with students, submit a petition and obtain approval from Northeastern’s Global Safety and Security Assessment Committee (GSSAC). Please email mytravelplans@northeastern.edu or speak to the sponsoring program office (e.g. GEO or co-op) to obtain instructions for completing this process.

You can find additional details in the Policy on Travel to High-Risk & Sanctioned Destinations.

Changes to the Lower and Moderate Risk travel list are communicated through the International Travel website. Please note: vaccinated travelers are not exempt from the high-risk travel policy.

Travel Support 

The university has also enhanced the travel support resources it offers to provide university travelers the information, tools, and assistance they may need. The Travel Support Network provides security, medical assistance, and travel support vendors that span the globe. These services are available to students, faculty, and staff on university travel by calling the 24/7 travel assistance hotline at +1 857 214 5332 or by using your myNortheastern credentials to log on to the GardaWorld travel security portal.

Please review the new policies and read the Travel FAQs published on the International Safety website for more information. The Office of International Safety is available to answer questions at mytravelplans@northeastern.edu or 617-373-2121.

Sincerely,

Debra L. Franko
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs