Student Responsibilities and Preparation

Students receive broad preparation for their HECUA experience in pre-program orientations, which include material on and discussions about specific political, cultural, environmental, and legal aspects of the program site. HECUA collects and maintains students’ emergency contact information and health inventories, and copies of passports and travel documents. Upon request by the student, HECUA can distribute students’ overseas contact information to their families at home. At overseas programs, students’ passports are registered with the U.S. State Department, a process that allows U.S. consular officers to assist in serious legal, medical, or financial situations, and facilitates communication in the unlikely event of a crisis.

Students participating in HECUA programs should:

• participate fully in all orientations
• read extensively, including all materials provided by HECUA, on safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the program site country
• provide itineraries and contact information when they travel separately from the program site (on weekends, for example)
• respect the rights and well-being of others, and encourage others also to behave respectfully
• understand and follow HECUA policies and procedures
• report any and all incidents to program directors
• obey the laws of the host country
• assume responsibility for their own decisions and actions

Students receive detailed pre-program and on-site orientations that set out site-specific guidelines and rules for safe conduct, travel, and daily practices. HECUA's current Principles and Policies for Students, Safety and Security: Principles and Practices, and Sexual Harassment & Sexual Violence Policies are elsewhere on this site or can be requested from HECUA Student Services. Finally, students complete a binding Participation Agreement prior to the start of their program indicating that they have read and agree to all policies set forth in the above-named documents. A student's failure to follow HECUA's policies may result in expulsion from a program.