Travel Safety & Risk Mitigation

The Office of Travel Safety & Risk Mitigation’s overall purpose is to conduct assessments of travel locations; establish systems and processes; review and approve or deny travel requests; serve as the hub for meeting key travel requirements; provide pre-travel training; and manage major emergencies that occur during university-related travel involving students, faculty and staff.

The Office of Travel Safety & Risk Mitigation (TSRM) is responsible for travel safety and risk mitigation for international travel and certain domestic travel. TSRM oversees the travel approval process and helps prepare students, faculty, and staff to have a safe trip to the extent possible and works with other campus partners to outline requirements and recommendations to mitigate risk, manage any unforeseen major emergencies, and provide helpful travel resources.

TSRM will work with key government agencies like the U.S. State Department, U.S. Embassies and Consulates, host organizations, local police teams, Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) to obtain the most current open-source information available to Biola travelers. Information received from these sources will be included in the trip assessment and shared with travelers prior to the planned trip.

The stages of the travel approval and trip assessment process are:

• Trip proposal/request
• Pre-approval for planning purposes
• Trip assessment
• Final travel approval or denial

University Travel Groups

TSRM has worked with programs on campus that travel frequently to establish a trip approval process. These trips include but are not limited to:

• Study Abroad
• Study Tours
• Student Missionary Union (SMU) Trips
• Internships, academic research, and other study programs including;
  • Nursing
  • Education
  • Psychology
  • Other applicable academic programs

Other university-sponsored travel with potential risk considerations must be assessed by TSRM before the trip is approved. Notify TSRM of any university-related international travel by emailing travel.safety@biola.edu as early as possible. Upon receiving notification of the proposed travel, a TSRM assessor will be assigned to conduct a thorough travel assessment. The assessment will begin with an initial meeting with the traveler or team leader.

Individual University Travel

Other university-sponsored travel with potential risk considerations must be assessed by TSRM before the trip is approved. Notify TSRM of any university-related international travel by emailing travel.safety@biola.edu as early as possible. Upon receiving notification of the proposed travel, a TSRM assessor will be assigned to conduct a thorough travel assessment. The assessment will begin with an initial meeting with the traveler and will include input from appropriate campus partners. Upon completion of the assessment, the TSRM assessor will review the assessment details and mandatory requirements with the traveler.

All travelers/travel groups will be required to complete a list of mandatory requirements from the departments below for TSRM final travel approval. Depending on the trip, mandatory travel requirements may include the following:

TSRM may cancel a university trip at any time before or during the trip due to safety and security concerns.

TSRM has developed general emergency procedures for travelers. Procedures include:

• Travel Emergencies
• General Safety
• Theft Of Travel Documents/Personal Property
• Terrorist Activity
• Weather-Related Emergencies
• Major Earthquakes
• Medical Emergencies
• Sexual Assault
• Civil Unrest
• Kidnapping
• Death

A copy of these procedures will be provided upon approval of each trip.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding TSRM or travel, please email TSRM at travel.safety@biola.edu.

In the event of a major disaster or other domestic or international crisis, TSRM will activate the Travel Crisis Management Team (TCMT) to coordinate a measured response and assist travelers. The TCMT is led by the Chief of Campus Safety and is composed of several campus stakeholder departments.

The University has authorized this team to respond to emergency situations where Biola students, staff, and faculty may experience an unexpected crisis while traveling for authorized purposes (i.e., study abroad, mission trips, etc.). The TCMT will coordinate with local, state, federal, and international partners including the US State Department and non-government organizations on behalf of Biola travelers. Types of crises the TCMT will manage include but are not limited to:

• Travel Emergency
• Terrorist Activity
• Weather-Related Emergency
• Volcanic Eruption
• Major Earthquake
• Tsunami
• Medical Emergency
• Sexual Assault
• Civil Unrest
• Kidnapping
• Death
• Other Major Emergencies

Information on how to respond to a major disaster or other domestic or international crisis will also be reviewed with each group leader or individual traveler as part of the trip approval process. Should an emergency arise during a trip, TSRM/TCMT will work with the appropriate government and/or non-government partner(s) to resolve the emergency or extract the Biola travelers from the area.

In the event of any emergency during any university-related travel, the traveler(s) must immediately contact Biola’s emergency operator at (562) 777-4000 to alert TSRM. This will allow Biola to respond in a unified manner through TSRM. Please do not attempt to manage any emergency situations involving Biola travelers on your own. TSRM will provide specific guidance on emergency procedures for approved university-related travel.

International Mobile Phone Service

International mobile phone service will be required for leaders of University travel groups and is recommended for all travelers.

Satellite Phones

University trips to areas where mobile phone service is unreliable or unavailable will be provided with a satellite phone service is unreliable or unavailable will be provided with a satellite phone by TSRM for emergency use. The travel group leader will receive the satellite phone along with instructions and procedures for its proper use when the phone is checked out.