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Domestic Trip and Travel Policy and Approval Procedures for Coordinating Student Travel

Are you a QCC employee who is coordinating, leading, or chaperoning QCC students traveling off-campus for any reason?

If your answer is YES, the trip must be approved in advance. Here is an overview of QCC's Domestic Trip and Travel Approval Procedures:

Six weeks before off-campus travel

  • Carefully read the CUNY Student Domestic Trip and Travel Guidelines

  • Let your Department Chair or supervisor know you are planning to lead students off-campus 

Four weeks before off-campus travel

  • Submit the Off-Campus Travel Approval Form to OAA (if academic travel) or OSA (if student organization travel)

  • Check with OAA or OSA to discuss the details of your trip, whether the trip has been approved, and any next steps (varies based on details of the trip - OAA or OSA will determine what is needed)

Two weeks before off-campus travel

  • Submit signed Off-Campus Activity Participation, Waiver, and Emergency Forms for each participating student

  • All participants must have completed necessary sexual misconduct, alcohol awareness, and driver training (varies based on details of the trip - OAA or OSA will determine what is needed)

  • You must follow these procedures even if you have never had to do so in past.

  • NO ONE who is not a current employee or current student at the time of travel should be traveling as part of your group

  • Procedures for each trip can vary slightly, depending on the details. OSA or OAA so will determine what, if anything, is necessary for your off-campus travel to comply with State and Federal laws and City University of New York policies

Domestic Trip And Travel Approval Policy And Procedures

Queensborough Community College, CUNY
Office of Academic Affairs / Office of Student Affairs

Prior written approval for all domestic student trips and travel must be obtained from either the Chief Student Affairs Officer (CSAO) for student organization travel or from the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for academic-related (class-related) travel prior to the commitment of any University resources. Trip sponsors and faculty leaders are expected to seek guidance and input from campus-based safety and risk management offices when envisioning and planning the logistics of a trip or travel program.

Trips Requiring Approval by CSAO or CAO

The following approval processes are for currently-enrolled students participating in sponsored domestic trips, as defined below:

"Domestic travel" is classified as any activity or event leaving QCC but within the 50 states of the United States including trips to museums, field trips, athletic events, leadership retreats and conferences.

A "sponsored trip" is any event or activity that takes place off campus with the purpose of extending and supplementing learning opportunities in a way not possible within the usual College setting that is organized, supported, or financed by an office, department, division, or a student organization of the college and that is funded by student activity fees or monies that are in the control of the College, the University, or a University/College-related entity, such as auxiliary enterprise corporations, a college association, or a student services corporation. Examples of activities and events that fall under these guidelines include Division of Student Affairs-sponsored field trips, club sports trips, the activities of recognized student organizations, college association-funded travel, course-related field trips, and situations in which a student or recognized student organization officially represents the University (e.g., conferences).

Travel by personal or rented vehicle:

  • Rented vehicles may be utilized for sponsored trips only with the prior approval of the appropriate college official; only those employees that meet the minimum requirements under the Fleet Management Policy may drive rented vehicles.
  • Trip sponsors and/or chaperones should not drive personal vehicles for University business unless no commercial transportation could be arranged, no pool vehicle is practically available, or in case of emergency. Employees who use their personal vehicles for University business must comply with all Fleet Management Policy requirements and maintain the minimum statutory automobile liability limits as required by the State in which the vehicle is registered. Certificates of insurance verifying these minimum limits may be requested and must be provided upon request. Trip sponsors and/or chaperones must remind all trip participants choosing to ride in a private automobile that they do so voluntarily and at their own risk. The University does not insure or accept liability for any damage, loss, or injury resulting from the use of or riding in a private vehicle.

Trips Not Covered by These Guidelines

These guidelines do not apply to travel undertaken by students who travel as individuals (by themselves or with other members of the CUNY community) to attend out-of-town athletic/recreational events as a non-participant (except when traveling on behalf of or with the financial support of a recognized student organization), or as individuals who travel out of town to engage in student teaching, internships, practicums, observations, or research.

If you are uncertain if an event, activity or individual or group travel is covered by these guidelines, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs at x6344.

QCC-CUNY neither sanctions nor prohibits any non-QCC sponsored trips and QCC-CUNY does not assume any responsibility for them.

Activities outside of the country are beyond the scope of these guidelines and are covered by CUNY's International Travel Guidelines.

Steps for Obtaining Approval

  1. Six Weeks or More Before Scheduled Trip:
  2. Four Weeks Before Scheduled Trip:
    • Faculty/Trip Sponsor must complete the Off-Campus Travel Approval Form and submit to the Office of Academic Affairs (if academic-related travel) or Office of Student Affairs (if student organization travel) for approval
    • If Faculty/Trip Sponsor and/or Chaperone is driving a personal or rental vehicle for the trip:
      1. Complete the Off-Campus Driver Policy Acknowledgement Form and submit it to the Office of Academic Affairs (if academic-related travel) or Office of Student Affairs (if non-academic travel)
      2. Collect a signed Off-Campus Student Passenger Waiver Form from each student traveling in a vehicle driven by Faculty/Trip Sponsor(s)/Chaperone(s) and submit it to the Office of Academic Affairs (if academic-related travel) or Office of Student Affairs (if student organization travel)
  3. Two Weeks Before Scheduled Trip:
    • Once a trip is approved by the CAO or CSAO, Faculty /Trip Sponsor must ensure compliance with all guidelines, most importantly:
      1. Collect a signed (and notarized, if student is under 18 years of age) Off-Campus Activity Participation, Waiver, and Emergency Form from each student no later than two weeks before the trip, activity, or event and submit to the OAA or OSA.
      2. Trip Sponsor must provide both their respective departments and OSA or OAA a list with the names of all travelers, emergency contact information, contact numbers and email addresses, CUNY IDs, and dates of travel. (If the list of students traveling changes after this date, please update the proper office with the additions or deletions ASAP.)
      3. NOTE 1: Signed copies of the "Off-Campus Student Travel Approval Form" and the "Off-Campus Activity Participation, Waiver, and Emergency Form" shall be kept on file by the sponsoring department or organization for six years after the event.
      4. NOTE 2: Waivers are not required if the OAA or OSA determines that your activity is a day-trip (trip without an overnight stay) within the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens) that requires only the use of public transportation for travel and does not involve high-risk activities.
    • Sexual Misconduct Curriculum: Please be aware that the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct designates faculty members at times when they are leading or supervising student on off-campus trips as "responsible employees." "Off campus trips" can include out-of-town trips for competitions or conferences as well as class trips to local museums or other sites of educational interest and value, depending on the circumstances. Under the policy, responsible employees:
      1. Have a duty to report incidents of sexual harassment, gender based harassment or sexual violence to the Title IX Coordinator.
      2. Are not permitted under any circumstances to maintain a complainant's confidentiality.
      3. Must advise students who report such incidents of the responsible employee's reporting obligation and, if the complainant wants to maintain confidentiality, direct the complainant to confidential resources. At Queensborough, the confidential resources for students are the Counseling Center and the Health Services Office.
    • At Queensborough, responsible employees are required to take a brief, online course related to sexual misconduct.
    • Please Note: At this time, responsible employees only need complete this training once during their employment. The QCC Title IX Officer can verify whether or not each faculty or staff member on the trip has already completed this training. Instructions for the employee version of the online course.
    • In addition, responsible employees must be familiar with CUNY's policies. Review CUNY's Sexual Misconduct Curriculum for Employees. (This can be viewed as a website or as a PowerPoint presentation.)
    • All faculty must complete the Title IX and Alcohol trainings during the academic year that they are traveling on any overnight (or longer) trip.
    • Students who are traveling to destinations covered under the CUNY Domestic Trip and Travel Guidelines must complete the student version of the brief, online course if they have not done so already.
      1. The student version of the online training can be found online
      2. Like employees, at this time students need to complete the Title IX and Alcohol trainings during the academic year that they are traveling on any overnight (or longer) trip. The Alcohol training can be found on the Title IX website.
      3. The Faculty/Trip Sponsor shall request that the students complete these trainings, sharing the links above with them.
      4. If a student contends that she has already completed a particular training(s) during the academic year that they are traveling overnight (or longer), they should inform their trip sponsor and the Title IX office will verify.
      5. The Title IX Office, OSA, or OAA will also contact students directly to request that they complete the required training, but the students respond better when the request comes directly from faculty or staff known to the students.
      6. As a reminder, the Trip and Travel Guidelines do not apply to day-trips (trips without an overnight stay) within the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens) that require only the use of public transportation for travel and do not involve high-risk activities.

Please note that failure to comply with these policies and procedures could result in cancellation or your planned trip.

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