Recommended By
:
Academic Senate
Approved
:
Judy K. Sakaki, President
Issue Date
:
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Current Issue Date
:
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Effective Date
:
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Contact Office
:
Academic Affairs
Policy number
:
2020-4
- Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to comply with CO Executive Order 1062 to establish policy and procedures to ensure safety for campus field trips. - Field Trip Defined
A field trip is a required university course-related, domestic, off-campus activity led by a faculty or staff member and designed to serve educational purposes. A field trip would include the gathering of data for research (such as at a geological or archaeological site), museum visit, participation in a conference or competition, or visits to an event or place of interest. The duration of a field trip may be a class period or longer, and could extend over multiple days. This definition does not apply to activities or placements in the context of a teacher preparation program, intercollegiate sports, or service-learning placements, all of which are governed under separate CSU policies and procedures. This definition also does not apply to class assignments students complete independently without faculty leadership or that are international. Faculty planning a course-based trip abroad should refer to the faculty-led study abroad policy. - Faculty Responsibilities for Field Trips
- Each class that requires a field trip should include a statement in the syllabus such as "This class includes a field trip. Please complete all the relevant forms and return to me by XXX date. Field trip forms can be found at online."
- At least two weeks prior to a scheduled field trip, complete forms on the Field Trip Information page maintained by Risk Management, including the liability waiver, Private Vehicles Policy Guidelines, and the California State University student travel policy, when applicable.
- If a student does not accept the risk of participation in a Field Trip or does not complete all of the required forms, the instructor must make reasonable attempts to provide a course-appropriate alternative assignment and/or work with Academic Affairs and Academic Advising to identify an alternative assignment. In the case where a field trip makes up a significant element of the class requirements and no reasonable alternative assignment may be provided, the student may drop (subject to the campus drop deadline) or withdraw (subject to the campus deadline and restrictions for withdrawals) from the course as appropriate.
- Prior to the field trip, provide students with an instructional agenda, health and safety information, emergency procedures, and the student code of conduct.
- Ensure student emergency contact information is obtained prior to the field trip. The campus must have emergency contact information readily available.
- Return all forms to the Academic Department. The Academic Department should retain all field trip forms for a period of one year. For minors, the documents are to be retained for one year after the minor reaches the age of majority. Electronic copies of the documents are permissible. See Executive Order 1031.
- Create a written pre-trip evaluation or utilize the Field Trip Site Assessment form (PDF) which includes a site visit unless the faculty member can demonstrate and document sufficient knowledge of the field trip site. This could be accomplished by review online, published materials, or contacting the site to discuss the visit. The evaluation should be retained by the Academic Department for three years and available for review.
- When field trips are included in the course, plan early, and verify accessibility. Consult with the student and Disability Services for Students (DSS) if assistance is needed in the planning. If the University provides student transportation, then it must provide accessible transportation on the field trip.
- Provide training for any equipment that may be used on the activity.
- Administration Responsibilities for Field Trips
- The Office of the Provost will designate an administrator to perform regular reviews to monitor and document compliance with the field trip policy and update requirements and website as necessary at regular intervals.
- Inform all department chairs and deans of the campus policy annually.