RESIDENCY EMERGENCY PROTOCOL

The New York Academy of Art Abroad Emergency Protocol (the Protocol) has been designed expressly to safeguard the well-being of program participants and to protect the Academy’s interests. The procedures set forth below are to be followed by the study abroad program directors and Academy administration, staff, faculty, and students in order to effectively prepare for and rapidly respond to emergencies in the Academy’s foreign and domestic residency programs.

The Protocol becomes effective in situations where students and employees become ill, suffer accidents, are the victims of muggings and assaults, find themselves caught up in potentially violent political situations, fail to return on time to programs at the end of long weekends or other situation that the director or participant deems an emergency. While it is of course impossible to plan for all contingencies involving our programs abroad, the Protocol provides procedures that will allow us to react in a responsible and levelheaded way when emergencies do arise. We need to be able to provide, in a consistent and predictable way, for the safety and well-being of our students and all other participants. It is the responsibility of program directors and other Academy administrators to follow the procedures outlined below and of program directors to inform the students in their group about these procedures during their orientations.

What is an emergency?

An emergency is any circumstance that poses a genuine risk to, or that has already disturbed the safety and wellbeing of program participants. Emergencies will include, though not be confined to, the following types of events and incidents:

1. A “perceived emergency” results from events that are not immediately threatening to the health or safety of program students or staff, but which may be viewed as such by family and friends at home, or by the media. In many instances, a perceived emergency must be treated as a real emergency.

2. At a minimum, the following information should be provided to all students during the pre- departure and on-site orientation.

Program director or On-site coordinator in host country

All Program Directors must have a cell phone that works in the host country – either a US or foreign number. Directors must provide students, parents and university administrators with the complete number including the country and city code if using a local number in the host country.

• U.S. Embassy contact numbers, both stateside and foreign. www.usembassy.gov/
• Family and or spouse contact numbers. This should include work, home and cell phonenumbers and email addresses.
• Administrative contact information, this should include work, home and cellphone numbers and email addresses for the President, the Dean and the Faculty Chair.
• Contact numbers for all of the students participating in the NYAA residency. This should include work, home and cell phones and email addresses. Cell phones service will vary with each environment, but every effort should be made to have some contact number for every student.
• Contact numbers for the host organization. These should include landlines, cell phones and email addresses. In some cases where contact is limited, alternative contact numbers should be made available to the faculty or staff member.
• Contact information for local hospital and Police.
• Verify health insurance coverage for all participating students
• On-site staff should have access to emergency cash/travelers checks in the event that ATMs are not available during emergencies

What should on-site staff do to prepare for emergencies?

a. Cover safety and security issues specific to the country. Advise the students to avoid travel to or through any location where tensions exist and travel may be dangerous.

b. Procedures for a medical emergency:

• Students should be informed that they are required to notify the program director about any medical emergency, and that the program director in turn is required to contact the Academy. This information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality, and will be shared by the program director on a “need to know” basis only. If the crisis involving the student is grave enough to jeopardize his or her safety or well being, the emergency contact he/she has provided at the time of registration will be informed.
• Directors will leave a detailed written program itinerary with the Academy with written instructions on how they can be contacted in an emergency.

What should Students do to prepare for emergencies?

1. Be familiar with all materials sent to you by the Academy including the Consular Information Sheets on your host country and the Center for Disease Control Travelers Information.

5. Review the Emergency Protocol.
6. Know how to use your health insurance information and keep a copy of the card with you at all times along with the 24/7 assistance phone number
7.  Make 2 copies of your passport. Leave one with your family and bring one with you on your trip and keep it separately from your passport. While you are traveling, protect your passport. Use a money belt or neck pouch.
8. Keep the program director’s and university emergency numbers with you at all times.
9. Learn as much as you can about your country before you go.
10. Register with the U.S. Embassy, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.
11. Develop with your family a plan for telephone or e-mail contact, so that in case of emergency you will be able to communicate with your parents directly about your safety and well-being.
12. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are traveling. Remember, while in a foreign country, you are subject to their laws.
13. Bring a credit card or make sure to have access to additional funds in case of an emergency.

What to do in the case of an emergency

For the Program Director

1. In an emergency, the director’s first responsibility is to safeguard the safety and well being of program participants. The director should do whatever is necessary to assure this, whether this means obtaining prompt and appropriate medical attention, Embassy intervention or police protection.
2. When all has been done to assure the participants’ well being, the director should contact the Academy and brief the Senior Administrator in detail about thesituation. The senior administrator will then contact the program director or a designated representative for further action on the emergency.
3. In an emergency, the director should urge participants to contact parents as soon as possible to advise them of their personal situation. Wherever necessary, the director must facilitate such contact.
4. As necessary, the director should notify the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate about the crisis, and follow whatever procedures they may require. If there is a continuing risk to the welfare of the students (during a terrorist threat, for example), the director should ask the appropriate Embassy or Consular Official to advise him/her on a regular basis about the evolution of the crisis, and about how the students should respond.
5. In a medical emergency, the director or appropriate designee should accompany the student to an appropriate health care provider. The Senior Administrator for the Academy should be contacted and made aware of the situation. No details should be shared unless the participant grants permission. If a medical emergency is critical and parents should be informed, the President or the Dean should make contact with the parents.
6. During an on-going crisis, the director should keep the Academy informed on a regular basis, daily or as need dictates.
7. Depending on the acuteness of the crisis, the crisis response team may be assembled to decide on a course of action that the director and students need to follow.
8. During a political crisis or some other emergency during which foreigners in general or U.S. citizens in particular may be at risk, the director should tell the students to keep a low profile; tell them to avoid demonstrations, confrontations or situations where they could be in danger; avoid behavior that could call attention to themselves; avoid locales where foreigners or U.S. Americans are known to congregate; and take down signs, avoid using luggage tags and wearing clothes that would label them as U.S. Americans.
9. In the event of a significant crisis, students have the option of returning to the
   U.S. Every reasonable effort will be made to allow them to continue their academic program on campus.
10. Faculty members and students will be evacuated or sent home if a situation deteriorates to the point where the degree of risk to participants is deemed unacceptable. If this unlikely event were to happen, the crisis response team, in consultation with the director, the U.S. Embassy and State Department, and appropriate individuals on the home campus, would develop an evacuation plan in as much detail as possible.

For the student

1. If there is an emergency, you should immediately contact the Program Director. His/herresponsibility is to make sure that you are safe. The director will be in touch with the Academy and will recommend appropriate steps depending on the situation. Follow the director’s instructions.
2. During a political crisis or some other emergency during which foreigners in general or U.S. citizens in particular may be at risk, keep a low profile; avoid demonstrations, confrontations or situations where you could be in danger; avoid behavior that could call attention to yourself; avoid locales where foreigners or U.S. Americans are known to congregate; and take down signs, avoid using luggage tags and wearing clothes that would label you as U.S. Americans.

For Academy Administrators

Upon receiving a call from the director of a residency (or from faculty, parent or other source) involving a serious injury, death, or emergency, the Academy will:

1. Start a log of all calls and activities.
2. Get the following information from the director:
   • Name of caller and of victim(s), if any
   • Brief description of accident, injuries, and/or emergency, the steps that havebeen taken and the status.
   • Location of caller- street, city, country
   • Location of accident or emergency. How close is it to students and staff?
   • Phone, cell phone, fax, or beeper number where caller is
   • Find out if rescue squad, local law enforcement, U.S. embassy/consulate havebeen called if appropriate?
   • Has any information been released to the media?If an emergency – real or perceived – occurred, ask for detailed answers to these questions:

• What impact, if any, did any emergency have on availability of food, water, and medical supplies?
• What was the target of unrest, if the event was political?
• What is the intensity of the emergency or of the political unrest?
• Are there military or emergency personnel at the site of the emergency?
• Is continuation of classes feasible?

• How able are our students and staff to travel in the country?
• What is the advice of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate?

Crisis Response Team

The Crisis Response Team may be comprised of but not limited to:

• The President of the Academy
• The Dean of Academic Affairs
• The Faculty Chair
• The Directors of relevant departments
• The Director of Security
• Legal and medical advisorsIf based on the recommendation of the Crisis Response Team, the senior administrator determines that a program should be cancelled or terminated due to an emergency or crisis situation, the process for notification.State Department Travel AlertIf, prior to the commencement of a program, the U. S. State Department issues a Travel Alert for the area in which the program is being conducted, the updated information must be distributed within 7 days to students and the program director by the Academy. Students must be permitted to withdraw and every effort made to find an alternate program. Students shall be refunded any fees.If, during the course of a program, the U. S. State Department issues a Travel Alert for the area in which the program is being conducted, the updated information must be distributed within 72 hours to students and students must be permitted to withdraw. Every effort will be made to allow students to complete their coursework after their return. Students shall be refunded any fees not already expended.State Department Travel Warning or Center for Disease Control Travel Health Warning

  If either the US Department of State or the Centers for Disease Control issue a travel warning for the area where an Academy program is being conducted, the Academy will consult with the Crisis Management Team. Normally the Academy will suspend approval of study abroad while the warning is in effect.