Washburn cites the College’s need to ensure student safety.

“We try to strike the right balance between letting our students do all the good and interesting things that they want to do but also fulfilling our, what we call, duty-of-care responsibility to them,” Washburn says.

CLEAR AND STRAIGHTFORWARD

“Any time we’re making a decision about what our policies and goals are, the guiding principle is this question: what would a reasonable person expect of an institution like Harvard?” Washburn says.

Before 2003, any country on the travel warning list was considered off limits for support.

But Washburn says that the policy seemed overly restrictive in principle and in practice.

In 2003, Jane Edwards, the former director of the Office of International Programs, changed the policy to make it more practical.

Today, the University interprets certain language in the warning to determine whether Harvard will fund students or provide credit for their travel to certain countries or regions on the list.

“The wording is purposely chosen because there are certain categories of wording that imply a higher level of security concern than not,” Washburn says.

Language in a warning such as “orders departure of U.S. dependents and non-emergency personnel,” “recommends that any U.S. citizens remaining in the country should depart,” and “(strongly) warns U.S. citizens against (all) travel to the country,” prohibits students from receiving Harvard sponsorship for activities abroad, according to the Harvard policy.

“Our policy is clear and straightforward. This is policy for dummies,” Washburn says.

Countries with warnings of a lesser level may be excluded from this prohibition, though caution is strongly advised if a student chooses to travel to such a country.

An “assumption of risk and general release” form with the parent’s or guardian’s signature is required from students who intend to travel to countries where a warning does not elicit Harvard sponsorship prohibition.

In addition to travel warnings, the College will examine the wording of travel alerts, which, according to the State Department’s website, explain “short-term conditions, either transnational or within a particular country, that pose significant risks to the security of U.S. citizens.”

Withholding of Harvard sponsorship can occur until the day of departure. If a warning is issued while a student is already in the country, the College may ask students to leave the country or help evacuate them through International SOS, which provides emergency evacuation assistance for Harvard affiliates abroad.