Emergencies

Students are given an Arrival Card two weeks prior to their program start date. The Arrival Card carries the emergency contact information for our international on-site staff members in the host city. During their on-site orientation, students will receive lots of information and direction on what to do in an emergency. They are also advised to routinely check their e-mail for information that could be distributed in the event of an emergency.

For a medical emergency, students are told to seek emergency help right away, then contact their international medical insurance provider and a member of the on-site staff as soon as they can.

For other types of emergencies, students should contact the on-site staff.

Parents should contact the CEA Global Education at its headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. (1-800-266-4441) Our site specialists, experts in the host city and culture, will let the international on-site staff know of any issues or concerns. The site specialists also are available to provide advice to concerned parents, acting as liaison between parents and on-site staff for the following reasons:

U.S. privacy laws prevent faculty and international on-site staff from discussing a student's situation, including health, psychological condition, grades, etc., with the parent
On-site staff needs to focus their energy on the student – especially in an emergency

U.S. Department of State

The U.S. Department of State is a valuable resource to both student and their families in an emergency. U.S. embassies and consulates can help locate missing U.S. students overseas when relatives or friends are concerned about their welfare or need to notify them of an emergency at home. However, students 18 and older must sign a Privacy Act waiver before the government will release information about them to third parties. Without the waiver, the State Department can only confirm whether or not they have been in contact with the student.

To locate a missing student, call the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management at (202) 647-5225. Parents should have the following information ready:

Caller's full name, address, phone number and relationship
Name of the person abroad
Date and place of birth of the person abroad
Passport number (if known)
Last known address and phone number; itinerary
Reason for their travel/residence abroad (business, tourism, etc.)
Date of last contact
Other points of contact abroad (friends, business associates, hotel, etc.)
If ill, where hospitalized and, if relevant to current hospitalization, the name and phone number of attending physician in the U.S.
You may also be asked to provide a photo of the missing person
It may also be useful for you to contact credit card companies, telephone companies, etc. to try to determine if the missing individual’s accounts have been used recently and where those transactions occurred.

To communicate a family emergency from home, parents should have ready:

Nature of the emergency
What you want the person told about the emergency
Name, address and telephone number and relationship of person you wish subject to call after the emergency family message is relayed to them by the U.S. embassy or consulate.

More information about the U.S. Department of State is available online.

Support For Parents/guardians:

Online support tips for parents
Toll-free access (1-800-266-4441) to the 24-hour emergency phone line, which is monitored by staff at the Global Headquarters in Tempe, Arizona
Timely updates of CEA Global Education’s monitoring of world situations

Support for University/College Faculty and Administrators

Timely notification to your primary contact from your Regional Consultant or other CEA University Relations contact of any serious student issue that involves one or more of your students overseas
Risk management for Custom and Faculty-Led programming
Detailed Emergency Plans and Risk Management Protocols
An accessible Health & Safety Committee comprised of members of the CEA Executive Management Team.