Emergency Plan

In the event of an emergency that impacts all students at a CEA program site or multiple sites, CEA’s Emergency Plan will be put into action.  The kinds of events that may trigger the Emergency Plan are natural disasters, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, wars or pandemics.

Contacting CEA

In the event of a major emergency, please call our toll-free number at 800-266-4441 to contact CEA and listen to the automated phone prompts to route you through to our emergency contact staff member. CEA Global Education has dedicated staff monitoring the emergency phone line 24/7.

Health and Safety Committee

CEA’s Health and Safety Committee will take the lead in implementing the Emergency Plan. The following individuals lead the Health and Safety Committee:

• Marcie Schneider, President and COO
• Caroline Walsh, Vice President, Program Development
• Alexandra Mitchell, CEA Campus Director, Paris
• Stephen Bird, Program Lead
• Tim Boubek, Director of University Relations –West, Advisor
• Tom Whitehouse, International Health and Safety Director, Advisor

Risk Assessment and Situation Monitoring

The CEA Health and Safety Committee utilizes a variety of resources when making programmatic decisions. These include U.S. State Department travel advisories and the information that our international staff provides from discussions with local police and study abroad providers in the area, and their own observations. Additionally, the Committee also refers to communiqués from NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Interassociational Advisory Committee on Health and Safety.

Resident Directors and their staffs continuously monitor the local situation in regards to health and safety risks. Our Health and Safety Committee members subscribe to the State Department's travel advisory list and receive all announcements about Travel Warnings and Advisories. These are shared with the appropriate staff members in Tempe, Arizona and abroad.

In the event of a Travel Warning, CEA will e-mail messages to all participants' emergency contacts and home institutions within 48 hours, post a message on the homepage of our website, www.GoWithCEA.com, and e-mail SECUSS-L, the major study abroad industry listserv.

Pre-Departure Information & Onsite Orientation

In preparation for their study abroad program, all students receive extensive pre-departure information and are required to attend an onsite orientation. Health and safety information is included in all Student Handbooks, as well as in the onsite orientation. Students are registered with the U.S. Embassy and given all contact information for the international staff. Local police stations are pointed out to the students during orientation along with how to report incidents.

In the unlikely event of a major emergency that may impact the health and/or safety of all students in the CEA program country:

1. The international staff will contact all students to ensure that they are accounted for and are safe, as well as provide them with information and instructions.
2. The international staff will contact the .U.S Embassy or Consulate.
3. The international staff will gather information related to the event causing the on emergency, possible danger to U.S. citizens, impact, intensity of the emergency, and the feasibility of continuing classes.
4. Depending on the situation, the international staff may or may not gather the students together. This will depend on the specific situation encountered.
5. The international staff will keep a detailed log of all events concerning this situation.
6. The international staff will immediately contact CEA Global Operations and provide a briefing on the situation, including any recommendations the Director may have regarding the program.
7. CEA Global Operations will contact the U.S. State Department for further information and provide that to the Crisis Management Team.
8. The Crisis Management Team is composed of the Health and Safety Committee members, in conjunction with international staff.
9. The Crisis Management Team will take immediate measures to ensure the health and safety of the students, including gathering additional information, tailoring an evacuation plan to the situation, arranging transportation and developing a daily communication plan with key organizations.
10. CEA will post information on its website, as well as reach out to the students’ emergency contacts and host institutions to apprise them of the situation and steps that CEA is taking.

Advice for CEA Students and Their Families

• Emergency Contacts: When designating emergency contacts, students should designate their parents as their emergency contacts whenever possible. This way, information regarding any emergency situation will automatically be distributed to parents.
• Communication: Students should provide accurate contact information for themselves to their parents and home institutions. Students should also stay in touch with their parents or other emergency contacts in the event of any emergency.
• Tips: Prior to departure, read through our helpful tips for students and parents.