7210-34 Student Trips Policy

Purpose

Vanier College wants to encourage student trips that offer educational opportunities to students. These trips should be consistent with the goals of Vanier’s Mission Statement and Academic Success Plan, and help meet course objectives. At the same time, the College must ensure that all trips are undertaken with the highest standards of safety for all those involved.

Definition

A student trip includes any trip off the premises of Vanier College where students are accompanied by a teacher or staff member. The Field Station is considered a part of the College. Trips may be of very short duration, overnight, or extended with a destination in St. Laurent, Montreal, different parts of Quebec and Canada, or abroad.

Procedures

1. All teachers and staff (trip organizers) are required to follow the Protocol for Student Trips as detailed on the Vanier website (Student Trips, Vanier A–Z). Certain items of the Protocol, for example, the Consent & Waiver Form, are essential from a legal standpoint; other items are available to assist trip organizers in the implementation of their trips. All trips must have prior approval from the Department Coordinator and the Faculty Dean, or, in the case of staff, from the appropriate supervisor.
2. Students should be made aware of the standards by which Vanier College trips are operated.
3. All trips must conform to the Mission Statement, the Academic Success Plan, IPESA, and course/program objectives. They must conform to the other policies and procedures of Vanier College, in particular the Zero Tolerance Policy and the Human Rights Policy. International trips should conform to the policy, International Cooperation, Exchanges, and Training.
4. All trip organizers must take reasonable precautions to ensure students’ safety, health, and well-being, as well as their positive educational experience.
5. A student may be disallowed from participating in a student trip for behaviour as outlined in the policy, Student Misconduct in the Classroom. Procedures must have been followed.
6. Trip organizers are responsible for taking note of all the requirements for specific trips as detailed in the Student Trip Protocol. Assistance in understanding specific requirements is available from the Faculty Dean.
7. Serious incidents of student misbehaviour or incidents involving injuries should be immediately reported to the appropriate Dean or supervisor.
8. Normally, trips should be scheduled so as not to conflict with other classes. However, such conflicts may occur. In order to minimize problems resulting from these conflicts, teachers should:
   • Schedule the trip at a time when it will be least disruptive, if at all possible.
   • Plan the trip for only the time that is needed to fulfill the trip objectives.
   • Give at least three weeks notification of the trip so that other teachers can, if they choose, make alternative plans (i.e., schedule a test on another day). Ideally, details about class trips would be included in the Course Outline.
   • In seeking confirmation from the Faculty Dean for the trip, provide information on what conflicts with other classes the students might have and what has been done to resolve these conflicts.
9. Students who will be missing a class because of a class trip should do the following:
   • Inform the teacher of the class they will miss in writing immediately after being informed of the trip.
   • Take responsibility for any material covered in the classes and labs which will be missed, as with other absences.
   • Understand that the teacher whose class is being missed is not obliged to reschedule tests or give special tests to students to accommodate a trip.
10. Despite the measures undertaken in #8 and #9, students may feel that they cannot miss a class because of a class trip. They cannot be obliged to do so. Alternative activities must be provided by the trip organizer for those students.
11. Students who, for medical or other serious personal reasons, cannot participate in a student trip should provide appropriate documentation to their teacher.
12. College-approved trips scheduled during the semester would be considered College Business for the teacher involved. For College-approved trips during the summer vacation, teachers should ask for a comparable non-availability period at another time (but not during the semester and not for a period of more than 3 weeks).
13. Teachers should apply to their Professional Development Fund to help defray personal costs for extended trips in Canada or international trips.
14. Tenured teachers will receive their regular compensation and collect seniority while on any College-approved trip. Non-tenured teachers must schedule their trips within their teaching contracts.
15. If a teacher must be absent from his/her class because of a College-approved student trip, there can be paid substitution.
16. Teachers and staff trip organizers are responsible for ensuring that the following are in place for themselves as required: passports, insurance, visas, and vaccinations.
17. The Student Trip Protocol will be regularly updated. Trip organizers are encouraged to send their recommendations to the responsible manager.
18. The Academic Dean will announce the policy in Vanier This Week during the first week of classes and will also include it in the Academic Catalogue. The Coordinator of Student Services will include this policy in the Student Handbook. The Director of Continuing Education shall assure that this policy is communicated to students in Continuing Education. The policy will also be listed under Academic Policies on the Vanier website under A–Z and also under For Teachers’ Only.