Resources for Parents

Your Student & Study Abroad

Study abroad can be an exciting time for your student, but can also come with many challenges. We understand the stress and concern that can come as a parent sending your student to another country. We have included information below about preparing for your student’s departure, as well as information on program cost, insurance, and answers to any other questions you might have. If you do not see an answer to your question, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at overseas@lclark.edu, or by calling us at 503-768-7295. 

Please note that due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, we may be limited in the information that we will be able to discuss with you regarding your student’s specific study abroad plans. 

Program Safety and Health

As parents or guardians with a student who has been selected to participate on an overseas or off-campus program, we know that you may have questions related to program safety and health. Of course, no one can guarantee complete safety and health while abroad, just as no one can guarantee complete safety and health anywhere in the US, but we are committed to working with our students and our in-country contacts to plan for overseas experiences that are safe as well as educational. Below we provide information about our policies.

Cost

Information concerning the cost of Overseas Programs can be found here.

Lewis & Clark College Policy

Lewis & Clark is committed to developing and offering programs that challenge our students academically and introduce them to other ways of being and knowing. This commitment includes operating programs in both traditional (e.g. Western Europe) and non-traditional locations (e.g. East and West Africa). Please be assured that our first priority is the safety and well-being of our students at all program locations. If at any time during the development or operation of a program it becomes necessary to postpone or evacuate, we will do so by weighing a number of recommendations, including the Centers for Disease Control and the US Department of State, with on-site reports from our in-country faculty and staff, bearing in mind that general statements about an entire country may not be applicable in a specific area where a program is operating. For example, instead of immediate evacuation, we may consider moving the program location within the country or geographic region. We have successfully operated programs for more than sixty years using this form of sound and informed judgment.

The Role of the US Department of State

Traveling is a risky activity everywhere in the world—including the U.S. Lewis & Clark College carefully monitors public announcements and travel advisories and warnings issued by - among other entities - the US Department of State. We register all students with local consulates/embassies, and our overseas staff receives automatic e-mail alerts from these local offices. The State Department listings can be found here. Additional useful information may be found on websites maintained directly by embassies around the world, click here for more. Again, please keep in mind that this information needs to be balanced against what is happening in the specific area where each program is located.

Staff

Every Lewis & Clark College program is managed by at least one Resident Director who speaks the local language fluently, has lived or studied in the local city, and/or is a native of the country. Every program is also hosted by a local university or academic institute, and one of the duties of the program administrators is to support and assist the Resident Director in times of crisis. Resident Directors communicate with our office on a regular basis. Our office is staffed by study abroad professionals who have lived, studied and worked overseas in various locations. In times of emergency, you may reach a member of our staff (24 hours a day) by phone at 503-768-7295 and following our recorded directions.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the rights of students by guaranteeing access to their educational records while prohibiting unauthorized access by others. Should you wish to receive information about your student while they are gone, your student will need to fill out the FERPA Release Form, found in their Confirmation Forms, or here. Without this official designation, we are not permitted to share any personal information about your student with parents or family members.

Click here for more information.

Medical Facilities

In addition to providing all students with supplemental travel health insurance through iNext, Lewis & Clark College also furnishes students with information about hospitals and health clinics available to them while they are overseas. This is discussed during the orientation process.

Refund Policy

The Lewis & Clark College refund policy is described in detail on our “Release & Agreement” form, which is included in the application. As stated in this policy, if Lewis & Clark College cancels a program prior to the group’s departure, 100% of the fees paid on the student’s behalf will be refunded. If Lewis & Clark College cancels a program due to health and/or safety concerns after the term has begun, we make every effort to recover partial program costs and refund them to students. If a student cancels their participation in a program, our usual refund policy will apply. 

In short, please be assured that we are well-prepared to assess risk, respond to emergencies, and take appropriate actions. We remain committed to study abroad because we believe that international education can improve global understanding in important, practical ways—ways that are difficult for students to imagine or experience in American classrooms.