Handbook of Operating Procedures
Chapter 5 - Students
Publication Date: September 16, 2009
Responsible Executive: VP for Student Affairs

5.18 Travel or Events that Involve Students and Other Non-Employee Participants

POLICY STATEMENT

This policy promotes safe travel by students and other non-employee participants to and from activities or events that also advance the university’s mission of research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service.

RATIONALE

This policy serves as a guide for student travel and supports compliance with relevant state and University of Texas System regulations.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all students and other non-employee participants taking part in travel activities or events covered by this policy (except as noted in Section II).

WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY

http://www.utsa.edu/hop/chapter5/5-18.html

RELATED STATUTES, POLICIES, REQUIREMENTS OR STANDARDS

1.	Texas Education Code –Section 51.950-Policy Regulating Student Travel http://www.utsa.edu/students/travel/files/education_code.pdf
2.	Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations Series-050601-Student Travel http://www.utsystem.edu/bor/rules/50000Series/50601.pdf
3.	University of Texas (UT) System Administration Policy UTS 157 http://www.utsystem.edu/policy/policies/uts157.html
4.	University of Texas (UT) System Special Events Injury and Sickness Benefits http://www.utsa.edu/students/travel/files/schedule_benefits.pdf
5.	University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) Chapter 5.19 – Mandatory Use of Release and Indemnification Forms http://www.utsa.edu/hop/chapter5/5-19.html
6.	University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Student Code of Conduct http://www.utsa.edu/infoguide/appendices/b.html
7.	University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs - Student Travel http://www.utsa.edu/students/travel/
8.	University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Disbursements and Travel Services Office http://www.utsa.edu/travel/
9	UTSA Policy on International Travel to Restricted Regions http://provost.utsa.edu/EVP/travel.asp

CONTACTS

If you have any questions about HOP policy 5.18, Travel or Events that Involve Students and Other Non-Employee Participants, contact the following office:

The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
210-458-4136

DEFINITIONS

Students are undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in, admitted to, and attending classes at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) at the time of the activity or event.

The appropriate university administrators for an activity or event planned by UTSA faculty consist of the organizing department’s chair and dean or their designees. The appropriate university administrators for an activity or event planned by UTSA staff consist of the organizing department’s director and assistant or associate vice president, or their designees. The appropriate university administrators for an activity or event planned by a registered or sponsored student organization consist of the registered or sponsored student organization’s faculty or staff sponsor or the director of student activities and assistant or associate vice president, or their designees.

An organizing department is the UTSA department that employs the UTSA faculty or staff that plans and funds or through a potential reimbursement request, may be funding the activity or event. For activities or events originating with a registered or sponsored student organization, the organizing department is the UTSA department that employs the registered or sponsored student organization’s faculty or staff sponsor or the director of student activities.

A student-employee refers to a student who is also a UTSA employee and has job duties that include both driving and participating in one or more activities or events covered by the student travel policy.

Activity/event leaders are responsible UTSA employees, including faculty, staff, and/or student employees, who will be attending the activity or event as part of their job duties and will be available to students and other participants. In rare instances, a responsible student may be designated and approved in advance by the appropriate university administrators.

A navigator is a faculty member, staff member or student participating in an activity or event who has been appointed to assist (i.e. serve as a guide, help ensure that travel safety rules are followed, etc.) with motor vehicle travel covered by the student travel policy if such travel is anticipated to take longer than two (2) hours.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Implementation/Enforcement Step	Responsible Office/Officer
1. Process and review results of driving record requests and defensive driving tests. Send notification to appropriate department about employee’s driving status.	University Police
2. Provide notification and/or assistance in the event of an emergency.	University Police
3. Provide information about renting vehicles using state funds.	Disbursements and Travel Services
4. Grant approval to use a university owned, leased or rented motor vehicle by a non-employee or non-student volunteer.	Vice President for Business Affairs
5. Review and approve student travel policy.	Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Business Affairs

PROCEDURES

Scope of Policy
1. This policy applies to travel undertaken by students and other non-employee participants to reach an activity or event that meets all of the following conditions:
  1. The activity or event is planned by university faculty or staff;
  2. The university is funding or, through a potential reimbursement request, may be funding the activity or event;
  3. The activity or event is approved by the appropriate university administrators as outlined in the Special Instructions for Initial Implementation Section;
  4. The activity or event occurs more than twenty-five (25) miles from the applicable university campus (either 1604, Downtown or the Institute of Texan Cultures); AND
  5. One of the following conditions is also met:
    1. Travel to the activity or event is funded and undertaken using a vehicle owned, leased, or rented by the university including other modes of transportation; OR
    2. Attendance at the activity or event is required by a registered or sponsored student organization.
2. Examples of activities or events that may be covered by this policy include the following:
  1. Course-related field trips.
  2. Research trips organized by a faculty member.
  3. Campus recreation programs.
  4. Registered or sponsored student organization trips.
  5. Conferences and meetings where students are serving as university representatives.
  6. Travel for summer camps or college preparatory programs when transportation has been planned and funded by the university.
3. Although not required by this policy, general safety, conduct, and emergency contact provisions found in this policy or on the associated student travel website may be followed for travel to an activity or event that occurs within 25 miles of the applicable university campus or that is otherwise excluded from this policy.
Activities or Events Excluded from this Policy
1. This policy will almost never apply to an activity or event if all students and other participants are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the activity or event. (See Section III. A. 2, below, for exception.) Examples of these types of excluded activities and events, which are generally not funded by the university, include: internships, national student exchanges, observations, practicums, student teaching and students attending athletic events held out of town.
2. This policy does not apply to an activity or event that is part of a program with its own established policies and procedures governing travel. Examples of these types of excluded activities and events include: travel by students who are participating in study abroad and travel by students who are NCAA Division I athletes and attending NCAA athletic activities or events.
3. Student-employees traveling for reasons related to their employment must adhere to policies established for employees by the UTSA Disbursements and Travel Services Office. See http://www.utsa.edu/travel/ for more information.
Restrictions and Regulations Relating to Travel by Motor Vehicle
1. Motor Vehicles Used in Travel
  1. Motor vehicles used in travel associated with an activity or event covered by this policy should be either: owned, leased or rented by the university or owned, leased or rented by a third party contractor who has been retained by the university to provide all transportation for the activity or event.
    1. University personnel may rent vehicles for use in this type of travel. The university is a participant in the State Travel Management Program, which has negotiated favorable vehicle rental rates with a number of car rental companies. See UT System Administration Policy 157 (UTS157) or contact the UTSA Disbursements and Travel Services Office for information on renting vehicles using state funds.
    2. If a third party will be providing all such travel, the organizing department should contact purchasing and distribution services.
  2. While it is possible to allow the use of privately-owned, personal motor vehicles for travel associated with a registered or sponsored student organization activity or event covered under this policy, it is strongly discouraged. For further information relating to travel in privately-owned, personal motor vehicles, see Section III. C.
  3. Twelve (12) and fifteen (15) passenger vans may not be used in any transportation associated with an activity or event covered under this policy.
  4. Each motor vehicle used in travel covered by this policy should satisfy the following requirements or standards:
    1. Be covered by an active liability insurance policy and carry proof of such insurance in the vehicle.
    2. Display a current state inspection sticker and a current vehicle registration sticker.
    3. Be equipped with all devices or equipment required by federal or state law or regulation and otherwise comply with all applicable federal or state laws and regulations.
    4. Be rented or leased from an approved vendor, have received scheduled periodic service and maintenance by qualified persons and be in compliance with UTS157 requirements.
2. Provisions Relating to Driving Safety
  1. If the motor vehicle is owned, leased or rented by the university, the driver must meet the following qualifications or satisfy the following conditions:
    1. Be an UTSA employee or a UTSA student-employee. For purposes of this policy, a “UTSA student-employee” refers to a student who is also a UTSA employee and has job duties that include both driving and participating in one or more activities or events covered by this policy. (In special circumstances and as authorized by Regental rules or UT System policies, a non-employee or non-student volunteer may be authorized by the vice president for business affairs to use a university owned, leased or rented motor vehicle.)
    2. Hold a valid driver´s license that is not currently suspended or revoked and be trained as required by law to drive the vehicle that will be used in the travel.
    3. Have a current motor vehicle record on file with University Police which contains a rating of three (3) points or fewer as required by UTS 157. (Contact University Police for further information.)
      1. For any UTSA employee or student-employee who is expected to drive often on travel covered by this policy, the organizing department must perform a motor vehicle record check annually to ensure authorized driving status for such employee or student-employee.
      2. The organizing department will also notify such an employee or student employee that he/she is obligated to report to the organizing department any moving or traffic violation he/she received after the check has been run.
      3. The organizing department will report any such moving or traffic violation to the appropriate university administrators, who may require the employee or student-employee to take an additional driver safety course before he/she can transport students or other participants for a subsequent activity or event because of the moving or traffic violation.
    4. Successfully complete the university´s driver training course and test at least once a year or before each activity/event.
    5. Be listed as a driver on the vehicle rental agreement, for university rented vehicles only.
  2. Drivers of motor vehicles engaged in travel covered by this policy shall:
    1. Be awake and alert.
    2. Comply with all laws, regulations and posted signs regarding speed and traffic control.
    3. Appoint a faculty member, staff member or student participating in the activity/event to serve as a navigator for all travel associated with an activity/event if such travel is anticipated to take longer than two (2) hours.
    4. Take a mandatory thirty (30) minute rest break for every four (4) hours of driving.
    5. Not drive more than a total of ten (10) hours in any twenty-four (24) hour period.
    6. Obtain and use overnight lodging in an appropriate hotel/motel if more than ten (10) hours driving time are required to reach a point of destination.
    7. Not drive between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless there is an emergency or unless travel during these hours has been approved in advance and in writing by the appropriate university administrators.
  3. Whenever a driver of a motor vehicle engaged in travel covered by this policy is driving, the appointed navigator shall:
    1. Remain awake and alert.
    2. Keep an itinerary, map or global positioning system (GPS) unit, cell phone, and list of activity/event leaders readily available.
    3. Assist the driver in ensuring that the travel safety rules listed below in Section III.B.4. are followed.
    4. Unless unable to do so, take the lead in the event of an emergency (such as, but not limited to, a health concern, injury, accident, natural disaster) associated with the vehicle by calling local police on 911 and subsequently calling the University Police Department and one or more of the activity/event leaders.
  4. To further enhance the safety of the motor vehicle travel covered by this policy, the following additional safety regulations will apply to all motor vehicles owned, leased or rented by the university while used in such travel:
    1. All occupants of a motor vehicle must use seat belts or other approved safety restraint devices required by law or regulation at all times when the motor vehicle is in operation.
    2. No occupant of a motor vehicle may consume, possess or transport any alcoholic beverages or illegal substances.
    3. The total number of passengers in the motor vehicle at any time it is in operation must not exceed the manufacturer´s recommended capacity or the number specified in applicable federal or state law or regulations, whichever is fewer.
    4. Children of faculty, staff and students cannot be a passenger in the motor vehicle or otherwise participate in the activity/event unless such children are also students or UTSA employees and part of the group attending the activity/event.
    5. Students must abide by the Student Code of Conduct rules and regulations contained in the UTSA Information Bulletin while they are a passenger in the motor vehicle or are otherwise participating in an activity or event covered under this policy.
    6. The organizing department may also require additional rules concerning their expectations of students, participants and passengers in the motor vehicle.
3. Information Relating to Travel in Privately-Owned, Personal Motor Vehicles
  1. While it is strongly recommended that any private, personal motor vehicle used in travel associated with an activity/event and the driver of and passengers in such a vehicle be in compliance with the relevant standards and requirements of this policy, the university does not check or confirm that such standards and requirements have actually been satisfied
  2. The organizing department must notify students who use their own vehicles that they must hold a valid driver’s license not currently suspended or revoked and carry at least the minimum insurance coverage as required by law. UTSA assumes no responsibility or liability for the use of their personal vehicle for the activity/event. Therefore, they or the personal insurance covering the vehicle will be responsible for any liability that may arise from such use. This notification must be done in writing and in advance of travel to the activity or event.
  3. Whenever a private, personal motor vehicle is used in an activity/event, the driver of and all passengers being transported in the vehicle will be required to sign a release form that is accessible through the student travel website.
Retention of Documentation
A copy of the approved Student Travel Authorization Request and supporting documentation must remain on file with the organizing department for a period of not fewer than three (3) years after completion of travel to an activity or event. If any claim, damage or injury is sustained, all supporting documentation including signed release and indemnification agreements for students and participants associated with such claim, damage or injury must be retained for at least three (3) years after the resolution of any such claim, damage, or injury.
Review of Policy
This policy will be reviewed every five years by the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Vice President for Business Affairs.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION

For each activity or event covered by this policy, the organizing department and registered and sponsored student organizations must satisfy the following requirements:

1. obtain the prior, written approval of an activity or event and its associated travel from the appropriate university administrators;

2. collect and properly distribute information about the approved activity/event, the participants and activity/event leaders; and

3. ensure that the appropriate university administrators notify University Police and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs about the approved travel prior to departure.

To satisfy these requirements, refer to the additional procedures and information found on the student travel website at http://www.utsa.edu/students/travel/.

FORMS AND TOOLS/ONLINE PROCESSES

See the student travel website at http://www.utsa.edu/students/travel/ for related forms, tools, and procedures.

Editorial Amendment Issued September 16, 2009