Original Date: 3/25/2025 *
Policy Contact: Vice President, Administrative Services
Procedures
The following procedures are established to meet the requirements for implementing policy 6210 Travel, with respect to student travel that is 50 miles or more from Bellevue College and for overnight trips. Additional logistical details for day and overnight trips can be found in the Student Travel Handbook.
Travel Planning
For domestic travel, planning should start at least two quarters in advance. For international travel, planning should start at least 10 months in advance for new programs and at least six months in advance for repeat programs. The approval process includes completing paperwork, obtaining signatures from deans and senior leadership, and having the travel committee review the request. The travel committee meets monthly during the academic year. Travel advisors must designate the activity as curricular, co-curricular, or extracurricular to identify eligible funding sources and ensure compliance with Washington State policy.
Trip information that needs to be submitted to the travel committee, through a student travel request form, includes, but is not limited to:
- Purpose: A rationale for the trip and how it meets the goals of teaching, learning, and student success.
- Travel details: Dates, minimum/maximum number of participants, travel advisor(s), transportation, housing, and all destinations.
- Cost:
- Cost estimate for all participants (including travel advisors), including deposits and payment deadlines.
- Funding source(s), both tentative and confirmed.
- Plan for student application, review, acceptance, deadlines, and orientation.
Supplemental paperwork that also needs to be submitted to travel committee includes, but is not limited to:
- Risk assessment form
- Any required contract(s)
For repeat programs, submit prior approval paperwork plus a statement of changes since last travel, and anything learned from the prior program.
Approval Process
Domestic travel advisors must submit all paperwork to the travel committee at least one month before the trip. The travel committee will approve trips on a rolling basis.
International trip advisors must meet with the travel committee at least ten months prior to their trip for new programs and six months prior to the trip for repeat programs. Paperwork for approval must be delivered to the travel committee chair at least one week before the meeting.
Expedited Travel Requests
Travel scheduled for athletics, competitions, or other short-notice events is possible under the following conditions:
- Athletic and competition teams/groups have completed the process for previous events in the same academic year (they can submit one application with a “batch” of events).
- The trip could not have been anticipated.
- The travel advisor has all paperwork completed and submitted to the travel committee at least two weeks prior to departure for domestic travel and four weeks for international.
- Unique (one-time) approval granted by the trip advisor’s area vice president.
Contracts
Outside specific delegated signature authority per 1150 Contract and Purchasing Signature Authority, no individual has the authority to commit Bellevue College contractually to goods and services or any type of agreement. Contracts signed by unauthorized employees or agents are not valid and do not bind the college.
All college contracts, regardless of signature authority, must be submitted with a Contract Signature Approval (CSA) form to the contracts office for legal review in a timely manner. CSA forms must have division signatures prior to submission. A scope of work may also need to be submitted with the completed CSA if the vendor does not have a contract. After reviewing the contract and CSA form, contracts staff route documents to the appropriate parties for contract signatures. If the vendor does not have a contract, the contracts office can prepare a contract with the information provided on the CSA and the scope of work. Contracts are not considered valid until signatures have been obtained by all parties.
Travel Finance and Per Diem
Financing for trips can come from several sources, including Services and Activities (S&A), Student Environmental Sustainability Fund (SESF), and course fees. Financing sources should be identified at an early stage in trip planning. Appropriate costs of programs, travel, lodging, and food must be identified for budgeting and establishing costs per student, for trip planning and if students are charged a participation fee. Additionally, lead time is important in the process for identifying and applying for travel funds and getting funding source approvals.
Payments, other than fully refundable deposits, should not be made to vendors until the trip has gone through the full review and approval process. If funding includes student participation/class fees, notice needs to be given to Student Financial Services as soon as approval is given and no later than two weeks prior to registration opening for the class.
Travel advisors should establish a clear and consistent plan for meals, which includes calculating and distributing student per diems before travel begins, if applicable. Per diems must be provided a reasonable time in advance. If meals are provided, per diem is not paid. Travel advisors should document distributions of per diems and maintain receipts as required by travel policy 6210.
Spouses/partners/dependents
For the duration of the travel trip advisors must maintain a priority focus on the safety and quality of experience for program participants; the expectation is that trip advisors are at work the entirety of their trip. Spouses, partners, and/or dependents of trip advisors may travel only with the permission of the employee’s supervisor. No college resources are to be used on behalf of the spouse, partner, and/or dependents, and the college should not incur any financial expense in connection with them. Non-student or employee travelers need to be responsible for all their meals, transportation, and activities independent of the college.
Spouses, partners, and/or dependents are required to adhere to all college rules of conduct. Under no circumstances should trip advisors allow their responsibility to participants be compromised by the fact that a spouse, partner and/or dependents is traveling with them. Minor children accompanying college trip advisors or participants are prohibited, unless they are supervised by a legal guardian other than the college faculty, staff, trip advisor, or participant.
State Department Travel Warnings
The college prohibits travel to countries/regions designated with Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) or Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”) advisories by the U.S. Department of State. However, for destinations with a Level 3 advisory, program advisors may petition for an exemption. This process requires advisors to detail their proposed activities and address potential risks associated with their travel plans. The petition will be carefully reviewed by the travel committee in consultation with President’s Cabinet to ensure that safety and security measures are adequately addressed.
Travel Cancellations
In the event that circumstances in the location of travel change after approval, due to weather, political situation, etc., the college reserves the right to cancel the trip.
Definitions
For purposes of this procedure, the following organizations, categories, and terms are defined:
- Travel Advisor: Bellevue College faculty member or employee who acts as the responsible administrator for program related travel, including, but not limited to budget, finances, student safety and first aid, logistics, and emergency contact.
- Travel Committee: Appointed representatives from student and academic affairs that meet monthly during the academic year to review domestic and international travel requests. Approval by the travel committee satisfies the requirement for risk management committee approval.
Geographic Categories
- In-State: Travel that is completed fully in the state of Washington. Approved by student engagement, athletics, or division dean.
- Regional: Generally, NWAC-affiliated athletic travel, completed in the region that includes Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. Approved by student engagement, athletics, or division dean.
- Domestic: Travel that is completed fully in the United States, and outside Oregon, Washington, and BC. Approved by travel committee or area vice president/provost or designee.
- International: Travel that includes at least one country outside the United States, excluding athletic travel in British Columbia. Approved by travel committee and president or designee.
Travel Categories
- Curricular: Travel that includes credit-bearing coursework, supervised and/or taught by faculty members from Bellevue College and/or WCCCSA. Learning outcomes in those courses, approved by the Curriculum Assessment Committee (CAC), remain the same whether on campus, hybrid, online, or in the travel programs. Grades are recorded on college transcript. Learning outcome assessment aligns with current college protocol.
- Co-Curricular: Travel that serves as an extension to coursework but is not part of the class syllabus or course work, and the formal learning process that is paid for, sponsored, and/or administered by Bellevue College student organizations, departments, divisions, or programs, and led by faculty, staff, or administrators. This travel category does not include registered coursework but may be academic in nature (such as academic competitions, conferences, or performing arts).
- Extra-Curricular: Travel that is paid for, sponsored, and/or administered by Bellevue College student organizations, departments, divisions, or programs, and led by faculty, staff, or administrators, but not connected to programs of study or academic learning (such as athletics or special interest organizations).
Relevant Laws and Other Resources
4250 Standards of Ethical Conduct
Approved By
President’s Cabinet 3/25/2025
Last Updated March 26, 2025