[Plantsci] FW: University Travel in Mexico - Updated Guidance

[Donna-Rae Marquez]

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Subject: University Travel in Mexico - Updated Guidance

 
UA-std-RGB                                                      


 
 
Date:               July 7, 2011
 
To:                               UA Campus Community
 
From:               Meredith Hay, Executive Vice President and Provost
 
Re:                               University Travel in Mexico - Updated
Guidance
 
The University of Arizona conducts numerous programs throughout Mexico, and
greatly values the opportunities and collaborations made possible by our
proximity to the region.  Considering the importance of our work in Mexico,
university officials have been monitoring information about conditions there
that may impact the safety of faculty, staff, and students who travel to
Mexico as part of UA programs.  
 
On April 22, 2011, the U.S. Department of State revised the existing Travel
Warning for Mexico.  The full text is available online
at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5440.html.  This revised
Warning is of particular interest to the UA because it now includes guidance
regarding travel in parts of northern Sonora, including Puerto Peñasco
(Rocky Point).  Other states referenced in the Travel Warning are
Tamaulipas, Michoacán, and parts of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Durango,
Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, and
Jalisco.   
 
The Travel Warning reports that while violent incidents have occurred at all
hours of the day and on major highways, they have
occurred most frequently at night and on isolated roads in affected areas.
For each of the regions identified in the Travel
Warning, there is very specific guidance concerning certain roadways and
regions where problems have occurred and non-essential travel is strongly
discouraged.  Although the Travel Warning identifies specific regions and
situations that have experienced increased violence, and trips are planned
to maximize safety with minimum risk, it is impossible to predict where
violence might erupt, or guarantee that an incident will not occur.
 
For those planning UA travel to Mexico, please ensure the following
precautions are taken:
 
·         Review the latest Travel Warning and evaluate your planned
itinerary against the information contained therein.  If
possible, avoid or defer travel to specifically identified hazardous areas.
·         Plan all roadway travel to occur during daylight hours and to the
greatest extent feasible, use only major roadways.
·         Consider flying commercially to your destination instead of
driving.
·         For travel to Puerto Peñasco, use the Lukeville port of entry to
minimize highway travel to the region.
·         Students and employees must be allowed to opt out of travel if
they wish, and must be provided with an alternative to
participation.
·         You should print out the Travel Warning and provide a copy to each
trip participant.
·         Students are required to sign the Travel Warning Assumption of
Risk and Release Form available online at:
<http://risk.arizona.edu/forms/TravelWarningReleaseForm.pdf>
http://risk.arizona.edu/forms/TravelWarningReleaseForm.pdf.
·         Faculty, staff and students traveling to Mexico are strongly
encouraged to register with the U.S. Department of State's
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  This free system allows for rapid
contact with travelers in the event of an emergency situation in the area
being visited.  The STEP program is available at:
<https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/>
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.  
For UA travel to countries under a Travel Warning, the UA's Interim Policy
Concerning Study, Travel and Research in Countries under U.S. State
Department Travel Warnings is applicable, and may be viewed at:
http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/Interim_Travel.pdf.
In addition to the precautions listed above, the Interim Policy requires
that UA travel to regions for which the Travel Warning advises that
non-essential travel be deferred or avoided, advance approval by Vice
Provost for Outreach and Global Initiatives, Michael Proctor, is required.
Should you have questions regarding this interim policy, contact Steve
Holland at 621-1790 or sholland at email.arizona.edu.