Risk Management

Division of the Vice President & Treasurer

College-funded Travel

Van & Bus Transportation

Bus & van contracts must be reviewed by Risk Management and may only be signed by the Vice President and Treasurer.

 

The college has vans that are available to authorized parties. For certain programs, the college contracts for van and bus transportation; these contracts may only be negotiated, approved, and signed by the Vice President & Treasurer.

If you are considering renting a van or bus, please contact the Risk Management Office, as early as possible, at risk@reed.edu. The Risk Management Office will help to ensure all required insurance and liability language is included in the contract.

Reed Vans

Vans are managed by the vehicle coordinator in the sports center.

  • Van drivers must be trained and certified by Reed; this process can take 10–14 days.
  • Driving licenses will need to be checked with issuing state authorities; driving records must be clean. Checks take at least four days from receipt of the form, Washington has a different form from the other 49 states, which you can download here.
  • Two certified drivers are required for trips over two hours each way.
  • Vans are for student, faculty, and staff transportation on college business only.
  • Vans may not be used for heavy duty hauling, bikes, or dogs.
  • Van reservations are handled by facilities services. Please contact them to reserve your van.

In a life threatening situation, call 911 and follow their instructions. If it is not an emergency, call 503-777-7285 and ask to speak to the vehicle coordinator. In the event of a breakdown or accident, safety is your first priority. For details, see the van policy.

Renting Vehicles

Faculty and staff may rent vehicles including automobiles, SUVs, and minivans while traveling on college business. Rentals should be made through Enterprise or National to take advantage of the preferred vendor program using the account code XZ46871.

Faculty and staff may not rent multi-passenger vans or buses on college business. If a multi-passenger vehicle is required, please follow the process above for Van & Bus Transportation.

Insurance

When utilizing the preferred rental providers Enterprise and National within the USA and Canada you do not need additional insurance if you rent a vehicle and are using it for college travel or other college business.

For all other rentals the additional collision damage waiver (CDW) should be accepted

Accidents

Please email Risk Mangement within 24 hours of any accident or damage involving a rental vehicle. Take pictures of any damage and take information of any other vehicles involved.

Personal Vehicles

When individuals choose to use personal autos on College business or to/from a College activity, the owner’s personal automobile insurance policy is the primary insurance in the event of an accident. There is no physical damage coverage through the College for personal vehicles, and the College’s insurance is secondary to the vehicle owner’s insurance.

An Individual who drives his or her personal vehicle on College business or to/from a College activity is responsible for his or her own safety as well as the safety of any passengers. The College bears no responsibility for the operation or operating condition of personal vehicles and expects drivers of personal vehicles to comply with applicable local, state and federal laws.

The owner of the vehicle must carry at least the minimum automobile liability limits required by state law. The owner of the vehicle is responsible for any applicable deductible (e.g., liability or collision coverage) and is responsible for any increased personal automobile insurance premiums as a result of any accidents. Claims arising from use of a personal vehicle are to be reported to the owner’s insurance company under the owner’s policy. In the event of a serious or potentially serious claim, the Risk Management office should also be notified.

International & Air Travel

Before traveling internationally on college business, make sure you have the following:

  • Insurance coverage
  • Visas
  • Immunizations
  • Valid passport for the duration of your trip

When traveling in winter, be prepared for delays that winter storms can cause, ensure you have a backup plan, and have your travel insurer’s number available.

You should check with the state department before arranging any international travel. Reed College prohibits College-funded international travel to countries that are classified with a State Department travel advisory risk of Level 4.

Data & technology

TSA has the right to search electronic devices when you enter the country, without warrant or probable cause. In the event that this happens, comply with the TSA officer’s request and at the earliest opportunity contact CUS 503-777-7525 or cus@reed.edu.

When possible, leave all electronic devices (laptop, cell phone, etc.) at home. If you must take your Reed computer, talk to CUS about borrowing loaner equipment to limit the amount of data you take.

  • Avoid using computers in cyber cafes or hotel business centers.
  • Assume anything you do over the Internet will be intercepted (even if the link is encrypted).
  • Change your Reed password (and any other password you intend to use abroad) before leaving. Change those passwords again when you return.
  • Check for current warnings or advisories for the specific area you will be traveling.

Covid-19 International Travel Appeal Procedure

Updated February 28, 2022

Reed College relies on the United States government international travel risk assessments in determining support for faculty, staff or student travel, prohibiting travel to level 4 countries.  This advice is relied upon to inform travelers of relative risk levels and provide travel recommendations for the same.  At times, it may be that consideration of exception to the travel advisories is warranted.  This document outlines the process for requesting exceptions to CDC Level 4: COVID-19 Very High risk status for international travel purposes.

Exceptions will be considered once the faculty or staff member completes the travel appeal risk assessment request form.  Form requests must be submitted at least 1 month prior to the proposed departure date. Longer lead times are encouraged. This form may change from time-to-time, but will capture the rationale for requesting the travel exception, the dates, travel location and support available to the traveler.  The traveler should also confirm their health care provider covers international health care and any exclusions or limitations in order to make a well-informed request.   Review may include availability of local health care infrastructure, population vaccination rates, level of infection and trajectory of infection or other considerations. Request for appeal does not guarantee an approval, but review and decision by the Dean of the Faculty’s office can typically occur within 10 business days of request submission.

Reed does not have extensive international travel support infrastructure, so it is important that travelers do a risk assessment to understand the risks they are assuming with travel to a location in Level 4 status.  In addition to completing the travel appeal request, travelers will be required to review and agree to an assumption of risk waiver.  Assumptions of risk include, but are not limited to, agreement that the traveler is assuming the health, safety, financial and other consequences of travel to a country that the CDC recommends do not travel.  Given rapidly changing situations, travel approval may be revoked at any time.