SAFETY AND SECURITY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Emerson College is committed to broadening undergraduate liberal arts education through international study and travel. The Kasteel Well program reflects this commitment by offering students the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond Boston and the U.S. Since its launch in 1985, the Kasteel Well program has hosted well over 1500 "castle dwellers" within its historic walls. With the castle as their home campus, participants have traveled throughout Europe, exploring it’s cultural and historical riches.

Although Emerson College cannot guarantee your child's safety while abroad, many steps have been taken to evaluate the safety and well-being of our Kasteel Well participants. Concern for safety is now - and has always been - an integral part of our standard procedures and practices. Kasteel Well staff are in regular contact with the Security Office of the American Embassy in The Hague, and they receive frequent security updates from the U.S. State Department.

Participants are advised to take every safety precaution during their travels. In the castle Student Services Center a prominently located Security and Safety Bulletin Board provides participants with up-to-date information on safety and security precautions. Participants are encouraged to update themselves regularly on the current political situation, referring to both American and non-American media sources. They are also advised to stay in regular contact with their families and the Kasteel Well administration via e-mail or telephone. In addition, participants must sign out and register their travel plans whenever they leave the castle for an extended number of days.

Families too should keep abreast of recent travel and safety advisories. There are a number of relevant websites they may wish to consult and bookmark, including:

• U.S. State Department
• Students Abroad
  
• British Foreign & Commonwealth Office
• Center for Global Education Safeti Clearinghouse
• U.S. State Department Travel Warnings and Advisories
• U.S. Embassies' Recommendations to Americans Abroad
• World-Wide News Links
• International Herald Tribune
  
• Travel Insurance Comparison Site

As an added safety enhancement, those who elect to use the college’s health insurance plan offered by Aetna Student Health, as part of the plan your son or daughter is entitled to travel assistance services provided by their travel assistance partner, On Call International. On Call International has extensive college student service experience, including medical evacuation and repatriation coverage and 24 hour medical assistance for members while traveling anywhere in the world. Highlights of the program include:

• Unlimited emergency medical evacuation
• $2,500 Transportation of family member to join patient
  
• Medical monitoring
• Prescription drug replacement assistance
  
• Over 600,000 pre-qualified medical providers
• Unlimited medical repatriation
  
• $2,500 Joining of Ill Family Member Accommodations
  
• Coordination of air and ground ambulance
• Emergency trauma counseling
  
• Staffed with multi-lingual personnel
• Travel Assistance Services:
  • 24/7 Emergency Travel Arrangements
  • Translation Assistance
  • Emergency Travel Funds Assistance
  • $1,000 bail bond benefit by international legal representative
  • Legal Hot Line
  • Lost Travel Documents Assistance
  • Assistance with Replacement of Credit Card/Travelers Checks
  • Operation Centers with worldwide response capabilities
  • Hospital deposit arrangements

We are always available to answer your questions. You may contact us by phone at (617) 824-8567, by fax at (617) 824-8618, or by e-mail at castle@emerson.edu. If you have questions specifically for Kasteel Well staff in the Netherlands, you may e-mail them directly at Castle_Well@emerson.edu.

This will be the experience of a lifetime for your child. Rest assured that our primary goal is to provide participants an academically rigorous and culturally stimulating experience in a safe and secure environment.