Global Education

Guidelines for Accompanying Partner(s) and/or Family Member(s)

The following guidelines apply to all individuals accompanying resident directors of global education programs sponsored by The Ohio State University. The purpose of global education programming is to provide an impactful academic experience for degree-seeking, enrolled students and resident directors are expected to focus on students’ learning and welfare. Ohio State acknowledges that spending time away from home for extended periods of time could cause hardship for the resident director’s family. Therefore, resident directors may submit a request to bring a spouse and/or legal minor dependent for an extended period of time which is considered to be global education programs of two or more weeks in duration. Resident directors should give thoughtful consideration as to how they will carry out their duties and how students will perceive this arrangement.

  1. Definition: An eligible accompanying individual is the spouse or minor legal dependent minor of the resident Grandchildren, nieces, nephews or other relatives and family friends who are not minor legal dependents are not allowed to accompany a program unless they are enrolled as Ohio State students participating in the program.
  2. Supervision of Minor Children: Dependents under the age of 18 must be accompanied by another supervising adult while the resident director is leading program activities. Hiring or relying on program participants or fellow resident directors for childcare during the program is not acceptable. An additional relative or nonrelated adult is permissible so long as their role is to serve as a primary childcare provider while the resident director(s) are performing program duties. Such persons must follow the conditions and requirements of the policy on spouses and minor legal dependents. Any additional costs incurred because of alternate arrangements made for spouses, minor legal dependents or childcare providers are the responsibility of the resident director.
  3. Deadline: Requests must be made during the initial program planning meeting between the resident director and global education specialist The Office of International Affairs and the Office of Risk Management will review requests on a case-­by-­case basis.
  4. Resident Director Responsibility: The resident director assumes far greater responsibility than overseeing the academic content of the program. Resident directors have a duty of care to the student participants and must be available on a 24/7 basis to participants while the program is in Programs administered by Ohio State are designed by academic units as complete programs focusing on both the curricular and student development needs of participants. Ohio State expects resident directors to serve as the program participants’ primary contact and to be the first responder to a participant emergency. Additionally, in the event the program needs to depart the country for political upheaval, natural disaster, or any other reason, the resident director’s primary responsibility is to the student participants. If an incident occurs that involves a resident director’s family member, attention may be diverted from the students which could impact program responsibilities.
  5. Expectations of Spouses and Legal Minor Dependents: Spouses and dependents are not considered in any way to be resident directors, program staff or official representatives of Ohio State. Therefore, they should take no role in leading the group or making decisions regarding the program or program participants. Spouses and legal minor dependents are not protected by the university liability
  6. Program Participation: Just as family members are not permitted to participate in students’ Ohio State classes, family members are not permitted to participate in any aspects of the program, including meals, excursions, tours, or lecture. Nor are they permitted to utilize group private transportation, such as private coaches. Family members may be housed in the same lodging as the group.
  7. Expenses:
  1. Payment: Lodging expenses for spouses, minor legal dependents and their care givers must be paid within two weeks from the date students are admitted to the program. If the spouse and/or minor legal dependent withdraws prior to the program start date, the resident director may only receive a partial refund if “non-­recoverable costs” cannot be avoided.
  2. Liability, Preparation and Insurance for Spouses and Legal Minor Dependents: It is the responsibility of resident directors and spouses to ensure they have arranged for proper documentation and health concerns for travel overseas. In preparation for travel, spouses are encouraged to read all pre-­departure materials. Ohio State is not responsible for injury, illness, loss or death of spouses or minor legal dependents. Once OIA enrolls the program resident director in the OIA plan, approved spouses and legal minor dependents must enroll directly with GeoBlue. Enrollment instructions will be provided by an OIA program manager. The spouse and dependents must have the same start or the same end date as the resident director. The 2022-23 daily rates are:
    • Spouse: $4.59
    • Child: $2.38
    • Children: $4.75
      Payment must be made directly to GeoBlue at the time of enrollment. OIA will confirm the enrollment prior to departure. All insurance premiums, additional medical costs and costs associated in the event of an evacuation are the responsibility of the resident director or spouse. Non-spouse caregivers need to enroll in an insurance plan with comparable coverage.
  1. Required Paperwork: Resident directors and accompanying individuals who understand and are willing to meet these conditions must:

The ability of an individual to accompany the program is not final until these documents have been submitted and approved by the Offices of International Affairs and Risk Management.