Safety

SAFETY

The safety of our students is the top priority for Lake Forest. You must be a partner in this effort, and these are ways you can help:

Program ICE (In Case of Emergency), the number of your nearest immediate contact, in your cell phone.

Carry a copy of the name and phone number of your on-site contact (for example, the on-site director or international student advisor). It's also a good idea to memorize or keep on your person the emergency numbers in the countries you visit.

If at ANY time in an emergency situation, you need to call Lake Forest College, call Security (847-735-5555). Identify yourself, state your location and phone number in case you get disconnected, state your problem, and ask the operator to immediately contact the security officer who will notify the appropriate personnel.

If you are injured, hospitalized, or experiencing serious problems (for example harassment, or housing issues), please contact the Assistant Dean for Off-Campus Programs as soon as possible. In non-emergency situations, always advocate for yourself, but don't wait too long if you cannot get results.

Always be aware of your surroundings.

Use a buddy system and always inform somebody of where you will be and for how long.

If your passport is lost or stolen, immediately contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Having a photocopy of your passport will significantly facilitate the responsiveness of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in addressing your lost or stolen passport.

Be courteous, exercise good judgment, keep a low-profile.

Emergency Numbers Abroad

http://www.sccfd.org/travel.html, the website hosted by the Santa Clara Fire Department, lists emergency numbers--911 equivalents--for individual countries. 

Department of State resources

http://studentsabroad.state.gov/

This website provides useful general advice and information for U.S. students studying abroad.

http://www.travel.state.gov

This website provides valuable information about every country in the world. Consular Information Sheets include such information as location of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the subject country, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, drug penalties, public announcements and travel warnings.

You may also access Consular Information Sheets by:

Fax: dial 202-647-3000

Telephone: dial the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 202-647-5225 from a touch-tone-phone for a summary.

The State Department also offers a special phone number for those concerned about travel abroad or about American citizen family or friends overseas. The toll-free number to call is:

1-888-407-4747

Callers who are unable to use 800 numbers, such as those calling from overseas, can call:

1-202-501-4444

The Law

It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with local laws while you are abroad because you are subject to those laws.

Once you arrive in another country, you are no longer protected under U.S. laws and constitutional rights. It is your responsibility to know and obey the laws of the land. To learn more about the legal systems of the world, see:

• Law Library of Congress, Multinational Reference: http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/multiref.html#legal

• World Law Index: http://www.worldlii.org/catalog

• International Constitutional Law Country Index:

http://www.oefre.unibe.ch/law/icl/home.html • Judicial Assistance Abroad: http://travel.state.gov/judicial_assistance.html

What U.S. Consular Officers Can and Cannot Do to Help U.S. Citizens Abroad

If students find themselves in trouble overseas, an officer at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can provide certain assistance and advice. Consular Staff are available 24 hours, on-site or by phone, so in an emergency, students should not hesitate to contact the Consulate. Students with an extreme financial emergency-- but without sources of money in-country or abroad-- can ask Consular Officers about Repatriation Loans to provide emergency funds for return to the U.S.

Consular Officers can also help in the event of illness, injury, natural catastrophe, evacuations, destitution, or death.

If you are arrested, a consular official can visit you and give you a list of attorneys.The only other things the official can usually do is to notify your friends and family of your arrest, intercede with local authorities to help assure your rights are observed under the local laws, and protest mistreatment and abuse to appropriate authorities (according to internationally accepted standards).

Consular officers at American embassies cannot cash checks or serve as an attorney for American citizens abroad.

In the United States, the Office of Overseas Citizens Services can also assist American students abroad and their families in the USA in emergency cases. The 24 hour number to call is (202) 647-5225.