Field Trips

Many LC courses involve activities beyond the classroom and campus. We encourage all LCs to consider off-campus activities where possible and appropriate. Considerable effort is required to ensure safe, enjoyable activities, whether international travel or a local trip. LC field trip policies include the following:

• All students participating in off-campus field trips must sign the Academic Field Trip Waiver of Liability and Hold Harmless Agreement at the beginning of LC semester. Forms will be collected by faculty and submitted to Teri Chester (tchester@soka.edu) prior to leaving campus. Students who signed waivers during previous years must sign a new form. Students who are under 18 must have the form completed and submitted by a parent or legal guardian.
• Faculty must accompany students during LC off-campus activities
• Participation of additional persons beyond enrolled students and the faculty member, such as other students, alumni, colleagues, or university personnel requires prior approval by the Dean of Faculty and LC Coordinator, as well as completion of the Waiver form. Extra-class participants may not accrue additional expenses to LC budgets.
• All field trips require approval, with requests made at least three days prior to the departure date using the Field Trip Request Form.
• Meals: Field trips requesting packed meals must complete the request form at least two days prior to departure using the Packed Meal Request Form. To complete the form, faculty should have a sense of the number of meals, which meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and student dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, allergies). Faculty may arrange for students to pick up meals prior to departure from the cafeteria in coordination with the Bistro. For meals taken during off-campus LC activities, instructors must provide itemized receipts wherever possible, with students signing off on funds received through the Cash Disbursement Form. Daily per diem and incidentals never exceeding US $50/person as per SUA travel policy
• Ground Transport: LC classes may book shuttles where appropriate, such as to and from airports, or else use taxis and ride share services (such as Uber and Lyft). SUA has a Lyft Concierge account that can be accessed by instructors through Janna Skye (jskye@soka.edu). Faculty may rent vehicles, subject to the conditions of their driver’s licenses, and must obtain vendor insurance. SUA partners with Enterprise Rent a Car, with a handful of vans on campus that may be arranged via Teri Chester (tchester@soka.edu). Finally, faculty and students are permitted to use personal vehicles, provided they provide a valid driver’s license and are reimbursed based on mileage as calculated through Google Maps or equivalent through Workday.
• All honoraria must be approved by the LC Coordinator. Honoraria are capped at $200 per session for virtual appearances and $300 for in-person appearances. Amounts in excess of these must be justified and approved by the Dean, as per the SUA Honoraria Policy.
• IRB Approval: Any LC project that plans to involve human participants for purposes of research is required to obtain approval from SUA’s IRB (Institutional Review Board). SUA’s IRB is an administrative body designed to safeguard the welfare and rights of human participants in research or class projects conducted under the auspices of Soka University of America. The IRB has the authority to approve, disapprove, or require modifications to research proposals. Their first deadline is typically the first Friday of December.