Saturday, August 20, 2011

October Orientation Trip to Cuba for Foreign Study Staff and Faculty

The Fund for Reconciliation and Development is planning an orientation and familiarization trip in mid-October for overseas study staff and potential faculty trip leaders who wish to undertake short term programs in Cuba during the coming academic year.

Under the new regulations, any tertiary institution that is considering creating a program which grants credit to its students can send full or part time administrative staff or professors to Cuba to prepare it.  All that is required is a credentialing letter from an official of the school.  (text of regulations below)

The structure of the program is still being worked on in Havana but we hope to have it and costs available before the end of August.  The dates are October 15 to 23 which includes Havana, Matanzas and Cardenas.  A  four day supplemental trip will offer visits to Santa Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. 

Because of new charter flights, departures will be available from Chicago (on Friday), New York and Miami (on Saturday).
For updates on the Cuba orientation program contact John McAuliff, Fund for Reconciliation and Development, jmcauliff@ffrd.org


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OFAC legal requirements

To participate you must qualify for the general license and carry the letter described in guidelines issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 19, 2011
“Section 515.565(a) sets forth a general license authorizing accredited U.S. graduate and undergraduate degree-granting academic institutions, including faculty, staff, and students of such institutions, to engage in travel-related transactions and such additional transactions that are directly incident to:

(a)(1) Participation in a structured educational program in Cuba as part of a course offered for credit by the sponsoring U.S. academic institution; …

 (a)(6) The organization of, and preparation for, activities described in (a)(1)-(5) above by
members of the faculty and staff of the sponsoring U.S. academic institution.”

“It is a requirement of the general license that travelers to Cuba authorized pursuant to this provision carry letters on official letterhead signed by a designated representative of the sponsoring academic institution (defined as a person designated by the relevant dean or the academic vicepresident, provost, or president of the institution as the official responsible for overseeing the institution’s Cuba travel program).”

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