The University of Connecticut believes that all members of our community who overnight lodge in order to participate in activities in association with their Registered Student Organization (RSO) are encouraged to do so in a safe, inclusive, and responsible manner, while away from University Housing or their own housing. This document serves as a guide for RSO leaders who organize and/or participate in lodging/overnight stays in association with RSO travel.

Definitions

Registered Student Organization (RSO) – A student-run entity voluntarily formed by University of Connecticut students, with a common interest, for a lawful purpose, and registered with their respective campus-based Student Activities office. For the purpose of this resource document, RSO includes Trustee Student Organizations unless noted otherwise. 

Overnight – A stop or stay lasting over the course of at least one evening.  

Lodging – A place in which someone lives or stays temporarily. A room or rooms rented out to individuals for long-term or overnight purposes.  

Facility – A space or equipment necessary for doing something. A place where an activity will occur. 

Participant – Any University of Connecticut affiliate (i.e. a UConn student or their invited guest), who is rightfully utilizing lodging for an activity purpose or trip.  

 

Policies

• All participants must follow all state and federal laws and regulations. 

• The Student Code of Conduct applies both on and off campus for UConn students. 

• RSO’s are independent entities from the University, thus all participants are individually responsible for their personal conduct while on the trip. The University has no obligation to protect them from the legal or financial consequences of their actions. 

• Students with varying abilities and various disabilities should always be permitted to participate in trips, and trips should be arranged in ways that reasonably accommodate them. Full consideration should be given to the accessibility of the destination as well as transportation resources. 

• For more information as it relates to reasonable accommodations and disability accommodation requests, students can contact Center for Students with Disabilities (csd@uconn.edu) 

• No narcotics, illegal drugs, or other illegal controlled substances may be in the possessions of, or used by, any person engaged in the trip. 

Clery Act Information: 

• According to a law known as the Clery Act that pertains to student safety and reporting, if a RSO frequently lodges at an off-campus facility overnight, the student leaders of the RSO may have to notify the Clery Compliance Officer at clerycompliance@uconn.edu  and CC: offcampusevents@uconn.edu:
  1. Full name of the RSO.
  2. Address of the facility to the University of Connecticut’s Clery Officer. 
  3. The dates the RSO will be staying overnight.
• Currently, the Clery Compliance Coordinator is Deputy Chief Magdalena Silver, and her office is in the police section of the Campus Security Building. For questions, you may use the above e-mail address. 

Good Practices

RSO sponsored activities, or activities sponsored by other organizations in which RSOs participate, that include lodging/overnight stays should have in place, enforce, and make available (in advance) to the participants, information that addresses the following areas: 

 

Facility General Needs: 

• The Facility is able to house the amount of people that will be on the trip. 

• The Facility cost is within budget (i.e. the RSO can fulfill its financial obligation to the facility). 

• The Facility must specify their rules regarding sleeping arrangements and use of space (if applicable). 

• The Facility serves hygienic needs appropriate for duration of stay (bathrooms, kitchen, etc.). 

• The Facility must be entirely accessible to individuals with disabilities or varying needs. 

• The Facility has a comprehensive plan for emergencies that is accessible and available to all participants and RSO advisors; the RSO should keep this for their records. 

• Verify that the facility can provide appropriate accommodations consistent with the purpose of the trip and find out features of the surrounding area. 

 

Safety/Security General Needs: 

• If there are no other groups using the facility, the RSO should verify the space can be locked and secured. 

• If non-RSO individuals are sharing the facility, the RSO should seek out lockable spaces (lockers, storage facilities, etc.) that are only accessible to RSO participants.  

• Please be sure to have comprehensive travel arrangements for all travel that may be done. 

• Be careful about publicly disclosing the location of where you will be staying, including on social media. 

• If using AirBnB or a similar booking service for overnight stays, check the reviews online prior to booking to ensure you book appropriate accommodations for participants. 

 

Billing/Finance: 

• Be sure to secure funding prior to making any arrangements and follow all the protocols associated with that funding source.  

• RSO’s that have SABS accounts should work with the office in ensure this prior to travel at SABS@uconn.edu. For USG funding, reach out to bookkeeping@usg.uconn.edu.  

• Do not put RSO’s lodging expenses on an individual’s personal credit card unless participants have paid that RSO member in advance. Please also see the OCAA Risk Planning Resources – Financial & Cash Handling for further financial considerations on managing RSO money.

• Student Activities recommends RSO members find out if their individual insurance plans cover medical emergencies that may occur on the trip in the area(s) they will be traveling through and staying.

This policy supplements and does not supersede any other organizational or legal requirements.