Increased university attention to international travel regulations is raising a lot of questions. To help address these questions Boise State's Deputy Chief Resources Officer Agnes Stepek recently spoke with the COEN leadership committee. We have created this page of the Student Handbook (updated 10/1/2025) to reflect university expectations of Graduate Assistants who are planning any kind of domestic or international travel.
In 2023, the State of Idaho passed a law prohibiting state employees from working while outside of the United States. The policy also strongly discourages work outside of Idaho but within the U.S. Graduate Assistants are paid state employees and must comply with this law. As a result, domestic and international travel during a Graduate Assistant appointment is subject to specific restrictions. Graduate Assistants who plan to travel during their contract period for any length of time must submit a written request to the Co-Directors with details and justification of their travel plans. Program assessment of these requests is not about approving a student's travel plans. The primary concern is whether or not the GA employment status will be impacted by their absence from the workplace.
Conference travel is limited up to one week or the duration of the conference only and conference travel may not be extended to include time for personal vacation or sightseeing either before or after the scheduled programming.
Longer work-related international trips by Graduate Assistants require special review if they extend beyond two weeks. All international travel must comply with export control regulations, and Graduate Assistants planning extended work-related international travel should also consult with Tax Reporting. To avoid disruption in employment status, all international travel requires explicit approval from the Co-Directors.
Graduate Assistants are paid university employees with assigned (non-remote) work obligations and expectations. As employees, Graduate Assistants should avoid extended absences for personal travel during a contract period. If you are planning to travel for vacation or strictly personal reasons, you must notify the Co-Directors in writing. Student employees who are absent from the university for extended periods of time are subject to potential suspension of their employment.
Any student or GA traveling abroad using university funding or sponsorship must purchase mandatory medical, repatriation, and evacuation coverage, GeoBlue, for the duration of their sponsored program through Boise State's Global Learning office. Failure to do so may result in financial consequences to the student, faculty leader, or department. Details regarding this mandatory insurance requirement are provided here: https://www.boisestate.edu/global-gl/mandatory-insurance-requirements/
Due to the current political climate, international student GAs on student visas must carefully weigh the consequences of traveling outside of the U.S. If an international student is unable to re-enter the U.S., Graduate Assistant employment will be suspended. Please thoughtfully consider the inherent risks before planning to travel.