With the exception of travel to NCSSM-Durham or NCSSM-Morganton, students are permitted to participate in extended travel during J-Term just once over their two years at NCSSM. Extended travel for the purposes of J-Term is any activity involving four or more nights away from campus.
Students must plan to spend at least one J-Term pursuing a course on or in close proximity to campus. Any travel associated with that activity may not exceed three nights during the entire period, including weekends. Seniors who participated in a J-Term course that involved extended travel the previous year (i.e., four or more nights off campus) shall not be eligible to participate in an extended trip.
Although all eligible students will be considered for any trip, there may be prerequisites or an application process providing criteria for selection. NCSSM sponsors will consider a variety of information, including academic and discipline status of every student, and may, with appropriate cause, refuse to allow any student to participate.
Just as on campus, students participating in trips must be engaged in their academic activities a full eight hours per day throughout J-Term. Students participating in courses with travel must travel with the group for the departing and arriving trips and participate in the entire academic experience. Individual students who have conflicts (e.g., scholarship interviews, illness precluding travel, competitions) with any portion of the trip will be required to withdraw from the course with travel and enroll in a local J-Term course.
In collaboration and in consultation with Academic Programs and our travel partners, the SCSSI Board of Directors has approved a reduction of the J-Term Travel Fee, previously the airport transfer charge, for students participating in J-Term travel courses. Effective immediately, all students participating in J-Term travel courses will be charged a $50 travel fee (previously $70). This travel fee will cover airport transfer services for students, sponsors, and chaperones and ensure that funding is available for unexpected and emergent J-Term travel needs, as approved by the SCSSI Executive Director. All budget template forms are updated to reflect this change and are ready for immediate use.