Licensed Travel to Cuba for Harvard Faculty & Students

The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University has received a specific license from the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that permits the Center to engage in academic exchange initiatives with Cuba. The license was issued on January 8, 2008 and expires on January 9, 2009. To the degree possible, the Center seeks to support full-time, current Harvard faculty and students and their academic exchanges with Cuban scholars and institutions. If you are interested in seeking permission to travel under the Center's license, please see the relevant travel guidelines for faculty and students. For further information, please contact:

Yadira Rivera
Program Coordinator
David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
Harvard University
email: yrivera@fas.harvard.edu

Application Information

Applications should be submitted at least eight weeks prior to the proposed travel. Each traveler must submit a complete application, including:

• Completed application form (see below)

• Proposal of no more than two pages providing information relevant to the type of approved travel for which license is sought (i.e., the research project, Harvard or Cuban courses to be taken, and/or the kind of structured educational program to be pursued in Cuba)

• Proposed itinerary and institutional host, if any, in Cuba.

• Letter of support from a Harvard faculty member on Harvard University letterhead and Faculty Recomendation Form (please provide the Center’s Faculty Recomendation form to your recommender, see below).

• For students who plan to enroll in courses at a Cuban academic institution for Harvard credit , statement from OIP (undergraduates) or the applicant’s graduate department or school confirming that the Cuban course is eligible for Harvard credit.

• A copy of the front page of traveler’s passport and a copy of student’s current ID card.

Harvard does not act as a travel agent to arrange flights nor can it assist students in finding accommodations or provide other non-academic logistical support for stays in Cuba. The Center can provide information about faculty and other resources at Harvard and in some cases may be able to assist students in arranging an institutional host in Cuba.

Please note that in addition to obtaining a United States license to travel to Cuba, travelers must also apply for a visa from the Cuban Government through a host institution in Cuba. For more information, please contact the Cuban Interests Section in Washington DC directly. Phone calls to the Academic Visa Section should be directed to 202-797-8518, ext 123 or via US mail by at: 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Please send all application materials to:

Yadira Rivera Program Coordinator David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies 1730 Cambridge Street, Room S215 Cambridge, MA 021328 Phone: 617-495-9749 E-mail: yrivera@fas.harvard.edu

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to apply for a student visa before I leave the U.S.?

Prior to traveling to Cuba, students will need to submit all paperwork so that the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) may process an academic visa. Students should contact DRCLAS Program Coordinator, Yadira Rivera via email at yrivera@fas.harvard.edu to obtain instructions. For more information about the student visa process and its requirements, please click here.

2. Is travel to Cuba legally authorized by the United States government?

Harvard University has received an institutional license from the U.S. Treasury Department that permits it to engage in certain academic exchanges. The license was issued on January 8, 2008 and expires on January 9, 2009. The University’s license permits it to authorize students to engage in travel-related transactions in Cuba for educational programs. Such travel would otherwise be illegal for U.S. citizens and residents because of the U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba. Harvard’s license only applies to students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs at Harvard University. To be eligible for travel under the University’s license:

Undergraduate students must fall into at least one of the following two categories:

• students who are participating in a “structured educational program” as part of a Harvard course, “provided the program includes a full term, and in no instance includes fewer than 10 weeks, of study in Cuba.” This means either (1) a group of students currently enrolled in a Harvard course who travel to Cuba for at least a 10-week period to engage in meetings, attend lectures or performances, conduct interviews, visit museums and archives, or pursue other learning experiences as part of that course; or (2) individual students who spend at least 10 weeks in Cuba engaged in a research project as part of their Honors Thesis or another Harvard course in which they are currently enrolled or will be enrolled after returning from Cuba);

• students who enroll in formal courses of instruction at a Cuban academic institution, provided that they are eligible to receive Harvard College credit for those courses (requires formal approval from the Office of International Programs (OIP)), and provided the course of study is no shorter than 10 weeks in duration.

3. How long is the Orientation Program?

There will be a pre-departure meetings in Cambridge in the spring semester and a one-week orientation in Cuba administered by DRCLAS in Cuba at the University of Havana in September 2008.

4. What will I be doing as part of Harvard’s orientation?

The pre-departure meeting in Cambridge will consist of pre-trip information and the necessities for traveling and living abroad. The orientation in Havana will include an introduction to the culture, history, politics and literature of Cuba. There are also a number of experiential learning visits scheduled as well as time to prepare and discuss strategies for taking full advantage of the opportunities in Cuba.

5. Can I bring my cell phone?

All students on the program will be given a cell phone and a pre-paid credit for emergencies. Cell phones operated by U.S. operators cannot be used in Cuba. Additional cell phone credit can be purchased from CUBACEL. Students may take their own cell phone provided that your cell phone is compatible with the American standard (TDMA) - either dual or digital.

6. Will I receive help in registering for my classes?

Yes. The Harvard and University of Havana staff will assist throughout the process of class registration and selection.

7. How many classes should I take?

Harvard requires a minimum of 16 credits of class during the semester abroad. Students should take 4 courses while in Cuba. Please note that one course on Cuba- U.S. Relations is mandatory. Please consult the course catalog at the University of Havana to select your courses.

8. Who at Harvard should I inform about what classes I am taking in Cuba?

First, you need to follow the requirements within your concentration; second, you will need to apply for credit abroad with the Office of International Program using the Harvard College Degree Credit for Study out of Residence form and listing the classes that you are planning on taking while abroad. If you happen to change a course that was not listed in the Harvard College Degree Credit for Study out of Residence form, you have to e-mail the OIP and update them with the new information of your classes. If you are planning on taking a class that will provide you with credits for you concentration, this course needs to be approved by the department to which your concentration belongs.

9. Will I have time to travel?

Depending on the time of year, there are holidays and scheduled breaks that will give students an opportunity to travel around Cuba. As part of the Harvard Study Abroad Program, there will be one organized trip to Santiago de Cuba as part of the program and site visits to unique neighborhoods in Havana.

10. Will I need health insurance?

Students will not be permitted to participate in the program without valid U.S. health insurance. Students will either need to demonstrate that you have health insurance independently or purchase continuing coverage through Harvard, for more information please visit Harvard University Health Services. In addition, students will be required to purchase health insurance that is valid to access health services in Cuba.

11. Does financial aid extend to study abroad?

Yes. Harvard supports students studying abroad for credit.

12. What level of Spanish do I need to participate in the Harvard College Program in Cuba?

Participants will be required to have six full semesters of Spanish language instruction. In addition, a placement test will be given to students to determine the student’s proficiency level.

13. Are there restrictions on what I can take to Cuba, or bring back from Cuba?

Authorized travelers to Cuba may only take with them items authorized for export from the U.S. to Cuba (Regulations 15CFR Parts 730-774). The regulations currently provide general authorization to export personal effects and accompanied baggage. In accordance with 515.560(c)(3) of the Regulations, authorized travelers to Cuba may purchase while in Cuba and bring back as accompanied baggage to the U.S. once during any six-month period merchandise with a foreign market value no to exceed $100 per person (must be for personal use and not for resale). Travelers should be sure to retain all receipts for purchased items they wish to bring back to the U.S. under this provision.

14. How can I pay products and services in Cuba?

The Cuban peso is the official currency. The Convertible Peso (CUC, acronym in Spanish) equals the U.S. dollar and comprises the same strength inside the national territory. It is possible to exchange any currency, even U.S. dollars, in convertible pesos (CUC) at airports, banks and hotels, and re-exchange them when leaving the country. In the main towns, there are Casas de Cambio(CADECA S.A.) for the exchange of hard currency in Cuban pesos and convertible pesos (CUC). Euros, Canadian dollars, pounds sterling or Swiss francs can be exchanged for convertible pesos. The exchange rates for those currencies are set in accord with the exchange rates on the international market. US dollars can be exchanged for convertible pesos, but a service charge of 10 percent will be levied. Convertible pesos may be exchanged for US dollars at par (at the exchange rate of one for one) or for other convertible currencies (depending on availability and at the established rates).

Sátira

Por: KENNETH MAXWELL

Folha de S. Paulo - Opinião - pág. A2

São Paulo, quinta-feira, 17 de julho de 2008.

NEM TODO MUNDO tem senso de humor. É como inteligência natural. Nem todo mundo é esperto. De fato, algumas pessoas são naturalmente obtusas.

Não significa que elas sejam de alguma maneira inferiores ou menos charmosas, bonitas, fortes ou bem sucedidas. Mas o fato é que os seres humanos têm diferentes talentos e diferentes capacidades. Essa é uma descoberta da vida, especialmente para os professores. Eu sei que mães relutam em aceitar esse fato com relação aos seus filhos, mas ainda assim é verdade. Sátira é ainda mais difícil. Trata-se de uma forma de humor que depende da insinuação. Mas o humor tem uma regra essencial: se algo requer explicação, não é engraçado.

Nesta semana, a capa da revista "New Yorker" traz o senador Barack Obama e sua mulher Michelle como terroristas muçulmanos. Ela ostenta cabelos enormes, em um penteado afro ao estilo dos anos 60, e porta uma metralhadora. Ele veste trajes do Oriente Médio. Os dois estão no Gabinete Oval da Casa Branca. Na lareira, encimada por um retrato de Osama bin Laden, vê-se uma bandeira dos Estados Unidos queimando. O resultado não é engraçado. De fato, a sátira passa bem longe do alvo.

O editor da "New Yorker", David Remnick, se viu rapidamente forçado a explicar que o objetivo da capa era demonstrar o absurdo dessas imagens. Mas estamos falando de imagens que refletem a onda de propaganda adversa a Obama que circula amplamente pela internet e nas fímbrias das campanhas. No Upper West Side de Manhattan, um baluarte da centro-esquerda, a capa pode parecer uma zombaria divertida quanto às percepções populares dos conservadores com relação a Obama, mas o mesmo não se aplica ao restante do mundo político. A capa não só não foi engraçada como na verdade está jogando mais lenha na fogueira.

Obama sairá prejudicado? Provavelmente não. Já passou por situações piores. O veterano militante dos direitos civis, reverendo Jesse Jackson, foi apanhado em uma gravação na qual sugere que certa porção da anatomia de Barack Obama seja decepada porque ele "menospreza os negros". A imprensa norte-americana foi pudica demais para mencionar que órgão exatamente o reverendo Jackson tinha em mente, mas a BBC de Londres não viu problemas em mencionar o termo em suas transmissões noticiosas mundiais.

Quando a ex-secretária de Estado dos Estados Unidos Madeleine Albright empregou o mesmo termo na ONU, ela o fez em espanhol -cojones-, e a imprensa norte-americana adorou. Assim, apertem os cintos. A campanha eleitoral geral dos Estados Unidos nem começou.

KENNETH MAXWELL escreve às quintas na Folha de São Paulo. Folha Opinião

Tradução de PAULO MIGLIACCI