Harvard to Continue Support for Cuba Travel Despite Government Restrictions

Despite growing tensions between Cuba and the United States under the Trump administration, Harvard will continue to support students in their academic endeavors in the country.

Last week, the White House announced new restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba, barring most individual visits to the country and prohibiting U.S. travellers from visiting a list of restricted entities affiliated with the Cuban government, including several hotels and businesses.

Erin E. Goodman, Associate Director of Academic Programs at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, said students who intend to travel to Cuba for their theses and dissertations must follow all government regulations and secure necessary paperwork for their trips.

According to Goodman, these students must have letters vouching that they are partaking in academic research in order to obtain licenses from the Rockefeller Center, which manages all University ravel to Cuba. During their time in Cuba, students must also keep a log of their academic work, she said.

However, in spite of the new government rules, Goodman said the Center still intends to run semester-length study abroad programs at the University of Havana, “assuming that a critical mass of students is interested.”

“We continue to be committed to academic partnerships and research endeavors between our two countries,” Goodman added.

Liz Marr, the communications and training development manager at Harvard Global Support Services—a group that serves as a first point of contact for international travel challenges—agreed.

“We’re committed to supporting Harvard’s travelers and helping to ensure that they travel abroad safely and in accordance with federal regulations,” she said.

Marr said several of the University’s offices are currently reviewing the new travel regulations to determine how they may affect student, faculty and staff travel to Cuba under Harvard’s general license for educational travel.

According to Marr, Global Support Services will communicate new guidance regarding travel to Cuba in the next few weeks.