Over the past several years, the University International Studies office has made a large effort to encourage students to spend time overseas. The war in Iraq, however, may hamper this goal, as fears of violence against Americans abroad grow.
The University will not cancel an abroad program due to a U.S. State Department travel advisory, but will cancel a trip because of a travel warning, Director of International Studies Rebecca Brown said.
Because of a travel warning issued by the State Department in February, the University's program in Jordan will likely be suspended next year, though an official announcement has not been made, said Mohammed Sawaie, professor of Asian and Middle Eastern languages and cultures.
"I don't see how we couldn't cancel it," Sawaie said.
The Jordan program likely will be the only trip suspended this summer, Brown said.
Despite safety concerns, many University students said they will not alter their plans to study abroad.
First-year College student Tammy Asato said she will spend eight weeks studying in Paris at the Sorbonne this summer.
Asato said she thought about the war's potential effects on her safety before ultimately deciding to go ahead with her trip.
"I considered [not going] for a while because I have a friend currently studying abroad who mentioned that tensions had been high, but I really want to go," she said. "I would think students who are more towards the Middle East in more controversial countries have a little more to worry about."
Third-year College student Edmund Etheridge, who plans to travel to South Africa this summer to complete a documentary on hospice care, said he has thought a lot about his well-being but feels he has taken the essential measures in order to stay safe.
"I've made the necessary precautions," Etheridge said. "I'm staying with people who I know and trust."
First-year College student Nikki Buxhoeveden said she will study in Morocco this summer. Though the State Department has not issued an official travel warning for Morocco, it has issued a directive warning U.S. citizens about increased chance of terrorism due the war in Iraq.
"There's some safety issues but only because of anti-American sentiment," she said.
Safety concerns have not deterred her intention to participate in the program.
Overall, the international climate is not enough to outweigh the benefits inherent in traveling to another country, Etheridge said.
"There's always a risk in studying abroad," he said. "But there's so much that needs to be done in the world, I think it's worth it."
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