'U' ensures student safety abroad

Although a recent tragedy has made students more aware of the necessity of safety precautions when studying outside of the United States, the University continues to ensure the safety of students in study abroad programs.

Five college students from St. Mary's College, a liberal arts college in Maryland, were brutally raped Friday while on an educational tour of Guatemala. Thirteen students and three staff members were on the bus when four men with semi-automatic weapons robbed all of the individuals on the bus and raped five of the students.

The University's Office of International Programs does not offer a program in Guatemala, and it does not currently send any students to Central America.

Although Bill Nolting, director of international opportunities at the University's International Center, stressed the general safety of traveling abroad, he said that "anytime there's an event like this, it makes students a little wary of studying a

SARA STILLMAN/Daily Office of International Programs student services assistant Halima Henderson advises RC sophomore Laurie Zyla.

broad."

Randall Johnson, a peer adviser at the International Center and a coordinator of Students of Color Abroad, said the Guatemala incident should not deter students from studying abroad.

"I think the key for students to understand is that it's an isolated incident," said Johnson, who studied abroad in the Dominican Republic during high school. "You shouldn't look at it as a motivation to not study abroad."

Precautions exist at the University to ensure that students are not sent to countries that are considered unsafe.

"If we think an area is unsafe, we'll cancel the program." said Carol Dickerman, director of the Office of International Programs. "We can't have students exposed to that kind of risk."

But it is not always possible to predict the safety of a given location. "You can't always guarantee safety everywhere in the world," Nolting said, adding that there are "certain destinations which are clearly dangerous." For example, terrorists in Algeria have specifically targeted tourists.

In 1997, the U.S. State Department issued an advisory, which is still in effect, about traveling to Guatemala. Advisories are issued to warn citizens about countries that may be potentially dangerous for safety and health reasons.

The University takes many safety precautions in its study abroad programs, including checking the specific locations and student housing beforehand.

"We talk to students both before they go and when they're there to take precautions," Dickerman said. "We take both general and specific precautions when preparing students to go."

Many students said they feel safe when traveling and studying abroad.

LSA senior Lori Cloutier, who traveled to Czechoslovakia last semester, said that it was "a very safe place to be.

"They let us know about the dangers beforehand," Cloutier said.

Several students reported that petty thefts and pickpocketing were the worst crimes of which they were aware while aboard. "Things like (the rapes) could happen here or anywhere in the world," Cloutier said.

The International Center provides students with a handout that lists safety tips for women when traveling abroad.

- The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

01-21-98