If you really think about it, how safe is the rest of the world? Can we truly trust that we will be safe in other countries? Unfortunately, the answer is invariably no. No matter how hard we try, no matter where we are, we will never be entirely safe. But this shouldn’t stop us from trying to gain new experiences and trying to understand the rest of the world.

If the crises in Japan and Egypt have taught us anything, it is that the situation in relatively “stable” countries can degrade so quickly that nothing we do will ever be entirely secure.

The time we spend in other places can teach us more about the world than just about anything that Washington University can offer. Even countries like the United Kingdom or Germany, nations people would normally call “safe,” have something incredibly valuable to teach us. How different is German or English culture from our own?

And I think that if something bad is going to happen in a country, you can learn more if you are there. I can only imagine being in Egypt during the revolution, or in Japan to watch a nuclear crisis unfold. I have always believed you can learn more about a culture that is under stress, and situations like those help you to understand them even better.

Besides, the dangers that have arisen in the past few months are extreme examples. It isn’t as though these are things that happen all the time, and assuming that every country you go to will have a revolution or a natural disaster is like assuming that you will be shot every time you go outside.

Moreover, the U.S. isn’t safe from danger either. It isn’t like an earthquake in San Francisco or a hurricane in New Orleans can’t happen. Natural disasters happen everywhere; going to a different part of the world isn’t going to change the constant danger you are in.

I think the important thing to remember is that we live in a world that is getting more dangerous all the time. We can see it exploding around us every day, and that isn’t going to change in the near future. So we should just learn to accept things as they are, and not let danger stop us from learning as much as we can about the rest of the world.

Every country that we can travel to has something to offer, something to teach us. Whether that be about the culture itself, or how it responds to crises isn’t important. We are students, and it is our job to learn, so if we have the opportunity to do it, we should. If things are dangerous, so be it. The benefits still outweigh the risks. When it comes down to it, I’m going to be studying abroad, because I want that experience, no matter how dangerous the country of my choice might be. And you should do the same.

Over break, Chancellor Wrighton sent an email to the Washington University community notifying students of the disaster and the University’s response. But as of yet, neither the University nor Student Union have organized a fundraiser to help those affected by the disaster. By contrast, in response to the disaster in Haiti, SU organized a fundraiser that raised more than $9,000.

We understand that the student body and the rest of America have different perceptions of Japan and Haiti. Haiti is a developing country, plagued by poverty and poor political infrastructure. Japan, on the other hand, has the third largest economy in the world and a very good infrastructure for dealing with tsunamis and earthquakes. Japan is a country with famously little civil unrest, which could contribute to our lack of interest or empathy.

But despite this, and even though the crisis in Japan happened over spring break, we have no excuse for not trying our hardest to raise money and awareness. The earthquake in Haiti occurred during winter break in 2010, and the student body responded generously.

Just because we don’t necessarily see the troubles that Japan is dealing with at the moment doesn’t mean that the nation doesn’t need substantial international aid. Especially given the unpredictable consequences of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan clearly needs all the help and support, that it can get. It doesn’t help Japan that commentators across the U.S. are very concerned about the status of nuclear power plants on their own soil. While this is a serious issue, it should not be raised in the stead of the set of crises happening in Japan.

We think that the University—both the administration and the students—should be taking action to help alleviate the suffering in Japan. A handful of student groups have been trying to raise money and awareness, but they could benefit from more official backing.

Over break, newscasters covered and debated the bombings in Libya, Egyptians approved a new constitutional referendum, and the House of Representatives ended federal funding for National Public Radio. Even if we don’t have a fundraiser for Japan, when we go away for break, the world doesn’t stop turning. Now that school has resumed, we urge everyone to take the time to stay engaged.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the northeast coast of Japan March 11 and caused a tsunami that also hit the nation. Thousands perished in the disaster, and there were two partial nuclear meltdowns.

Groups of students ranging from the Heisei Japan Club to the Chinese Student Association, as well as post-doctoral students, a librarian, and other individuals, pitched in to table outside the Danforth University Center to raise money throughout the week.

The University’s phone carrier is also offering free long distance calls to Japan until April 11.

“Seeing the disaster and how much worse it was than anyone really expected, even the Japanese people, we just want to do what we can from here,” said senior Damon Robinson, co-president of the Heisei Japan Club.

The three Washington University undergraduate students studying in Kyoto have been sent home.

The money raised on campus will be donated to Direct Relief International, an organization that uses 100 percent of all donations to send doctors and medical supplies to affected areas in Japan.

“By donating to Direct Relief International, we feel like we are part of the direct relief effort that is going on,” said senior Keita Uchita, the other co-president of the Heisei Japan Club. “Even though I have lived here for 20 years, I have close emotional ties to the country. I don’t feel like I can just sit around while people are homeless and sick.”

The club is also planning a benefit concert with student performers on April 31 and is co-programming a trivia night with the Washington Universiy Political Review where half of the proceeds will go to Direct Relief International, a panel with professors to discuss the disaster, and film screenings.

The Heisei Japan Club raised more than $1,200 on Monday and will continue tabling throughout the week. A group made up of post-doctoral researchers and librarian Azusa Tanaka have also been collecting money.

The group has been selling paper cranes, bookmarks and calligraphy of people’s names.

“I’m Japanese, and I’ve been watching the news every day, and I have lots of friends and family members over there, and I wanted to do something,” Tanaka said.

Students and faculty are not the only ones trying to help those affected. Paetec, the University’s long-distance provider, is allowing people free phone calls to Japan through April 11.

Five people at the University have checked in with Paetec to verify the free calling, according to Jan Weller, the associate vice chancellor for information services and technology communications and outreach.

Despite the devastation on the ground, the Japanese are coming together to help each other rebuild.

“It’s devastating on the one hand, but really people are coming together and helping out, and I even get the same feeling on campus because we had people from other groups approaching us,” Robinson said.

With additional reporting by Michael Tabb.

The Chancellor released an email to the student body on Thursday announcing that all students and faculty who were in Japan are safe. He urged any affected students to seek help from the University.

Students in the Heisei Japan Club are planning a week of events after spring break to make sure that fundraisers and relief efforts are coordinated.

“Today, nearly 500 Washington University alumni live in Japan. We also have many faculty and staff who were born in Japan, some whom still have close family living there. Over the past few days we have heard from many of those individuals, and we know that this disaster has been understandably devastating for them,” Chancellor Mark Wrighton wrote.

Nearly 60 Japanese students are enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs at the University. The University is recommending that they check the Google crisis response website to try to find their families.

“A lot of students of course had trouble reaching family members, but most of the students we’ve heard from have been able to reach their family members,” Kathy Steiner-Lang, an Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars said. “Many people know somebody who’s had buildings destroyed or homes destroyed, friends and relatives that had damage or couldn’t be reached.”

The students studying in Japan were for the most part in the southern part of the country. The disasters struck the northern part.

Three undergraduate students were studying at Doshisha University in Kyoto. The distance between Kyoto and Sendai, where most of the damage was, is about 450 miles, or the distance between Boston and D.C.

“We are monitoring the situation,” Mark Beirn, the Associate Director of the Overseas Program said. “One student indicated they didn’t actually feel anything [from the earthquake].

Currently, the students are staying in Japan.

“It’s unlikely the impact [of a nuclear meltdown] would extend to the Kyoto area, is what I’m being told from our resident director in Kyoto,” Beirn said.

The Chancellor released an email to the community announcing that some students and faculty who were in Japan during the earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster have decided to return to the US while others have chosen to remain in Japan. Wrighton urged any affected students to seek help from the University.

Nearly 60 Japanese students are enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs at the University. The University is recommending that they check the Google crisis response website to try to find their families.

“A lot of students of course had trouble reaching family members, but most of the students we’ve heard from have been able to reach their family members,” Kathy Steiner-Lang, an Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars said. “Many people know somebody who’s had buildings destroyed or homes destroyed, friends and relatives that had damage or couldn’t be reached.”

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the northeast coast of Japan last Friday that caused a tsunami also to hit the nation. Thousands perished in the disaster, and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has suffered a likely partial meltdown.

Students in the Heisei Japan Club are planning a week of events after spring break to make sure that fundraisers and relief efforts are coordinated.

“Today, nearly 500 Washington University alumni live in Japan. We also have many faculty and staff who were born in Japan, some whom still have close family living there. Over the past few days we have heard from many of those individuals, and we know that this disaster has been understandably devastating for them,” Wrighton wrote.

The students studying in Japan were for the most part in the southern part of the country.

Three undergraduate students were studying at Doshisha University in Kyoto. The distance between Kyoto and Sendai, where most of the damage was, is about 450 miles, or the distance between Boston and D.C.

“We are monitoring the situation,” Mark Beirn, the Associate Director of the Overseas Program said. “One student indicated they didn’t actually feel anything [from the earthquake].

Currently, the students are staying in Japan.

“It’s unlikely the impact [of a nuclear meltdown] would extend to the Kyoto area, is what I’m being told from our resident director in Kyoto,” Beirn said.

This recent e-mail is part of the University’s response to the outbreak of the H1N1 virus—more commonly known as swine flu.

An earlier e-mail announcement was sent to all students, faculty and staff on April 27 to inform the community that the University is making efforts to address the issue of swine flu, one day after the U.S. government declared a public health emergency due to several confirmed cases within the country.

The e-mail assured the University community that, at the time of the announcement, there had been no cases of swine flu reported on the University campus or in the state of Missouri. Since then, however, Missouri has had 14 confirmed cases and four probable cases of swine flu as of May 11.

Similar to the seasonal flu, the e-mail noted that symptoms of the swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

Students with flu-like symptoms were ordered to report to Student Health Services immediately, while faculty and staff were told to see their private physician.

The University-wide announcement also provided recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for those experiencing flu-like symptoms to keep others safe by avoiding crowds and public transportation, covering one’s nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and throwing away one’s used tissues into the trash.

According to the e-mail, the University has assembled its Emerging Infectious Disease Task Force, led by Assistant Professor of Medicine Steven Lawrence, to monitor the flu outbreak and keep the community informed and updated.

Summer abroad program terminated

Though the campus has had no reported cases and has experienced little visible health-related changes as a result of the outbreak, the situation has had a direct effect on some University students.

On April 29, the University canceled its Spanish Language and Latin American Studies summer study abroad program in Puebla, Mexico following the CDC’s recommendation to avoid traveling to Mexico for unnecessary reasons.

The administration e-mailed the program’s participants earlier to inform them that the fate of the trip was being discussed before finally notifying them of its decision to cancel the program.

16 students had enrolled in the study abroad program to Mexico.

Following the cancellation, the University credited the students’ deposits to their student accounts. The students were also provided with the option to switch into another study abroad program and there was a group meeting to help them with the decision.

Several students with high-level proficiency in Spanish were permitted to participate in the study abroad program in Quito, Ecuador.

Freshman Christina Correa, a student already registered in the Ecuador program, estimates that approximately half of those who were planning to go to Mexico are now going to Ecuador, though she believes there are several students who have decided not to study abroad this summer.

Sophomore Marissa Smith is one of the students who eventually enrolled in the Ecuador program after the Mexico program was canceled.

“Canceling the Mexico program completely changed my summer plans at the last minute. It was frustrating, but I understand that they had to make a decision with our health in mind,” she said. “I decided to go on the Ecuador program, because it was very comparable to the Mexico one,” Smith said.

“I’m excited about Ecuador and I’m sure it will be a great experience,” Smith added.

Other universities, including Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, also canceled their summer programs to Mexico. The University of Missouri-Columbia recommended that its students who are currently abroad in Mexico City to return to the U.S.

Japanese precautions delay students’ travels

The swine flu outbreak also has affected the travels of several University students heading to Japan.

Freshman Ryang Cho was delayed in Osaka during his flight home last week when all passengers on board were required to remain in quarantine for approximately 40 minutes and have their photos taken and temperatures measured by authorities.

Sophomores Brian Chen and Joshua Gross had been aboard a flight headed to Narita from Detroit that carried the first confirmed case of swine flu for Japan.

Airline officials first made efforts to ensure that no passengers on the plane had a fever. All passengers were required to fill out their home contact information so that they can be contacted later. Sick passengers and those in nearby seats were transferred to the hospital to be quarantined.

“Me and my friend Brian were both given a clean bill of health and we went along our way,” Gross said.

The following day, however, a ward office official along with the manager of the hostel where Chen and Gross were staying met with them after learning that the two had been on the same flight as the passenger with the first confirmed case. Once the official had checked their temperatures, Chen and Gross were informed that they could not leave the hostel for the evening.

Gross had measured a slightly high temperature on the following day. Despite the fact that he showed no symptoms of swine flu, Gross was taken to the hospital, tested and quarantined. He was released the next day—though not without a $640 charge for his hospital stay.

The process had shortened the students’ vacation by a day and a half, according to Gross, but they are both doing well and have since continued with their travel plans in Japan.