After the September 11 terrorist attacks, five students have backed out of their plans to study abroad and no university study abroad programs have been cancelled, said Dr. Robert Booker, director of the Office of International Studies.
This year, one Washington University student is studying in the Middle East at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel. Two other students had planned to go to Israel next semester; one has recently decided to not go abroad at all, and the other chose to study in England instead.
Each year, WU sends students to England, Australia, Chile and Spain, and fewer students go to other places around the globe, said Booker.
Booker said he talked to a number of concerned parents and students about planned trips.
Jonthan Davis, a junior going to Kenya next semester, said he never questioned his decision to study abroad in the spring.
“At a time when being in America isn’t necessarily the safest place to be, why would I be worried about being in another country?” said Davis.
Amy Reahard, a sophomore traveling with the School of Art’s program to Florence, Italy, next semester, admitted that she is nervous, but confident that WU will ensure the safety of the students.
“I don’t think they’d send us over there if they knew that there might be a problem,” she said.
Both Reahard and Davis said their parents expressed concern about them going, but not enough to cancel their plans.
“My parents trust my judgment, so the only advice they gave me was to be safe,” Davis said. “They are somewhat scared about me going, but I believe they would have been regardless of the attacks or not.”
Booker sent out an e-mail announcing a pre-departure briefing for next semester’s study abroad students. The Office of International Studies regularly sponsors pre-departure briefing sessions for students planning a trip abroad, Booker said, but he thinks students this year will be especially attentive to hearing about safety precautions.
“We always recommend that students keep a low profile,” Booker said. “That means dressing like native students and no American flags on your backpacks.”
Professor of English Joseph Loewenstein, coordinator for students studying abroad in the United Kingdom, said his advice to students this year is just to proceed “warily and quietly.”
“That’s always the case, but it’s particularly important now,” said Loewenstein. “Some students think of study abroad as an occasion to cut loose, but that’s even more inappropriate now.”
Booker added that students considering study abroad for next semester must decide quickly because the longer they wait, the more likely they will encounter complications in billing policies, housing and course registration if they decide against the trip.