No plans exist to evacuate abroad participants
By SCOTT BRODFUEHRER
Associate News Editor
Increased protests of U.S. foreign policy across the globe have caused administrators of study abroad programs at Notre Dame and Saint Mary's to carefully monitor international transportation and local security at program sites, but there are no plans to have students return to the United States.
On Feb. 15, millions of protestors gathered at cities across the globe to protest the possibility of war with Iraq, including cities where students are studying abroad such as Athens, Dublin, London and Rome. An estimated one million people took part in marches in London and Rome, and police in Athens used tear gas to control crowds who broke windows and threw a bomb at a newspaper's offices.
Thomas Bogenschild, director of International Study Programs at Notre Dame, said that he was not aware of any student being endangered while abroad.
"I have no reports of anyone being endangered, although people have reported being tense," said Bogenschild.
Anastasia Gutting, director of Notre Dame's London Program, said she had heard second-hand only one report of a student who was asked if she was American.
"A woman student had been approached by a man who asked if she was American and when she responded [that she was] `Canadian,' which we suggest students use as an answer to that kind of question, and appeared uncomfortable, he immediately backed away," said Gutting.
Peter Checca, counselor of the Saint Mary's Rome Program, said the College has been sending students to Rome since 1970 and students have been in Rome during other tense times, such as the Gulf War and the war in Yugoslavia.
"In times like these, we tell the students to stay away from protests and places where Americans are known to congregate, keep a low profile and go about their business," said Checca.
Although demonstrators were protesting U.S. policy, Bogenschild said many students have noticed a difference between protestors rallying against American policy and rallying against Americans in general.
"Most students are seeing that the protestors are not anti-American, but are anti-U.S. policy. Whether someone's views are anti-American are in the eye of the beholder," Bogenschild said.
Bogenschild added that his office has no plans to suggest students do not take part in the protests.
"If some protests got out of hand and violence was directed at random students, I might recommend that students not take part in them, but I don't see that now, and I would hate to give such an order [for students not to participate]," he said.
At this point, there has been no increase in security at study abroad sites because of the protests. A large number of security measures are already in place at programs in large metropolitan areas, such as London, where there is keyed access to the classroom building and residence hall and staffed reception desks.
"With these procedures routinely in place, implementing additional ones is fairly simple. We've not yet seen a need to go to a higher level [such as] limiting access to our buildings to any but previously-announced visitors or hiring security guards," Gutting said.
Checca said he is in contact with local administrators almost daily and they are carefully monitoring security issues.
"After consultation with the American embassy in Rome, if the College were to deem that students were in danger, we would not send them to Rome," Checca said.
At Notre Dame, there is a committee charged with the responsibility of examining security issues and deciding whether to send students to specific abroad programs. That committee would make any decision to evacuate students.
Gutting said that in the event that the University decided to shut down the London Program and students were brought back to the United States, there are contingency plans in place for courses and housing.
The increased protests have not caused a decrease in the total number of students applying to study abroad next year. Some programs, such as London, received a record number of applications while others did not see a change from previous years.
All News Stories for Monday, February 24, 2003
