Cost of traveling to Peru on study abroad: $2,262

Cost of the passport application fee: $85

Leaving a student behind, terrified, without money and a place to stay: heartless.

MSU's Study Abroad program to Peru did just that to Julie Crane. For four days, the mechanical engineering sophomore was left the rest of her program to fend for herself after not being able to produce a passport she lost prior to her flight. The scared student stayed with a friend she had made on the trip and an MSU alumnus before finally catching a plane home early Tuesday.

At the time of departure, program leaders left Crane with only a phone number. No money. No food. No guidance. Luckily, some friends supplied her with some cash and a phone card before leaving.

Even more insulting is that it wasn't until Sunday that Crane's mother was contacted by the university and then, only after a reporter from a Detroit news station called the university about the incident.

After all this, Crane's mother claims MSU neglected to give her help getting her daughter home.

It's unfortunate the Study Abroad program would make such an error in judgment. As a leader of a study abroad program, your duties should encompass more than just teaching the course.

Taking students to another country is a considerable undertaking that should be accompanied by a strict amount of supervision and responsibility for those involved. Why leaders offered such poor help we are unsure, but the university is investigating the situation.

Although this is the first time a student has ever been left behind, it's no excuse to not have an emergency plan in place to handle such an incident - especially considering MSU's program is the largest in the nation. The whole Study Abroad department should feel somewhat ashamed at its lax response in alerting Crane's mother.

Usually it takes a tragedy to get anyone to react. It's good fortune that nothing horrible happened to Crane while she was marooned. Study Abroad officials should take this incident as a learning experience and add more precautions.

Although MSU is primarily at fault for this situation, it can't be denied that some of Crane's choices weren't wise.

It's questionable why she would go stay with a friend when she could have returned to the hotel to stay for free.

Also, she should not have traveled to a foreign country without bringing additional funds, phone cards, etc., in case of an emergency.

Although Crane lost her passport - she claims it was stolen by the hotel - the situation was far more an error by the university.

Considering that Crane came home safe and sound, we urge her and her family not to sue the university. This is not for the university's sake, but only to keep the toll of pointless lawsuits from rising.

Still, this sort of treatment shows a level of unpreparedness by the university in one if its most touted programs. Study abroad trips are not like meeting class requirements.

Let's make sure we can handle the difference.