No place on earth is completely safe for students to travel.
The MSU Office of Study Abroad provides students the opportunity to go to many locations, but a lot of things could go wrong - problems travelers just don't expect.
MSU should do a little more than point students to a country; the university should also prepare them for the potential danger they could face.
In January, an MSU student was left behind in Peru as her study abroad comrades left for Michigan. She had misplaced her passport and went back to the hotel to retrieve it, but found no one when she returned to the airport.
The student was left without money or a plane ticket.
In May, recent high-school graduate Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba while on a trip with classmates. Despite ongoing investigations, she has not been found.
Most recently, after the London bombings during the summer, MSU's Office of Study Abroad was prompted to evaluate the safety of the programs available to students. The MSU Study Abroad Security and Risk Assessment Committee meets when an imminent safety risk is known to the university, like the recent attention given to terrorist targets and natural disasters.
Programs in countries such as Nepal, Zimbabwe, Israel and other countries with high incidences of violence have not been offered to students in recent years.
Ken Waltzer, the director of Jewish Studies, wants to reestablish the Israel program. If you've kept your eye on Israel the last few thousand years, you might not think it to be a good idea. Despite what now may be a stable climate, the region has a reputation for quickly fluctuating.
Well, anything could be safe until someone is injured or dies as a result. Is an education really worth dying for?
Political climate can change in an instant - anywhere. But a country's history of violence and crime is a big clue about the potential for something to go wrong.
Study abroad programs give students a lot of chances to explore areas where they stay. Students can wander around just like they could in any city in America. The only difference is identifying the unsafe areas in a foreign country. The U.S. Department of State has a list of places that might not be safe for travelers, but as seen in London and elsewhere, the situation could turn sour in any country.
Students who are ignorant of cultural customs and taboos as well as foreign laws also are at risk. Students who go on trips should be aware of the rights they have as U.S. citizens in other countries. Although MSU provides mandatory informational meetings that help prepare students for their excursions, these countries have years of laws and customs that couldn't possibly be fit into a few meetings.
The MSU Office of Study Abroad needs to help prepare students for their trips as well as have contingency plans for emergencies. It's understandable MSU can't completely prepare students for everything that could go wrong, but officials can at least be preemptive by not scheduling trips in high-risk parts of the world.
