Study abroad representatives from 40 universities gathered at the Kellogg Center on Thursday to discuss how to best keep students healthy and safe when studying abroad.
Health and safety experts discussed the university’s need to be ready for a variety of factors, including managing disease outbreaks, knowing which hospital students can use and having a meeting spot in case of terrorist attacks.
The conference was sponsored by MSU and the Overseas Security Advisory Council, or OSAC, an office within the U.S. Department of State.
Julie Friend, from the MSU Office of Study Abroad, said OSAC informs universities of safety issues that could affect their study abroad programs.
For example, OSAC informed universities of an emerging skinhead population in parts of Russia and Eastern Europe that often target people of certain ethnicities, Friend said. Students should be aware of such potentially dangerous groups, she said.
“Knowing that information when we do an orientation program, we can specifically say to students that this is an extra risk you might face in these particular locations, and we don’t want you to think about not going there, but we do want to heighten your awareness,” Friend said.
Violence is rarely a risk for students’ trips, Friend said. More common safety issues relate to cultural differences, which can be solved with education.
Students who study abroad in London, for example, need to remember at all times that people drive on the opposite side of the road, Friend said.
“That sounds like a silly thing to talk about, but in fact the No. 1 cause for American injuries in London alone is automobile accidents, and it’s typically an automobile and pedestrian accident,” Friend said.
David Mair, director of client relations for MEDEX, an international insurance company that provides service for MSU’s Office of Study Abroad, said universities that run a study abroad program need to make sure they plan for emergencies.
Not having a plan in place can put people’s health and safety at risk, Mair said. Faculty on study abroad trips need to be aware of what hospital will be used in case of emergencies and should have emergency numbers pre-programed in their cell phones.
“We want program leaders to know what resources they have available and that there is someone who knows there is a plan and can engage it,” Mair said. “In a time of emergency or crisis, that can be really important.”
Colleen Opal, a student affairs graduate student, said officials also discussed the need to attract more minorities to study abroad.
More whites study abroad than minorities, with women leading the pack, Opal said.
“That’s a huge issue,” Opal said. “It could be financial, it could be who are we targeting and who are the people in our advertisements.”
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