Increasing Health and Safety in Study Abroad

The number of full-time staff members focusing on health and safety in international university travel has increased from a mere three in 2007 to twenty-seven staff members today, an Inside Higher Ed article reported. Some would say that the number today is closer to a 100, even though it may not be an official job title. “There are a growing number of institutions where this is the primary responsibility of somebody,” Gary Lansdale, president of the University Risk Management and Insurance Association said.

So how newsworthy is 100 Health & Safety Directors? According to the U.S. Department of Education Database of Postsecondary Institutions and Programs, there are 33,221 entries; approximately 6,900 colleges and universities, meaning 1.45% of all colleges and universities have health & safety directors. We realized not all of these programs offer study abroad – but the numbers are strikingly low. 

Parents and students need to vet out their programs before entrusting their future and lives into the hands of study abroad programs. It’s also important to understand the ratio of health and safety providers for the program and number of students they oversee.

The Institute of International Education reported that approximately 270,000 college students studied abroad in 2010-2011. The number of students studying abroad has more than tripled in the past two decades, factoring into the number of full-time staff working in study abroad programs. Students who choose to study abroad today are also traveling to a multitude of locations, and many of these students have pre-existing health conditions or disabilities. A priority in the field is to increase access to study abroad for students with disabilities, the article reported.

Stacey Tsantir, ClearCause Director and University of Minnesota Director of International Health, Safety and Compliance, was quoted saying that much of her job “entails creating policies and procedures for the five-campus system and educating faculty and staff members in order to increase compliance.” Although students don’t have to come through her office while planning a study abroad program, she said that there are policies requiring students participating in education abroad opportunities, to sign a release and waiver, to purchase the university’s international health insurance and to attend an online health and safety orientation. The unit that is sponsoring the travel also would be required to have an emergency plan on file.

“It seems likely that more institutions will consider creating these specialized international health, safety and security-related positions as they grow or centralize their global programs,” the article reported.

Tsantir said that those in the field want to avoid this trend becoming a fad, in which institutions install these positions but “don’t set up their hires to succeed.”

ClearCause Founder and Executive Director Sheryl Hill responded, “We applaud universities who take precautionary measures and the programs and directors cited in the article. However, we hear all too often about universities who are not forthcoming with answer to parental questions about how their child’s life ended during study abroad. More needs to be done so that families are not forced to sue to get information. Laws and rules should mandate transparent reporting of safety records, and data sharing to avoid repeating preventable deaths from drowning, unsafe housing and more.”

Written by N. Losik.

A Student Abroad Preparedness Plan - the ASAPP Checklist

Thinking of going abroad? The ASAPP checklist from ClearCause Foundation has over 50 safety checkpoints that every student should fulfill before traveling overseas. This is the best way for students to stay safe abroad.

The first section of the ASAPP Checklist is a personal profile for students to fill in their own contact and passport information. The checklist also has a section for students to fill in the information of their study abroad program, including crucial emergency contact information.

The second section of the ASAPP Checklist is all about communication. The checklist requires students to provide emergency phone numbers, emergency contacts and contact information for the closest U.S. Embassy in their country.In addition to this, more checkpoints include instructions on how to dial the U.S. while abroad, the country’s emergency phone number is (if not 911) and the U.S. DOS Travel Warnings.

Finally, the third section of the ASAPP Checklist goes over the safety regulations of students’ daily lives while abroad. Housing checkpoints include residential locks, fire safety, number of roommates, security and location of housing to police stations, hospitals and other safety points while abroad. Checkpoints in the Money and Security section include a monthly budget, credit cards, prescriptions, contracts, passports, and more. The last section, Health and Wellness, includes checkpoints dealing with travel clinics, immunizations, and the necessary travel insurance (StuCard).

The ASAPP checklist is available for a free download from ClearCause Foundation. Either click on the “ASAPP Checklist” box to the right or click on this link to download your copy of the ASAPP Checklist today.

The ASAPP Checklist has been made possible in part by memorial gifts from the families of Tyler Hill (1991-2007), Thomas Plotkin (1990-2011) and Joshua Shane (1990-2012). Use every tool you can to keep your students safe while studying abroad.

College Student Dies in Spain

Oeshae Morgan, a soon-to-be senior at the University of Pittsburgh, was found dead in the courtyard where she lived on July 12, 2013, according to The Pitt News. The article reported that the U.S. Department of State informed the University of Pittsburgh of Morgan’s death a few days after it happened, but wouldn’t disclose the circumstances of her death.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Morgan,” a U.S Department of State official said in an email. “Embassy officials are in contact with her family and are providing consular assistance. Out of respect for the family, we have no further comment.”

A political science and economic major, Morgan was spending the summer in Madrid, Spain as part of Pitt’s College of Business Administration’s International Internship Program. “Pitt spokeswoman Cara Masset said that Morgan’s passing is the first and only time a student studying abroad with the International Internship Program has died,” the article reported.

An article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Morgan’s family described her as ambitious and spiritual. Morgan was a member of Pitt’s debate team and “loved talking about everything from politics to fashion,” the article reported.

Morgan’s 21st birthday was the weekend after death, according to Post-Gazette article. Her family decided to go ahead with her birthday celebration, and 160 friends, family church members and classmates of Morgan’s showed up to celebrate her life.

“[Morgan] will be missed by many, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends,” the University said in a statement from the The Pitt News article. “The University is providing support and assistance to the family as well as to the Pitt students who are grieving over this loss.”

Morgan’s family has been told that her death was accidental. The article reported that Pitt officials have referred questions to the State Department, which has released no additional information.

Written by N. Losik.

College Student Falls To His Death in Rome

A college student from Indiana was killed when he fell from a wall while studying abroad in the Trastevere district of Rome, according to an article from the Daily Mail.

Andrew Keith Carr lost his balance while walking on a ledge and fell 50 feet onto the sidewalk along the River Tiber. The article reported that Carr had been drinking with friends before walking on the wall near the river at 2 A.M. Witnesses said that Carr was pretending to be a tightrope walker when he fell. The fall broke his cervical vertebrae, the article reported.

Carr was frequently on the dean’s list and was studying operations and supply chain management at the College of Business Administration at Marquette University in Wisconsin. Carr decided to attend the John Cabot University in Rome through a study abroad program.

“Carr’s death is the third fatality since 2007 involving a foreign national falling to his death along the River Tiber. It is believed that alcohol had played a role in the previous incidents as well,” the article reported.

Italian newspaper Roma Today reported that a 19-year-old American student fell off the Bridge of Umberto in July 2012 after drinking with friends and was also killed. The same happened in 2009 when a 20-year-old Australian man fatally fell into the River Tiber after drinking with friends in a pub crawl.

Written by N. Losik

Top 10 Most Dangerous Places to Study Abroad

An article from The Daily Caller listed the top ten most dangerous study-abroad locales and warnings against studying abroad in these places. The list included Alexandria, Egypt; Merida, Venezuela; Amman, Jordan; Kigali, Rwanda; Istanbul, Turkey; Yaounde, Cameroon; Bali, Indonesia; Mexico; Beirut, Lebanon; and Nairobi, Kenya.

“You — or your children — may be interested in risking the same fate in the name of tourism. Alternatively, you might want to learn about some places to avoid because you want to avoid the same fate,” the article read. Below are some short descriptions of these top ten dangerous study-abroad locales as reported by the Daily Caller article.

Alexandria, Egypt

Political clashes that have recently erupted in Alexandria have killed at least one and have left more than 80 wounded. American student Andrew Pochter was studying abroad in Alexandria when he was killed in a protest a few weeks ago (read his story here.) The State Department’s travel website says there are “threats to safety and security” in Alexandria and advised American citizens to stay away.

Merida, Venezuela

Kidnappings and armed robberies are common in this part of the world. The State Department’s travel site calls the local violent crime “pervasive” and states that “the country’s overall per capita murder rate is cited in the top five in the world,” the Daily Caller article reported.

Istanbul, Turkey

Political unrest between protesters and the government have injured and detained U.S. citizens caught in the middle. The State Department’s travel site reported that violence, injuries and at least two confirmed deaths have resulted from these protests all over the country.

Kigali, Rwanda

Grenade attacks towards the local population and small-bomb detonations are not uncommon in population centers. An active volcano is across the western border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The article reported that American embassy personnel can’t leave the Kigali city limits after 6 p.m. or hire certain taxis. See the State Department’s travel website here.

Amman, Jordan

The State Department’s travel page warns against the violent demonstrations, tribal violence, roadside bombs and occasional rockets. “Transnational and local terrorist groups have demonstrated the capability to plan and implement attacks,” it read. The article reported that tourists there should ”maintain a low profile” while being there.

Yaounde, Cameroon

The State Department’s travel page states that there has been civil unrest here recently. Crime is rampant throughout the country and U.S. embassy employees “aren’t allowed to take taxis anywhere.” The article stated that in 2011, over 20 Peace Corps volunteers were robbed at gunpoint in Kribi.

Bali, Indonesia

Car bombs have been prevalent here in the past few years. A violent Islamic group bombed nightclubs in 2002, killing and injuring many tourists and Indonesian citizens. “Be vigilant and prudent at all times,” the State Department travel site advises. Tsunamis are also possible.

Mexico

Street crime, rape, sexual assault and car and bus jackings are all common here. Murders, beatings, abductions, ATM-card skimming and other scams are also prevalent. See the State Department’s travel website here.

Beirut, Lebanon

This country is home to spontaneous violence. The Department of State travel site “urges U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon.” Boston University has suspended a program that used to allow students to enroll at the American University of Beirut.

Nairobi, Kenya

“Suicide operations, bomb and grenade attacks, kidnappings and the like are all commonplace,” the Department of State’s site reads. Crime is high in Nairobi, as armed assailants “roam all over.” Nairobi averages about ten vehicle hijackings per day.

College Student Tragically Killed in India

A recent article by India Today released a shocking story about a female college student who was brutally killed in a village in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.

The 20-year-old college student was gang raped and set on fire by 3-4 men who overpowered her in Desarmau locality in Ikdil town.

The student was brought to UP Rural Institute of Medial Science in the town of Saifai with 80 percent burn injuries. She died the morning of July 12, 2013.

“There were allegations that the local police first tried to hush up the crime since the alleged rapists were from an influential family but registered an FIR after the pressure from senior officials,” the article reported.

Horrifically, this story is not the first of its kind. Two days before, others had tried to silence a teenage rape victim in Pratapgarh by cutting off her tongue to stop her from testifying. Days before that, a five-year-old was found raped and dead from stabbings in Lucknow with “police trying to pass off the case as an incident of dog bite,” the article reported.

Crimes against women in India are tragically and despicably common. These stories should be warnings to those considering studying abroad in India. Educate yourself about the colossal risks and cultural differences before going abroad. This information could save your life.

Written by Nicola Losik.

U.S. Students Evacuate Egypt

U.S. college students are being pulled from Egypt following the country’s recent political unrest, according to an article from U.S. Today,

The U.S. State Department ordered non-essential U.S. government personnel and their families to “evacuate due to ongoing political and social unrest” on July 3, 2013. “Demonstrations have, on occasion, degenerated into violent clashes between police and protesters, and between protesters supporting different factions, resulting in deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage. Participants have thrown rocks and Molotov cocktails and security forces have used tear gas and other crowd control measures against demonstrators. There are numerous reports of the use of firearms as well,” the Travel Warning read.

Most education groups and universities have followed the government’s advisory, as the turmoil in Egypt worsens.

“Millions of Egyptians have taken to the streets in the days leading up to and following Wednesday’s military ouster of the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi,” U.S. Today reported. American student Andrew Pochter (read his story here) was fatally stabbed during a protest on June 28, 2013.

Europ Assistance USA, an organization that provides emergency travel assistance to organizations, is helping students evacuate Egypt. These students are typically moved to study abroad programs in other countries.

President of the Center for International Learning in Oman, J. Larry Brown, said that his center has been overwhelmed by the number of calls from students and institutions as Egypt, Turkey and Syria have grown more dangerous for American students studying abroad.

It would be prudent for student programs to avoid countries where the U.S.
Department of State has issued Travel Alerts, as these Travel Alerts can quickly turn into more serious Travel Warnings (read more about Travel Alerts and Travel Warnings here.)