While universities nationwide have been cutting their study abroad programs to the Middle East because of continuing violence in Israel and the threat of terrorist attacks, the University has hopes of keeping its program alive.
Rutgers University closed its study abroad program to the Middle East in December, and the University of California followed suit, closing its program in April and requesting that the 27 students studying in Israel return home immediately. Although several students refused, claiming they felt safe in Israel, others returned to the United States.
Presently, the University has not discussed canceling its study abroad program in the Middle East because at this time, it does not have any students studying abroad in these countries, and students have not expressed a keen interest in the Middle East at this time.
“If we had students there, or if students were really interested in studying abroad in Israel at this present time, we would have to make a decision about the program,” Overseas Program Coordinator Cari Vanderkar said. “Our hope is in the near future we can strongly encourage students to go.”
The Office of International Programs has three study abroad programs to Middle Eastern countries, offering University students the opportunity to study in Israel, Jordan and Turkey. OIP just adopted the study abroad program to Turkey and Jordan this fall, but no University students have gone to these countries yet.
“We are generally excited about the programs to Turkey and Jordan because students can study Arabic and Turkish languages, which are languages not offered for study here at the University,” Vanderkar said.
However, the two students who applied for the program to Israel for fall term 2002 have opted to defer their travel plans to a later date because of the current conditions in Israel.
“I encouraged these two students to be informed about what’s going on in that country and asked them to try and picture themselves there,” Vanderkar said. “I wanted them to think of their security and well-being, and I asked them to talk with friends and family before committing to study there.”
Vanderkar said the U.S. Department of State’s “Travel Warning” is one reason she has been encouraging students to rethink travel to the Middle East. The warning gives U.S. travelers information about the present political climate in different countries. In its latest warning, issued April 2, 2002 , the State Department said U.S. citizens should defer traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza because of a pending threat of future terrorist attacks.
This academic year, the Israel study abroad program had its lowest number of applicants, with only one student from the University participating in the program during fall term 2001. This number is significantly lower than the 1999-2000 academic year, when seven students studied in Israel. The program saw its peak year in 1995-96, when eight students studied abroad in Israel.
University senior Sarah Shpall traveled abroad to Israel in fall 2000, and said she felt safe during her stay.
“I have been to the country before, and I know how it works,” she said. “I have family there and they teach you how to deal with the atrocities that the people live with in their daily lives.”
Vanderkar said a University student has made plans to study in Turkey for fall term 2002, and at this time, OIP has confidence the student will be safe while there.
“Turkey is a stable country at this present time and it does not border Palestine and Israel, which would be considered unsafe,” she said.
In the next few months, if students show interest in studying in Israel or Jordan, they will have to seriously discuss safety concerns and their reasons for wanting to travel to the country with the Foreign Studies Program Committee, said Vanderkar.
She said although Jordan is presently a stable country, study abroad students would be studying in Amman, near the border of Israel, which the U.S. government considers unsafe at this time.
Despite the current conditions in Israel, International Resource Center Coordinator Anne Williams said the center, which offers students information about traveling abroad, has not seen any change in students’ interest in studying in Middle Eastern countries.
“People are still coming in and looking at brochures about the Middle East, and most students seem interested in Egypt and Israel,” she said.
Shpall said she would return to Israel, even now, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and with the current political climate.
“Israel is a resilient country,” she said. “There has always been strength there, even at times of adversity.”
E-mail reporter Danielle Gillespie
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