'High-risk' countries opened to students

Prior to last month, students wishing to spend a semester studying in any one of the 27 currently "high-risk" countries, ranging from Angola to Zimbabwe, were unable to fulfill their dreams.

However, as the February application deadlines for fall 2004 study abroad programs rapidly approach, students are discovering the University's new policy regarding these high-risk countries.

Through a waiver process, students will now be able to study in areas which have been viewed as too dangerous, such as Israel, which was restricted for personal safety and security reasons, and China, which was previously restricted for public health reasons during the SARS epidemic.

Many are already favoring the new policy.

"Study abroad was one of the best experiences I had in college and I don't think Penn should restrict students from going to those countries," Study Abroad Peer Counselor for Hong Kong and Engineering senior Jerry Jacob said. "Students should be able to make their own decisions, so the change in the policy was definitely a good idea."

Typically, approximately 600 Penn students participate in study abroad programs in nearly 40 countries. The new policy will expand this program by creating opportunities for students to participate Penn-sponsored programs in Israel, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Turkey and Zimbabwe, all of which are currently classified as high risk.

Under Penn's old policy, students were completely barred from studying in any country included on the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control Travel Warning List, which recommends that Americans avoid or exercise caution in these sites.

The revamped policy -- announced last month by the Provost's Task Force on Study Abroad -- now permits students to travel to high-risk countries, provided that they receive approval from the University's Office of International Programs and the provost through a petition and waiver process.

In contrast to Penn's policy regarding countries which are not on the travel advisory list, the process acknowledges that students, not the University, are solely responsible for their own safety.

The new policy concerning high-risk countries continues to limit the number of students who can study in these areas by granting exemptions from the ban strictly on academic grounds. Still, the change effectively increases the number of study abroad opportunities available because of the expanded list of available programs.

If their petitions are accepted, students may also now study in other high-risk countries through programs sponsored by other universities.

According to Deputy Provost Peter Conn, while revisions in the study abroad policy may seem unusual, the change was part of a normal review process, which is carried out to ensure that Penn remains at the vanguard of study abroad programs among its fellow research universities.

"The University is continuously monitoring the international situation and periodically adjusts its policies," Conn said. "The current process of review simply follows our standard practice."

The new policy makes it clear that students and their families are assuming the inherent risks and responsibilities of studying in countries under the travel watch.

However, most students agree that the new policy is a vast improvement over the old, and speaks for the strength of Penn's study abroad program.

"I think the new policy is great," said College senior Suzanne Lilley, who studied in Nepal, a country recently placed on the Warning List.

"The Nepal program was amazing, and the new policy gives kids the chance to experience that," she said. "The policy balances the University's responsibility with the students' risk really well, so that kids still have the opportunity to participate in amazing programs, even if there is a potential risk in the country."

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