They recognize danger, but study there anyway

A year after Penn Study Abroad decided to give students the chance to travel to possibly dangerous countries, 20 students have jumped at the chance.

Last December, the University began allowing students to petition to study abroad in countries deemed potentially unsafe by the U.S. State Department.

Despite government concerns ranging from the threat of terrorism to political unrest, all Penn students studying in these locations have remained safe.

Penn Study Abroad opted to end its policy of "blanket denial" for requests to study in countries on the government's travel advisory list, according to Penn Study Abroad Director Geoffrey Gee. The State Department began issuing warnings after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Most American universities -- including Penn -- reacted by preventing students from traveling to those countries.

But according to Gee, that policy often stopped students from going to academically enriching programs abroad.

"There will always be political hot spots, disease hot spots," he said.

Gee said that while his office closely monitors travel warnings issued by the federal government, such warnings should no longer dictate where Penn students can study because they are sometimes too restrictive.

"[Center for Disease Control and Prevention] warnings are based on very sound fact," Gee said. "State Department warnings are a matter of debate."

The new approach, Gee said, requires that students draft proposals that show that the academic worth of a particular study abroad location outweighs any potential risks.

Since the policy's enactment, 20 students have petitioned for their own trips to countries on the State Department's warning list -- and all but one were approved.

However, even after a student succeeds in demonstrating the academic value of his trip, the proposal must also be considered by risk managers, the general counsel for the University and the President and Provost.

Students have created personalized study abroad programs in places such as Fiji, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.

College junior Dorit Price-Levine, for example, is currently preparing to spend next semester in Egypt, a country the State Department deems at-risk for terrorist attacks.

When Price-Levine chose to study in Egypt, she said she did not give much thought to the threat of terrorism. Safety was a concern after bombings struck Jordan two weeks ago, but she was not deterred from choosing Cairo, where she hopes she will improve her Arabic.

"I think it's really hard to learn a language without going to a place that speaks it," she said. "If you have a goal set to learn a language, you just have to" travel.

After spending a year in Israel after high school, Price-Levine said she learned safe travel skills. Next semester, she said, she plans to avoid open-air cafes and crowds outside dance clubs.

Like all students heading abroad, Price-Levine will also undergo a nation-specific orientation and safety training provided by the University before leaving for Cairo on Jan. 12.

Price-Levine will join hundreds of other Penn students studying abroad next semester. Presently there are 464 undergraduate students in foreign countries, with seven in Africa and eight in the Middle East.

Penn is more flexible than several of its peers when it comes to its student travel policies. Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth, for example, do not allow students to travel to countries on the State Department's warning list. Princeton, Yale, Cornell and Columbia -- like Penn -- allow students to apply.

Gee said that even though some areas are assumed to be more dangerous than others -- such as Israel, the West Bank and areas in Africa -- even traditional study abroad locations like London and Paris are not immune to violence.

University President Amy Gutmann acknowledged that "there is no such thing as a risk-free environment" but praised University officials for their preparation of students.

"The Penn abroad program and the staff spend a lot of time advising students about safety precautions and behavior that will minimize risk wherever they go," Gutmann said.

Gee said that student preparation is important no matter what the destination. Once abroad, students also have support systems in their respective countries, including evacuation services.

"We prepare everybody about every country," Gee said.

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