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St. Olaf takes extra precautionary measures for students studying abroad

By Amy Gage
February 28, 2003

As the nation's top-ranked liberal arts college for off-campus study, both domestically and abroad, St. Olaf College has a particular interest in national and international events -- including, of course, the threat of war.

Pat Quade
Quade
During second semester this winter and spring, more than 100 St. Olaf students are studying in Europe, Great Britain, South Korea, Japan, Africa, Central America, and Australia, as well as in Washington, D.C.

Their health and safety is top priority, according to Patrick Quade, director of international and off-campus studies at the college. "We're dealing with this on a daily basis," he says. "Although we can never guarantee safety, we can work with students to minimize risk, especially in this time of increased tensions."

Safety issues for off-campus study typically are addressed in orientation sessions before students leave campus, in published materials they receive before their departure, and through contact with parents and host providers before and during the experience.

"Now, the situation is more complex," Quade explains. Although no St. Olaf students are studying in the Middle East or other "hot spots," he is concerned about anti-American sentiment overseas and the risk of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "The hottest spot might be Washington, D.C., and we have two students there," he says.

To that end, the college is enhancing its usual precautionary measures:

· Communications network. "For every site where we have students, we have telephone contact 24 hours a day with host providers, such as international education colleagues at colleges where they are studying," Quade says. In addition to office phone numbers, he and his staff have collected home and cell phone numbers and are running periodic tests to make sure those numbers are up to date. Quade also has established an e-mail alias for the parents of students studying off-campus and has phone numbers for those few families without computer access.

· Government warnings. Quade receives daily e-mail briefings from the U.S. State Department and the Overseas Security Advisory Council, among others. Every morning, he reviews a list of countries where a suspicious or potentially dangerous incident has occurred, whether it's credit card fraud in restaurants or an antiwar protest. A student studying in Ireland called Quade recently to ask whether he should go to London during a demonstration. "I told him it was not a wise choice," Quade says.

· Cultural sensitivity. To avoid any anti-American sensibilities overseas, Quade warns students not to visit "American installations" such as banks, embassies or consulates or American businesses such as McDonald's or American Express. He tells them not to participate in demonstrations on foreign soil. "We've always had that policy, but now we're emphasizing it more," he says. "We also urge them not to display their American identity in their clothing or behavior."

Because cultural immersion is a primary emphasis of the international studies program at St. Olaf, Quade normally asks students not to bring cell phones or spend too much time connected to home via e-mail. "If they're going to spend their whole time talking to friends and their parents, they'll spend that much less time engaging with the culture," he explains.

He asks students to travel in pairs or groups and to alert their local provider or host if they plan to spend any time away from their residence. "We also encourage them to be very much aware of what's going on in the world, not just the town they're in," Quade says. "They need to know what's going on from the most accurate source they can find."

The college's largest off-campus studies program occurs during the fall. Registrations for first semester and interim programs, which occur September through January, were due March 3. The popular "Term in the Middle East" also occurs in the fall. "Applications came in at the normal rate," Quade says, "which suggests that students are still committed to developing a global perspective through off-campus study."

It is standard policy at the college not to send students to countries that exist under a travel warning issued by the U.S. State Department. Should a warning be posted in a country while students are there, the college puts into effect an evacuation plan, Quade says.

Only once has St. Olaf had to evacuate students -- and that was from Indonesia, in the spring of 2000, because of violent outbreaks related to the situation in East Timor and continued political and religious violence in many parts of the country following the resignatioin of President Suharto in 1999.

Neither students nor parents are expressing alarm about off-campus studies as the United States prepares for war. "I could count on fewer than five fingers the numbers of calls I have fielded," Quade says.

In fact, he adds, international study has never been more relevant. "We are going ahead with our programs because we think it is more important now than ever before for our students to learn about other cultures and for other cultures to learn about America from these students' perspective."

For more information about international and off-campus study at St. Olaf, call 507-646-3069 or visit www.stolaf.edu/services/iso/.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.