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Like most Americans and American organizations, we at the CIE here at Salem State are aware and concerned about the state of world affairs and particularly with the position into which it puts our students abroad. We will continue to monitor the global events through a variety of mediums – U.S. State Department, U.S. and world media, our overseas staff and partner organizations, and our colleagues in the study abroad field – to ensure that Salem State students will not be placed in unsafe situations in studying abroad. In terms of safety, the reality is that nothing should happen to you. You are as secure overseas as you would be in the U.S. provided you act in an appropriate and safe manner. It is important to keep in mind that all of the countries in which SSC sends students are all considered very safe and stable and we are expecting that they will continue to be for the foreseeable future. The U.S. Department of State has not issued any travel warnings for any of the countries that our participants are studying in and, again, we do not anticipate they will. In fact, despite the war with Iraq, it does not appear that Americans outside of a few Middle Eastern countries will be asked to evacuate. We encourage you to monitor the State Departments website for the latest news regarding the safety of Americans abroad: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html. If, for some unforeseeable reason, an emergency does break out (whether it is war related or not), we would refer you to the in-country people who can help you the best – the university staff. In addition, upon your arrival at your respective universities, you should participate in any orientation programs at which time the university officials should brief you on safety and emergency information. Additionally, please make sure that we have the most up-to-date contact information for you including an email address, phone number, and residence address. Please send this information to us immediately after your arrival. In terms of any fee refund in the event of overseas instability, the policy of U.S. study abroad programs is that only in the event of program cancellation will refunds be available. Most organizations would cancel their programs if and only if the United States Department of State requested that U.S. citizens evacuate a particular country. In the event that you decide to return home, but the program you are attending has not been cancelled, no refund will be available. Finally, at the same time we talk about war and other negative global events, we think it is imperative to stress the importance of studying abroad. One of the primary goals of study abroad is to increase cultural understanding among the participants and those with whom the participants come in contact. It is our belief that only through mutual cultural understanding and sensitivity that catastrophic events, such as war, can be averted. Because the opportunity for study abroad exists primarily during the college years, it is the stance of the CIE that, as long as it is considered safe, we will continue to offer these valuable learning opportunities to interested students. |
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| Center for International
Education 352 Lafayette Street Salem, MA 01970 Telephone: (978) 542-6351 Fax: (978) 542-7104 |