Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

U. Oklahoma study abroad extends to state department's 'warning' list
By Cadie Thompson
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
12/04/2007

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — Terrorist attacks, kidnappings and murder are just a few of the things the U.S. Department of State lists as possible threats for U.S. citizens visiting countries given a State Department travel warning.

Despite perilous warnings, some OU students are still entitled to travel to these countries for academic purposes.

The new travel policy put forth by the Graduate College allows graduate students to travel to countries with a State Department warning to study or do research in that country.

Karen Elmore, assistant director and advisor for OU's Education Abroad program, said this policy was once strictly prohibited.

"The standard policy before was we don't create or run programs where there is a State Department warning," Elmore said.

She said travel to countries with the warning was considered too dangerous.

Elmore worked with Janis M. Paul, assistant dean and director of the Graduate College, on formulating parts of the new travel policy.

She said although undergraduate students are still not allowed to travel through OU to countries given a State Department warning, graduate students should have the opportunity to do required research abroad.

"There are students working on Ph.Ds on things directly related to those areas," Elmore said.

She said the logic behind the change in policy was that students need to be abroad to do these studies.

Part of the new policy requires graduate students traveling to countries with a State Department warning to meet with the dean of the Graduate College to talk about the conditions of the trip. The new policy also requires the graduate student to sign a waiver freeing OU from liability.

Graduate student Lacy Burgess said she agrees with the new policy.

"Personally, I think this policy is prudent," she said.

Burgess said she thinks the new guidelines are to keep students out of harm's way without necessary dealings with the countries listed by the State Department.

"I think research is important, but the risk needs to be disclosed and I think that this is what the new policy is addressing," she said.

Botany and microbiology graduate student Jesse Bell said he thinks the new policy addresses important safety concerns as well.

Bell said he traveled to China last summer as part of a fellowship he received from the National Science Foundation and said safety concerns were stressed though China does not have a State Department warning.

"We had to meet with representatives at Washington, D.C. to discuss the conditions of the trip and get informed on current happenings in China and possible dangers," Bell said.

He said once he arrived he had to meet with Chinese representatives to discuss potential dangers.

"They covered a lot of safety concerns, but we still ran into a few problems we didn't know about," Bell said.

Safety tips for traveling abroad and a complete list of countries with a State Department travel warning can be found online at http://travel.state.gov.

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