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Education Abroad & Exchange - Health, Safety & Security

Information for Students and Parents

The International Program Office (IPO) staff has always been concerned and proactive in insuring that students are well informed with regard to their health and safety while studying abroad. In light of current events, you are asking questions which reflect how difficult it is to be far away from those we love during the most during turbulent times.

While we monitor events on a daily basis, we believe that studying abroad continues to be a reasonable choice for our students. This note is to help clarify some of the steps that we at IPO are taking and that you (students and families) can also take to help all of us work together in sharing information. It is of the utmost importance for all of us to know that there are procedures, guidelines and advice available even as events are unpredictable. Only you, student and family members, can make decisions with regard to study abroad. We want you to know that you are not alone in that assessment.

While we can never guarantee our students' complete safety abroad–any more than we can guarantee their safety here at home–we can make sure that students and families are well informed and know what resources are available. We will continue to provide students with certain health and safety guidelines, as well as protocols to follow if they should run into problems abroad. All reputable programs provide this type of information for students, families and partner institutions. Some of these materials are provided at UMass orientation sessions for students as well as in "Guidelines for Study Abroad." In addition, all programs be they UMass exchange programs or those sponsored by other institutions, provide information specific to the region or type of program. Resources and updated information is available on this website as well as a number of other websites specific to safety and security for US Americans abroad.

What does International Programs (IPO) do to address issues of safety and security?
  1. Monitoring the State Department Web site and US State Department Travel Advisories and Warnings.
    (Please note that these cautionary messages are not travel warnings. Cautions from the State Department remind us to be careful. Warnings tell us it may be best not to go to certain places for specific reasons. The difference is real and is important). All such announcements underscore the importance for Americans living and traveling overseas to remain vigilant and security conscious. For the latest announcements see the U.S. Department of State website.
  2. Staying in close communication with partner institutions, abroad and across the U.S. We are in close, regular contact with other study abroad programs through personal, professional, and on-line networks across the U.S. and worldwide. NAFSA: The Association of International Educators provides many resources and has a special task force specifically addressing health and safety as a long-standing group.
  3. Reviewing and updating our communication networks. We are all particularly aware of the need to be in touch at an institutional level with partner schools; with students and their families; and with students and program personnel. International Program staff are always available for any urgent situation.
    For non-UMass programs, students and families can be in direct contact with the program sponsor and with staff at IPO. Most programs follow similar procedures and protocols with regard to basic health and safety for students abroad.
  4. Ongoing assessment of continued safety for students abroad. It is important to know that at the moment we have no plans to cancel any UMass programs anywhere in the world. It is equally important to know, however, that even under normal circumstances, we regularly evaluate situations at each and every site for individual students. We have systems in place that help all of us evaluate the needs of individual students or family (see Conditions of Membership Agreement [PDF, Pg 4]; Guidelines for Study Abroad [PDF]). During times of high tension, we are in close contact with responsible officials of foreign host universities, with resident program directors, with other experts including members of our own faculty, who keep well-informed about issues abroad.
  5. Reminding students—again!—and all travelers about the importance of appropriate behavior (keeping a low profile; staying informed about events as they develop; staying in touch with family; exercising caution in public places; notifying someone about travel plans during vacation/holiday periods).
  6. Providing orientation sessions and written materials which give students additional information with regard to their own participation in safety. Country and region-specific information is available from a variety of sources (see Guidelines and/or materials provided by the program sponsor).
  7. General health issues that occur for students at home and abroad are discussed as well. Safety and security includes the importance of addressing an individual's personal health needs and understanding resources available abroad. In addition, the provision of medical or dental services, as well as specific health risks in any particular region is addressed in resources offered specific to the program. (See Guidelines for information and additional resources with respect to personal health and health insurance while abroad.)
What can parents and family do?
  1. Communicate with your child (parent) about the program. Develop a plan for regular telephone and email contact so that in an emergency you can reach one another as needed. Make sure all of you have the phone numbers and email addresses for your UMass International Program Advisor (as appropriate); the International Program Office or Resident Director or Program Official at the host institution; UMass International Programs Office (413-545-2710) or after hours contact Campus Security: 413-545-2121. Explain the need to contact someone in IPO.
  2. Consult the web sites cited above and in the booklet, Guidelines. For information specific to country, check for up-to-date Travel Warnings/Consular Information Sheets.
  3. Encourage your son or daughter to follow the recommendations and/or procedures established for the program or institution, both prior to leaving for overseas study and while in the host country.
  4. Call us with your questions and concerns. Feel free to ask for information that is specific to the program your son or daughter will be attending.
  5. Understand that the traveler, your son or daughter, will be full of excitement, new people, new ideas and that staying in touch with those of us at home becomes less important as they gain comfort in their new location. It is normal for students to be out of touch occasionally while abroad for any number of reasons (busy schedules; the expense of phone calls; limited access to e-mail; opportunities for travel and visits; etc.)
  6. Read the booklet, Guidelines for Study Abroad. Take advantage of many of the Web sites that provide excellent program or site-specific information. Keep phone numbers and email addresses handy. (See Appendix J in Guidelines for keeping track of emergency information).
What safety precautions can students take?
You are often your own best resource! While studying abroad, as in other settings, you can have a major impact on your own safety through the decisions you make before and during the program and by your day-to-day choices and behaviors. Here are a few suggestions of safety precautions addressed specifically to American students:
  • Keep a low profile and try not to make yourself conspicuous by dress, speech, or behavior in ways that might identify anyone as a potential terrorist target.
  • Avoid protest groups or other potentially volatile situations, as well as restaurants and entertainment places where Americans are known to congregate. When in a crowded environment (concerts, cafes, clubs, crowded streets) remember to stay alert and keep a low profile.
  • Be wary if you receive unexpected packages and stay clear of unattended luggage or parcels in airports, train stations, or other areas of uncontrolled public access.
  • Report to the responsible authorities any suspicious persons loitering around residence or instructional facilities, or following you; keep your residence area locked; use common sense in divulging information to strangers about your study program, your fellow students.
  • Make arrangements through your overseas host university officials or program director to register upon arrival at the US consulate or embassy with jurisdiction over the location of your foreign study. Make sure the resident director, host family, or foreign university official who is assigned the responsibility for your welfare always knows where and how to contact you in an emergency.
  • Share your schedule and itinerary with a responsible person if you are traveling, even if only overnight.
  • Develop a plan with your family for regular telephone contact so that in an emergency you (or they) can communicate directly about your safety and well-being. It works both ways in the event that someone at home in the U.S. becomes ill or faces an emergency.
  • Remain in contact with on-site personnel at your overseas location as well as informing them of all travel plans and checking travel advisories for any country you visit.

We fully expect the coming semester to be engaging, energizing, and exciting for all of you. We also expect that many of you (if not all) will also face the usual uncertainties in a new culture, the homesickness, frustration, illnesses and fatigue that can accompany even the most experienced of travelers. We look forward to working with all of you, student traveler and families alike, as you plan your program of study abroad.

Helpful Safety Links:

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