Several students planning on being the first to participate in an NU-affiliated study abroad program in Cuba had to change their plans after the trip had was canceled.
New State Department regulations impose stricter limits on travel to Cuba in an increased effort to push out Fidel Castro and squeeze the island’s economy, according to the Associated Press.
“It’s understandable when programs are canceled for health reasons, like SARS,” said William Anthony, director of NU’s study abroad office. “But this is very disturbing. If you’re a proponent of peace and international understanding the last thing you do is close borders.”
Three NU students planning on studying in Cuba during Fall Quarter have had to change their plans and the four NU students planning on going in the spring are waiting anxiously to hear whether their trip also will be canceled.
Morgan Engling, a Weinberg junior, said she received an e-mail last week informing her of the cancelation from the sponsoring organization, Cooperative Programs in the Americas (COPA), part of The Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University.
“I was just so excited to see how their society works,” she said. “Cuba is so misunderstood by Americans and I’m disappointed that I’m not going to be able to go. I doubt I’ll ever have another chance.”
The COPA Web site posts an explanation saying that the new U.S. government regulations are “effectively closing down most programs, including the Institute for Study Abroad’s program … This regrettable situation is one that none of us could have predicted, particularly on such short notice.”
The new restrictions also change the number of times Americans with relatives in Cuba can visit their families — from once a year to once every three years.
Political Science Prof. Edward Gibson said he sees no reason to further restrict travel to Cuba. Gibson, who teaches a course on Latin American politics, said the Cuban government system is on its way out and he doubts whether any constituencies in the United States support these new regulations.
“In five years Cuba is going to be a radically different place,” he said. “So in the short term (the regulations) limit students’ opportunity to expand culturally, and in the long term it just doesn’t make sense.
“Basically this is the last gasp of the U.S. government’s attempt to isolate Cuba. It’s a shame that the government is not allowing students to witness the final years of the Cuban regime.”
Engling is now planning on studying in Merida, Mexico for the fall. She said COPA has been helpful and COPA intends to pay any out of pocket expenses she incurs due to the switch.
She said she is excited to go to Merida and that Mexico has some advantages over the Cuba program, including a homestay with a family.
“(Making the change) was just stressful,” she said. “And I’m not mentally prepared yet to go to Mexico. All I’ve been reading about is Cuba.”
Campus Editor Jaime Griesgraber is a Medill junior. She can be reached at [email protected].
