Northwestern students studying abroad in France have not been endangered by the riots engulfing French suburbs, said Bill Anthony, director of the Study Abroad Office. The office is being vigilant and keeping in contact with students and their programs.

The recent unrest in Argentina and Jordan has not harmed students either, Anthony said.

The study abroad office frequently checks the U.S. State Department Web site, intelligence reports and news sources for updates and travel warnings. On Thursday, there were no travel warnings posted for France, Argentina or Jordan.

None of the 66 students in France appears to be in danger. Still all students should be cautious, Anthony said.

“Sure, they should be attentive to these things,” he said. “But call them home? That would be an overreaction.”

Two black teenagers were electrocuted Oct. 27 in France while hiding from police. This event led to car burnings and other violence that has spread to more than 200 French towns and cities during the past two weeks. The riots have revealed larger problems of inequity and hopelessness, particularly among French-born children of Muslim and North African immigrants.

The Study Abroad Office has sent two e-mails to students, one checking on their safety and one warning all students studying in Europe about the situation in France. Some students have replied to assure the office that they are safe.

NU continues to receive e-mails from officials who organize its study abroad programs through Sweet Briar College in Paris and the Institute for the International Education of Students.

“There’s a kind of communication going in every direction,” said study abroad adviser Robin Kazmier.

Most violence has occurred in areas predominantly inhabited by the children of North African immigrants. NU students are not in immediate danger because they live with host families outside those areas, said Margaret Sinclair, director of undergraduate French studies.

“If I were a French mother sending my kid to Los Angeles during the Rodney King riot, I wouldn’t worry about it because I’d know she wouldn’t be anywhere near that area,” Sinclair said. “That’s the situation in France.”

Unrest was also reported in Argentina during last week’s Summit of the Americas, which addressed trade, job creation and the spread of democracy, among other issues. Anti-U.S. demonstrations took place near the site where President Bush and other heads of state met. Demonstrators smashed windows and threw rocks.

NU’s 12 students studying at the University of Buenos Aires were separated from the conflict, said Frank Safford, director of the undergraduate major in international studies.

“There’s anti-Bush sentiment, but not anti-American sentiment,” he said. “No one blames the students for U.S. policy,” he added.

The lone student studying in Jordan was unharmed after three hotels were bombed Wednesday, killing at least 56, study abroad officials said.

Matthieu de Castelbajac, a French junior studying at NU this year, said the violence in France is a self-destructive behavior among victims of discrimination and unemployment. The riots are localized in the suburbs and have not made him fear for his safety.

“It’s not like the whole country is collapsing or anything,” he said.

Reach Lauren Pond at [email protected].