Turning 18 did not do a lot for my independence. Though I could load up on cigarettes and lotto tickets if I wanted to, my parents would really be financially responsible for those indulgences in the long run. Because of my sorry financial state (and I guess because I love them and want to respect them), I am still beholden to several family rules, including limitations on where I may travel. If I want to pick up and head to Jordan or Sri Lanka or Nepal, I’m going to have to wait until I don’t have an education to finance.
Northwestern holds a similar power over students who want to take their college experience overseas. NU’s policy says that the schoool “will not operate, pay for, supervise, direct, or otherwise support a study abroad program, research program, or other course or program for any students (undergraduate, graduate, professional) in a portion of a country where a Department of State Travel Warning (“Travel Warning”) is in effect.”
Other universities take varied approaches when it comes to sending their students to locales on the State Department’s list. Harvard University’s policy is almost identical to ours. The University of Pennsylvania says it will normally suspend programs in countries on the advisory list. Duke University says a travel warning is one of several factors that could result in the cancellation of a program. New York University tells students to check travel advisories before they pack their bags and head out. In fact, NYU hosts a program in Tel Aviv. Participating students sign a release saying they are aware of the State Department’s warnings on travel in Israel. Maybe they have better insurance than we do.
NU students in Prof. Jack Doppelt’s Reporting and Connecting with Immigrant Communities class were meant to go on a trip to Thailand at the end of this quarter to learn first-hand about the experience of refugees there. Over the weekend, much of Thailand was added to the department’s list, forcing the class to cancel its trip. Earlier this quarter, students found out they would not be able to study abroad in Mexico as they had planned, due to violence along its boarder with the U.S.
Colleges are sort of like parents. Some are more protective than others, but you sort of have to stay in their good graces, if for no other reason than the fact that you depend on them. I can’t really fault my parents for wanting me to be safe. I understand that NU could face a world of emotional and financial grief if anything were to happen to a student due to unrest in a foreign country. However, we could adapt a system that addresses situations on a case-by-case basis. To deny students the educational opportunities they so passionately pursue because of one blanket policy not only inconveniences them, but it also encourages a culture of fear. With a system that could address individual situations, students would have the opportunity to plan cautious but enriching travel experiences.
On the issue of backpacking across the Middle East, I’ve yet to manage to sway my mom and dad by pointing to the more laissez-faire attitudes of my peers’ parents. That said, they also do not need to be concerned with competing with those other parents. NU might do well to examine the policies other schools use, which do not impose such broad limitations on students’ educational opportunities.
Campus Editor Ali Elkin is a Medill sophomore. She can be reached at [email protected].
