U.S. Universities seek to re-open study abroad programs in Egypt

While Middle Eastern nations look to move past last year’s widespread political unrest, schools across the United States, including Washington University, are struggling to evaluate the prospect of reinstating their study abroad programs in the still unsettled countries.

After two semesters of refusing to permit students to study in Egypt, the Office of Overseas Programs is now accepting applications for students to travel there in the fall of 2012.

The programs were temporarily cut after two Washington University students were evacuated from the country following riots in late January of last year.

Mark Beirn, associate director of Overseas Programs, noted that the decision to accept applications does not necessarily mean the University has agreed to send students to Egypt in the fall. As of Tuesday afternoon, he has had two students approach him about the program. He told each of them that while they could apply, they should identify a backup country as well.

“We have told students that have expressed an interest…that we can’t guarantee that the programs will be in a position that they will be able to run next fall…nor can we guarantee that Wash. U. would endorse or permit their participation in these programs even if they were to run, given the conditions in Egypt,” he said. “It’s just an uncertain and unknown environment right now that can be very volatile.”

Last January, two juniors in the College of Arts & Sciences studying in Cairo and Alexandria were evacuated from the country following protests against President Hosni Mubarak that turned violent. That week, the U.S. Department of State ordered all non-emergency personnel and their families to evacuate the country as soon as possible.

As recently as last November, three American college students who had been studying at American University in Cairo were detained for several days after being accused of taking part in a string of political protests.

“There’s no red light for Egypt right now, but anyone who applies to go to Egypt needs to know that the situation could change,” Beirn said. “Circumstances can change, as we saw, overnight or over the course of a week or a matter of hours. We’re monitoring the situation closely; we’re following State Department advisories—[from the] Overseas Security Advisory Council—and information we get from our partners onsite.”

A new faculty committee convening for the first time next month will ultimately make the decision of whether to allow the program in Egypt to continue. The provost will lead the International Travel Oversight Committee and look specifically at global travel conditions to ensure student safety.

“These things are reviewed on a case-by-case basis,” Beirn said.