WASHINGTON (TMS) — Collegiate study abroad program safetyregulations were under fire Tuesday during a House Committee onEducation’s hearing prompted by the death of four students in Indiain 1996.
“We want to make it safer for other kids to study abroad,” saidAnne Schewe, whose daughter Sara was killed in a bus crash with threeother students in India. “We just received this brochure and videothat showed this wonderful trip. There was nothing in there aboutsafety and risks.”
John Amato, whose daughter Virginia died with Sara, testifiedbefore the committee on behalf of the families of the four students.Amato asked the committee to consider federal regulations that wouldmake universities liable for the actions of the study abroad programsthey contract.
“Our daughters died because Ph.D.’s with no common sense weremaking decisions for them,” Amato said. “What I wish I had known wasthat the academic side of the universities was making these life ordeath decisions. Then of course I would never have sent my daughteron the trip.”
The only way students will be safe on future excursions is ifschools fear litigation, Amato said.
“The only way to fix programs is for systems to be in place wheresafety experts oversee the trip,” Amato said. “We need a federalstatute that says let’s talk about where you go when a bad thinghappens.”
Michigan State University President Peter McPherson disagrees withAmato, saying the threat of litigation would only close off certaincountries from students.
“The quickest way to cut off parts of Latin America and Africa isto say to a university, ‘You’re liable for $25 million,'” McPhersonsaid.
MSU boasts the nation’s largest study abroad program with morethan 7,800 students participating in the past five years. McPhersonsaid MSU requires students to have medical insurance and attendcultural orientation before they go abroad.
“It’s not possible to protect all people from all dangers,”McPherson said. “But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take everyreasonable step to protect students.”
Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Indiana), said the House is interested in thesafety of American students abroad.
“I would call for study abroad programs to create and implementcomparable safety plans and inform students and parents of riskbefore tragedy strikes,” Roemer said.
McPherson said MSU has pulled programs in Zimbabwe in the pastyear because of dangers posed to students.
When asked about the current situation in Israel, McPherson saidthe school has taken precautions to protect students.
“We’ve watched carefully,” he said. “We’re very sure our studentsaren’t anywhere near those areas.”
MSU plans to host a planning conference in the next year to reviewthe quality, cost and security measures and to drive generalawareness among higher education professionals, McPherson said.
Amato said although certain study abroad programs, including theSemester at Sea program that Virginia and Sara were on, lack qualitystandards he still did not discourage others from participating.
“We did the kind of due diligence any normal parents would do,” hesaid. “We were excited for her. We all wanted to go.”
No students who have studied abroad testified before thecommittee.
