AU Abroad has crisis procedures in place to handle different situations like the bombing of a train station in Madrid, Spain, three weeks ago, according to University officials.
The University has strict security guidelines in place in order for students to study abroad. When a crisis occurs, the severity of the situation is assessed by the on-site program director in each city, according to AU Abroad Director Sara Dumont. Based on the situation's severity, certain procedures are applied, although there is no specific plan.
"The problem is you can't anticipate every crisis," Dumont said.
If the situation is deemed severe enough, the on-site director will contact the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consular Service, according to Amy Morrill Bijeau, AU Abroad's associate director. The embassy is informed of the situation and what it means for AU students.
The University handles less severe situations internally.
There is a chain of command in place to help AU make decisions. First Dumont is contacted, then Robert Pastor, AU's vice president of International Affairs, and then AU President Benjamin Ladner. Dumont said there is a phone chain in place so key people can stay in contact.
Pastor has extensive U.S. government contacts he can use in a crisis, Bijeau said.
From there, the State Department will decide if certain precautions need to be taken.
If the situation is deemed extremely severe, then the U.S. Embassy will decide if all Americans in the country need to be evacuated, Bijeau said. In less severe situations students are told to remain at their home stays, as they were after the Madrid bombings.
Students also have cards with the procedures on them in case of a crisis, Bijeau said.
Elizabeth Schrieber, AU Abroad advisor and outreach coordinator, said the AU Media Relations office uses press releases and other tactics to inform the public about a situation.
Media Relations Director Todd Sedmak said that staff goes door to door to keep students informed.
"With the emergency management matter, the approach is to have an outline put together to respond to crises," Sedmak said.
Dumont said the program director in each city contacts students' parents.
However, much of the safety procedure occurs while in the United States. This includes AU officials receiving security briefings from the State Department, Schrieber said. Bijeau said AU Abroad officials also sift through safety tips from the State Department for students who are abroad. These tips include travel warnings for certain countries, papers to have in case of evacuation and disease warnings.
"All university-sponsored study abroad, class trips and related academic or other activities held outside the United States must be approved in writing by the dean of the academic unit sponsoring the activity," said an internal University memo from 2001. "Requests for new international programs must include a risk assessment of the proposed location prior to submission to the provost for final approval."
This risk assessment is done by a service called Ijet, which AU subscribes to via its abroad program insurance carrier, according to Pat Kelshian, executive director of Risk Management and Safety Services.
Ijet provides information about foreign cities, political conditions in the country and other relevant information.
"The role that we play ... is trying to provide as much information to the departments... so that they can make good informed decisions," Kelshian said.
According to the 2001 memo, the Office of International Affairs creates a list of information and requirements for all staff, faculty and students before they leave.
