In an email late Wednesday night, the University announced that in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend all travel between Europe and the United States for the next 30 days starting Friday, all AU Abroad programs worldwide are cancelled effective immediately.
Students abroad are required to return to their homes as soon as possible, Provost Dan Meyers and Vice President of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence Fanta Aw wrote in the email to the AU community. All faculty and staff traveling and planning to travel are also required to cancel plans and return.
The announcement comes days after the University announced it was moving classes online for three weeks following spring break. Students studying abroad in China, South Korea, Italy, and Spain have already been recalled.
“AU Abroad and academic programs will be providing additional information, but given the impact of this development, we wanted to inform our community as soon as possible,” Meyers and Aw wrote in the email.
The email said the University would work with students on “academic arrangements, travel and financial matters.”
In a separate email to students studying abroad in Europe, Mark Hayes, the director of AU Abroad, recommended that they book flights back to their permanent addresses as quickly as possible. The decision extends to students in the United Kingdom, even though the country is excluded from Trump’s announcement.
“Further communications will be forthcoming to you very soon,” Hayes wrote in the email that arrived just before 2 a.m. in the U.K. “Please keep a close watch for new messages and be prepared to respond immediately.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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