Students planning to study abroad in Niger next semester may have to change their plans, according to an email sent to them by Boston University administration notifying of the possibility of the program being cancelled. The State Department issued a travel alert in mid-November discouraging any travel to Niger due to terrorist activity there stemming from the group al-Qaida in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb. Though the cancellation of the Niger program would be disappointing and might suggest paranoia on behalf of BU administration, the decision would be a wise one considering the ramifications to BU’s reputation and morale if an abroad student were to be affected by whatever conflicts may arise in Niger.
There’s a thin line separating paranoia and caution. An individual decision to change one’s plans to go to a country where there is the possibility of something going wrong might be considered paranoia, but BU has the responsibility of erring on the side of caution in order to maintain a peaceful and safe student body. When a student studying abroad in Ecuador in April was abducted and mugged, the incident naturally called into question the safety of studying abroad. But in this case, more than just safety is at risk. Boston University endorsing an entire group of students traveling to a country that the State Department officially recommended not to travel to would be not only a safety risk, but also a blatant disregard of government warning.
Studying abroad is supposed to be a safe, fun and, most importantly, educational experience. Without the ability for a student to freely explore their location, they will be limited to a narrow experience ‘- the point of studying abroad is to learn in a new context, not to show one’s gall against terrorists. Perhaps BU is being overly cautious, but that is only because sometimes, students aren’t. Without administration’s consideration to cancel the Niger program, it bears the potential of its entire study abroad program suffering, if a negative event were to occur in Niger involving a BU student. Truly, it’s a risk not worth taking, especially when one takes into account the plethora of alternative study abroad options offered by BU and participating universities.
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