Though Boston University students should not fear terrorist attacks while studying abroad, and terrorist activity should never be a factor in students’ decisions to go abroad, students should remain aware of global news, BU officials said. ‘It’s interesting what psychologically people are afraid of,’ BU Government Executive in Residence Joseph Wippl said. ‘If you go to India, your chance of dying from a terrorist attack is minimal compared to when you get into your car. ‘The danger, or lack of danger, in studying abroad is really much more regarding crime and civil disorder,’ he said. ‘I would not be afraid of going to India or Pakistan because of terrorism. I wouldn’t be afraid of going to Niger because of terrorism. I’d be much more afraid of arbitrary violence.’ Such cases of’ violence, which can include street crime or political unrest, are common in developing countries in Africa and Central America, Wippl said. ‘Your danger level just increases with the less order you have in a civil society,’ he said. ‘I’ve lived in a lot of different places in the world, and if you have a country that has an effective police force, and there’s little corruption, you have a good chance of being safe almost all the time.’ International Programs International Relations Director Joe Finkhouse said administrators always take these risks into consideration. He said there has not been ‘any noticeable increase’ in concerns lately. College of Engineering junior Jill Wolfson said she did not consider the risks when she studied in Tel Aviv last spring. During the time Wolfson spent in Israel, there were rocket attacks in the south, but she said she felt safe enough to travel. Though she avoided certain regions, the mentality in Israel is different, she said. ‘There are always army people everywhere,’ she said. ‘—If you saw that in the states, you would be like, ‘What is going on?’ There, you feel safe. It’s very normal to get on the bus and to be sitting next to someone with an M16 [rifle] dressed in full uniform.’ Finkhouse said International Programs administrators would never send students anywhere they considered dangerous. He pointed out that London and Madrid both experienced terrorist attacks recently, but many students do not consider the regions dangerous. ‘Rish is something you encounter anywhere, even in countries people think are safer,’ he said. ‘One of the things that’s important for students to do is to think about their own tolerance for risk.’ College of Arts and Sciences junior Ashley Coombs is studying in Niger next semester, and even though she is worried about the malaria medicine she has to take, the violence does not scare her she said. ‘I think people think that just because it’s a developing country, it’s going to be a lot more dangerous,’ she said. ‘There’s some terrorist activity, but it’s not going to be where I am.’ Though Wippl said he does not consider terrorism a threat, he recommends reading the U.S. Department of State advisories before traveling to certain areas. ‘There’s never absolute safety anywhere.’