Cancelled trips included those for humanitarian programs like Project Helping Hands, an organization that provides medical care and health education for people in developing nations. The organization had selected eight nursing college students to go to work in a clinic in Kenya.
But the trip was cancelled as the region was deemed unsafe. UNM will not send students, faculty or staff to areas that are identified as unsafe, David Wright, associate director for education abroad at the Global Education Office, said in a press release.
Earlier, Centers for Disease Control recommended U.S. residents to avoid nonessential travel to West African countries.
“CDC urges all U.S. residents to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone because of unprecedented outbreaks of Ebola in those countries. CDC recommends that travelers to these countries protect themselves by avoiding contact with the blood and body fluids of people who are sick with Ebola,” CDC’s website stated.
Danielle Gilliam, administrative officer at GEO, said even though Ebola poses little threat to UNM students, every precaution is being taken in accordance with federal regulations.
“There are no international students or scholars on student visas currently enrolled at UNM from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone – the countries on the CDC level three warning list for Ebola,” she said. “Additionally, there are no UNM students or faculty currently engaged in or planning study abroad trips to those countries.”
According to the UNM policies and procedures manual on study abroad health and safety, “UNM will not offer or support trips whose dates and destinations are or become subject to a U.S. Department of State Travel Warning or a CDC Travel Health Warning, unless special circumstances justify an exemption or a trip is already in progress.”
In addition to adherence to federal regulations, GEO also monitors for new information and alerts from the CDC, the World Health Organization, leading professional health organizations and local information centers in affected areas, Gilliam said.
Gilliam said that the GEO Education Abroad uses a University-wide advisory committee to evaluate risks involved with study abroad programs and make recommendations to deans and the provost on study abroad travel.
She said only the provost can decide whether to grant an exemption in consultation with the committee.
Tomas Lujan is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @TomasVLujan.
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