Background on the Development of the Responsible Study Abroad Good Practices Document
- Background
- Call for Letters of Support
- Future Work of the Task Force
- Family Rights and Privacy
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Members of the Task Force
Background
Safety is a prime concern of all who are involved in study abroad ventures--participants, their families, advisers, institutions that send students abroad, those that host them, and the staff of all organizations that operate programs. Although statistics are in short supply, most study abroad professionals believe that study in a foreign country is no more dangerous than study in the United States. On the other hand, there are risks that are unique to the overseas settings, and when incidents occur, the impact on participants and their families is often more profound because of the unfamiliarity of the context and the distance that separates participants from their primary sources of consolation and support.
To make study abroad as safe as possible, the Interorganizational Task Force on Safety and Responsibility in Study Abroad was formed in May 1997 by the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), the Section on U.S. Students Abroad (SECUSSA) of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and the Council on International Educational Exchange, as an outgrowth of initiatives that had been taken earlier by each of these organizations individually and by many other organizations and study abroad providers who were concerned about safety issues. The intention in forming a Task Force was to bring these efforts together. Representatives from several other organizations and from study abroad providers later became members of the Task Force, which collectively drafted the Guidelines.
Preliminary versions of the Guidelines were presented at the most recent conferences of all three organizations and comments were requested from session participants. In addition, drafts of the guidelines were reviewed by attorneys from several colleges and universities and several changes were adopted as a result of their contributions.
The first formal draft of the Guidelines was produced at a meeting in Boulder, Colorado in January 1998, and the final draft at a meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in June 1998, after a thorough discussion of comments received from many study abroad practitioners.
Because the Task Force is now seeking letters of support, it considers the present guidelines a final draft. Naturally, as with any document of this type, it will be revisited in three to five years so that the experience gained in connection with implementation can be taken into consideration.
Call for Letters of Support
The guidelines are now presented to the profession. Four professional organizations (NAFSA, AIEA, Council, NASPA) have indicated their support for the guidelines through formal announcements. We urge institutions of higher education, especially those that offer study abroad programs, to consider sending a formal letter of support, which will allow the task force to add additional institutions to the list of schools that have indicated approval of the document. We are aware that many of the guidelines define practices that are in place at a significant majority of institutions. Others may not yet be implemented in some schools, and it is our hope that study abroad administrators will give serious consideration to implementation of these guidelines in the near future.
The guidelines were written with the specific circumstances of study abroad in mind, although some or all of them may be applicable to other forms of international educational exchange as well. They are admittedly reflective of a U.S. point of view, although practitioners in other countries may also find them useful.
Future Work of the Task Force
Beyond the production and advocacy of these Guidelines, members of the Task Force believe that future work of various types is needed on health and safety issues, and have agreed to continue their commitment by working on the following projects:
The drafting of additional documents to accompany the Guidelines, providing additional explanations and suggestions for implementation on each of the guidelines.
Development, in collaboration with SECUSSA, of a training program for study abroad administrators, advisers, and resident staff.
Discussion of comments from the three conference sessions
Four basic themes were repeated at the three conference presentations held to prepare the Guidelines. The task force has discussed these four themes in depth and believes that it would be useful to include a summary here. The four themes are:
- the question of the precise definition of "sponsor",
- the need for guidelines for other parties--primarily advisers and overseas partner institutions,
- concerns related to Family Rights and Privacy,
- issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The first two issues have been addressed explicitly in the final version of the Guidelines. See in particular the preamble to Section A. The other two are more complex and difficult and will no doubt be addressed in different ways at different institutions. Opinion seems to vary widely on these issues and diverse opinions were expressed both at the conference sessions and at the Task Force working meetings.
Both issues are instances of a common phenomenon in a complex society--situations involving competition between two laudable goals that, while not directly contradictory, often pull practitioners in different directions with respect to some practical decisions. While we have not resolved these issues in the Guidelines, we feel that some discussion would be useful.
Family Rights and Privacy
The provisions of the Family Rights and Privacy Act (Buckley Amendment), coupled with the age of majority at 18, often come into conflict with (a) study abroad program directors' need to have full information about the participants they will be serving, and (b) the desire of parents and home institutions to be briefed fully when something goes wrong. This conflict is not unique to study abroad--the issue is faced continually at colleges and universities in this country--but it does pose a more delicate challenge for study abroad because of the heightened sensitivities and the distance.
In study abroad situations, open communication is essential to successful resolution of difficulties, and for that reason, the Task Force has tended to err in the direction of asking for and providing more information, not less. Our approach has been to set forth our view of what is morally, professionally, and ethically the best course of action, independently of what may be contained in the law. (The Task Force is not in a position to offer legal advice.) We recognize that specific decisions at study abroad institutions will respond not only to these guidelines, but to the views of local administrators and advice of counsel as well.
Americans with Disabilities Act
There is also a tension between our desire to make educational opportunities available to all participants, including those with disabilities and/or special needs, and the need of study abroad administrators to be sure that the needs of individual participants can be met. We believe that in most cases, this tension is best addressed through counseling, which most appropriately takes place after the selection process has been completed. Here again, it is clear that seeking the proper balance will produce different decisions as institutions deal with specific cases.
Members of the Original Task Force
- Bill Barnhart (NAFSA)
- Jim Buschman
- Bill Cressey
- Bob Cristadoro
- Mary Ann Grant
- Ann Helm
- Carl Herrin
- David Larsen
- Roger Ludeman
- Patricia Martin (SECUSSA)
- Les McCabe
- John Pearson (SECUSSA)
- Norman Peterson (AIEA)
- Brenda Robinson
- John Sommer
- Michael Steinberg
- Nancy Stubbs
