In light of the November Paris attacks, the International Programs Office has cancelled the January interim trip to Paris, France, due to safety concerns for Bradley students.
Many students attending the Paris interim were enrolled in a general education course, and other arrangements have been made to ensure they can fulfill their classes at another time.
“In terms of the cancelled courses, we worked very hard at making alternative academic arrangements for students in our high-priority group,” Christine Blouch, assistant professor and director of international programs, said. “[That] means seniors with plans to graduate in May who required one of the gen ed course categories that was offered in Paris.”
Blouch said a number of students chose to sign up for a May interim study abroad trip in place of their January trip. Bradley is offering trips to Dublin, Rome and Madrid this May.
“I was able to sign up for the May term study abroad to Dublin [Ireland], and all of the money was transferred to that trip,” junior history major Stormy Luna said. “The department really did their best to help me find another way to study abroad.”
The International Programs Office was not able to refund the cost of airfare, as the tickets had been issued before the program was cancelled. However, the office was able to negotiate with the carrier, and students attending alternative study abroad trips will be able to use the value of their airline ticket for future travel endeavors.
“We are giving a full, 100 percent refund of all program costs except airfare,” Blouch said. “This amount includes tuition as well as costs for accommodations, books, onsite activities and local travel and numerous other program costs. Please understand that this refund includes a significant amount that the university will not recover.”
According to Blouch, the International Programs Office keeps study abroad programs affordable by pre-paying many of the necessary costs; these are usually unable to be refunded. However, she said she believes the program cancellation will have little affect on students financially.
“I was very disappointed that the trip was cancelled, but I really believe the study abroad office handled the situation well,” Luna said. “Although I would have still participated in the trip to Paris [if it hadn’t been], I understand why the university cancelled the program. The office was awesome through the whole ordeal, and I really appreciate all the hard work that they did to help the students in any way they could.”
