Forum Focus - March 2016

The

FORUM

Focus

March 2016 | Volume 2 | Issue 2

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President’s Corner BrianWhalen, President & CEO,The Forum on Education Abroad Is Legislation of Education Abroad Necessary?

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ver the past few years there have been efforts at both the federal and state levels to pass legislation related to the safety of students during education abroad. Throughout this process The Forum has been active in advocating for the best interests of its members. Draft legislation is now being discussed in both New York and Virginia, and The Forum has alerted its members in those states and advocated on their behalf. In addition, in September 2015 The Ravi Thackurdeen Safe Students Study Abroad Act was assigned a Congressional Committee to consider this bill and whether or not to send it to the House or Senate as a whole.

In response to these legislative efforts, The Forum has advocated for its members and the field in close collaboration with NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Alliance for International Exchange. We have worked together to send a unified message to legislators that emphasizes that the best way to ensure student safety is by promoting best practices rather than by mandating collection of data that will not enlighten our understanding.

In my various meetings with legislators and colleagues I have learned how complicated the legislative process is, and also how challenging it can be for legislators to represent their many constituents. Stepping back and looking at the process from a distance, I am heartened by how legislators have engaged in open, honest dialogue in our meetings and have appreciated and respected what we do as a field on a daily basis to help keep students safe.

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I have also learned that it is difficult to answer the question, “Is legislation of education abroad necessary?” with a simple yes or no; the answer depends, of course, on the nature of a given piece of legislation.

Some people will have a kneejerk negative reaction to any legislation about education abroad, arguing that the field does an adequate job of ensuring health and safety of students without legislative interference.

Others express a belief that the field is unregulated and, as a result, puts students at risk. Legislators hear these opposing views and try to assess whether enacting law is necessary or not. “...It is difficult to answer the question, ‘Is legislation of education abroad necessary?’ with a simple yes or no; the answer depends, of course, on the nature of a given piece of

When it comes to assessing whether or not legislation is necessary, I think it useful to take a pragmatic view: whether or not specific legislation is necessary depends on what results it will yield. The test for success should be on the impacts of the legislation, both positive and negative. Will legislation improve the education abroad field and will it help to ensure student safety?

legislation.”

In the State of Minnesota, for example, the law that was passed in 2014 requires Minnesota colleges and universities to report on any student hospitalizations and deaths that occur “during, and as a result of, program participation.” The first statewide report was issued in January of this year by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education for the period August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015. The report reveals that 10,000 students studied abroad with no reported deaths and 28 hospitalizations. Pragmatically speaking, this data does not reveal anything that is helpful to improving the safety of students abroad. Other sources of data, such as The Forum’s Critical Incident Database reports, are much more useful in terms of providing information that helps to advance our understanding about education abroad and our health and safety practices.

One has to ask whether or not it would have been better for the State of Minnesota to accomplish its goal to “provide the public with a more accurate understanding of the risks of studying abroad,” through ∙3∙

other means. For example, Minnesota is home to a number of leading education abroad professionals who might have been asked to lead outreach efforts to inform the public about the risks and benefits of studying abroad.

These expert colleagues could have enlisted the help of students to conduct public information sessions, written brochures and blogs, or been asked to be involved in any number of public outreach efforts. Understanding is typically advanced through meaningful and useful information that is provided by authoritative sources, something the statewide report does not achieve.

That being said, another part of the Minnesota law is having a positive impact on student health and safety, I think. Legislators included language that requires Minnesota colleges and universities to “report whether the institution is committed to complying with the health and safety standards set by The Forum on Education Abroad.” It seems reasonable to recommend that institutions follow the field’s health and safety standards, and, in addition, the law lists some of the details of Standard 8 such as: “Staff are trained to anticipate and respond responsibly to student health, safety, or security issues, students are trained to responsibly manage their own health, safety, and security while abroad, and measures are in place for ongoing monitoring of and advising on health, safety, and security issues.”

This is where The Forum and its distinctive mission plays such an important role. The Forum was founded in large part on the principle that a common set of standards could be agreed upon and be used to assess and improve education abroad on an ongoing basis.

With nearly 800 member institutions committed to the Standards, and a 15-year history of developing and implementing the Standards through educational and training programs, a Quality Improvement Program, and Professional Certification, The Forum embodies how this principle can and does work, and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission for doing so. ∙4∙

It is not surprising, then, that as law“...The education makers consider legislation to help ensure abroad field has a long student safety in education abroad they turn to The Forum as a resource or reference tradition of sharing The Forum in the legislation. The education best practices, and abroad field has a long tradition of sharing colleagues have best practices, and colleagues have always always been willing to been willing to assist each other. Legislators assist each other.” share the goal of wanting to codify that practice in order to sustain it and embed it into every institution and organization. It is on this point that I think we share not only a common goal, but also a common approach to achieving that goal.

Legislation that encourages or recommends the education abroad field to continuously improve should be welcome. Legislation that mandates requirements such as data collection that ultimately do not help to improve education abroad safety should not. 

The Greek Crisis: OXI and Bella Ciao in Syntagma Square MichaelWoolf, Deputy President for Strategic Development, CAPA The Global Education Network The Forum on Education Abroad’s 3rd European Conference October 5-7, 2016 \ Athens, Greece

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isiting the great city of Athens is always an encounter with profound icons of classical history. The Parthenon (Temple of Athena) presides over the city while Socrates burrows into the imagination: an ideal location for us to gather to reflect on what it means to educate our students. In that city it is difficult to avoid the thought that we possess much more information but much less wisdom or knowledge than our distant forefathers: what does progress mean in this environment? Athens also invites an intimacy with history: to centuries before the birth of Christ and to more recent, troubled times. As a city and a people living through ∙5∙

contemporary social and financial crises, there is no better place to wrestle with The Forum European Conference theme of ‘Living Change’ and its implications for educators and students.

What is going on?

I have, for example, been wondering what, if anything, we should be telling our students about the complex and perplexing sets of events in Greece. To understand what is happening within the European Union (whatever the ultimate outcome) requires a sophisticated and nuanced sense of history that is beyond most of us who live here. For our students the dramas being played out in Greece and across Europe must be profoundly bewildering.

There is, though, a standard explanation of the crisis that dominates the media both in Europe and the USA. In this version of events, the feckless, irresponsible Greeks refuse to pay their debts despite the efforts of a fiscally responsible Germany, who are struggling to bring an ordered solution to chaos. In this narrative, the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, leader of the left-wing coalition Syriza, is determined to ignore the voices of reason and instead embraces disorder and, consequently, is dragging the country towards apocalyptic disintegration. That is a simple and cogent story that offers a relatively undemanding path towards judgement. It is also a distorted and ahistorical view.

We need to help students understand that this version of events ignores many profound complexities. We have a duty to illustrate and explain other perspectives that will, at a minimum, disrupt and disturb that narrative.

The prevailing view of the crisis in Greece fails to take into account the power of national myths and disregards the significance of modern European history since 1939. ∙6∙

The Example of Germany and the Greek Junta Germany has emerged as the voice of fiscal responsibility in Europe and has acquired a quasi-moral authority as an example of how reconstruction can happen within countries committed to values of economic restraint and hard work. In this moral parable, Germany emerges as a paragon of economic virtue. The roots of this reputation were made in the 1950s and 1960s, when West Germany achieved what is frequently called an economic “miracle.” From the tattered disasters of the post-war world, they achieved steady growth through selfless toil: a story that, on a national level, resonates with tales of self-made men who, by the sweat of their labours, achieve prosperity.

While we would not want to be disrespectful of German efficiency and effort, there are factors that are oddly missing from that story: after World War II the Germans benefited greatly through the reconstruction assistance given predominantly by America through the Marshall plan (19481952). Most significantly, they were also beneficiaries of the 1953 London Agreement which reduced Germany’s national debt by an enormous 62.6%. Political stability was seen as a greater priority than the interests of global capitalism. A similar scale of debt relief would, of course, profoundly alleviate the suffering of the Greek people and avoid the potentially hideous dangers of political instability.

Political extremism is a recurrent response to economic depression (as German history dramatically demonstrates). Within recent Greek history there is a precedent for just such a descent into totalitarianism about which there seems to be a collective, and dangerous, amnesia. At a time of great political and economic unrest in Greece in 1967, a group of colonels (known as the Junta) led a military coup: “a revolution to save the nation” was the ostensible justification. The right-wing military dictatorship suspended all democratic institutions and ruthlessly suppressed individual freedoms for the next 7 years. The dictatorship received significant overt and covert support from the USA because, at the height of the Cold War, it was believed to represent a bulwark against communism in Europe. The dictatorship used torture as a means of political control and brutally repressed democratic freedoms.

While the parallels with events today are not precise, this scenario should signal a potential danger and warn the international community of ∙7∙

the possibility of a humanitarian and political disaster beyond economic measure.

Meanwhile, Germany was effectively free of international debt by the early 1960s. Its future prosperity and economic power was built on a combination of aid and massive debt relief. No such assistance has been offered to Athens. The historical precedents, mostly ignored by current commentators, should, as a minimum, oblige us to question the way in which the current crisis is represented in our media. The dangers of extremism and the deprivations of the Greek people are disregarded while the interests of European financiers are seen as of paramount importance.

The Meaning of OXI Oxi (pronounced ochee) means no

“The historical precedents,

mostly ignored by current in Greek. The referendum of July 5, commentators, should, as 2015 gave the Greek people an opportunity to reject the power of global capia minimum, oblige us to talism. Over 60% of the voters chose question the way in which that option and voted oxi. What we have the current crisis is not properly recognized is the profound represented in our media.” national symbolism attached to that word. To understand its significance, students have to be taken back to the perilous days of 1940. The Greek Prime Minister at that time, Ioannis Metaxas, was no democrat but he was a patriotic Greek. The Italian dictator and Hitler’s ally, Mussolini, sent an ultimatum to Metaxas to surrender on 28th October 1940 and, therefore, to give the Axis powers (Italy and Germany) access to key strategic resources. Metaxas (probably apocryphally) replied oxi in a response that created a national myth of Greek character built on defiance of oppression.

Metaxas’ response was, whatever he actually said, a forcible rejection of Italy’s ultimatum. In the Greek press and the popular imagination in 1940 it was translated into the single word that defined national pride and resistance against overwhelming power. Mussolini’s invasion, backed by hugely superior force (estimated at a potential 2 million soldiers, 400 warplanes, and hundreds of tanks.), was successfully defied by a force of 80,000 soldiers, no tanks, and three World War 1 bi-planes.

The Italian debacle prompted the Nazi invasion of Greece that was bravely and painfully resisted. The brutal occupation of Greece in no way ∙8∙

diminished the historical importance of Greece’s refusal to submit to the fascist and Nazi alliance. For the Russian leader, Joseph Stalin, this was a key factor in the ultimate defeat of Hitler: “The Russian people will always be grateful to the Greeks for delaying the German army long enough for winter to set in, thereby giving us the precious time we needPhoto source ed to prepare. We will never forget.” Hitler in 1944 also recognized the critical impact of Greek resistance: “If the Italians hadn’t attacked Greece and needed our help, the war would have taken a different course.” Winston Churchill’s tribute signals the epic heroism of the Greeks in those desperate times: “Until now we would say that the Greeks fight like heroes. From now on we will say that heroes fight like Greeks.”

The emotional, historical and mythic significance of oxi was not understood in the western media but, it can be argued that, no other concept more clearly defines, or is more deeply embedded in, the Greek psyche than that defiant no.

Bella Ciao During the BBC coverage of the celebration of the oxi vote in Syntagma Square in the centre of Athens on July 5, it was possible to hear a group of Italian sympathisers singing Bella Ciao. The significance of that song was elusive to many listeners and would certainly not be immediately obvious to our students. It dates back to World War II and was made popular by Italian partisans who, between 1943 and 1945, resisted and finally defeated the fascist government of Mussolini. The simple song became an important and emotionally profound expression of courage and sacrifice in the face of tyranny: “One morning I woke up/ And found the invader/ Oh partisan, carry me away,/ And if I die as a partisan/ Bury me up in the mountain/ Under the shadow of a beautiful flower/ This is the flower of the partisan/ Who died for freedom.” ∙9∙

The conjunction of oxi and Bella Ciao reminds us that national identity is not ultimately made in the corridors of the European banks or board rooms of financiers. It is embedded in the emotional, dramatic, mythic structures by which nations create themselves. These are not superficial slogans or ephemera of history. Like “The Land of the Free/ And the Home of the Brave” they define what it means to be a citizen. They define what it means to defy tyranny.

Another Europe The word “Europe” derives from Greek and there are many meanings accumulated around the idea of Europe. In one version, the key players are the agencies of global capitalism, the bankers and financiers (who also bear significant responsibility for the traumatic events of recent economic history).

An extreme view of the role of the International Monetary Fund, for example, is expressed by George Monbiot: “The IMF is controlled by the rich, and govern the poor on their behalf.” The power of European financial agencies is, in this context, palpable; they represent a faceless, even menacing, version of trans-national power. The Greek people freely voted oxi; the trans-national financial establishment has over-ridden that democratic choice and subverted national will. Paul Mason precisely identifies this critical issue: “The problem is with democracy. If democracy cannot express illusion and crazy hopes; if it cannot contain narratives of emotions and ideals, it dies.”

The idea of Europe is not the private property of bankers and financiers. There is another and alternative narrative available. This was defined historically by the partisans who were inspired by the power of a word and inspiration of song. They were Greeks, Italians, English, Irish, Germans, Turks, Christians, Muslims, Jews and others who represent a Europe of solidarity, idealism, profound defiance of oppression, and belief in the courage and nobility of humanity.

We have a duty to our students to demonstrate that the language of fiscal restraint is not the only form of European discourse. Profoundly important is the cry of oxi, and the sound of Bella Ciao. Those too are the voices of Europe.  ∙10∙

Post-Paris Attacks: Education Abroad and the New Normal Joanna Holvey Bowles

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n November 13, 2015 an ISIS coordinated terror attack struck Paris and the response to that terrible day marked a shift in the collective perception of safety. In January, The Forum on Education Abroad hosted a webinar entitled, Post-Paris Attacks: Education Abroad and the New Normal (Click here to access the webinar recording).

The moderator and panelists proposed that such attacks force us to view a new normal in the way the field of education abroad views safety and crisis management. Factors like social media, a 24/7 news cycle, the commodification of study abroad, language and geography require an updated approach to crisis response methods. Although the November attacks occurred in Paris, they could have happened anywhere, to anyone, and will likely happen again, in another location.

The panel included two Directors of Paris-based study abroad programs: Dr. Loren Ringer, APUAF President and Director of Skidmore in Paris, and Alexandra Mitchell, CEA Study Abroad Director of International Photo source Programs, Paris. Julie Friend provided the U.S.-based perspective as Director of the Office of Global Safety and Security at Northwestern University. Joanna Holvey Bowles moderated the discussion. The new normal describes conditions that the panel suggests have altered our perspective on crisis response include: 

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Uncertainty and unpredictability of planning for ‘safe’ locations, even in areas previously thought to be secure; A sustained 24/7 news cycle that portrays news as a blend of information and entertainment; ∙11∙

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A social media, smart phone environment with rapid communication and use of Facebook, What’s App to help account for students, and; The commodification of education abroad can result in expectations for rapid, knowledgeable responses to any international event with constant communication until the danger has passed.

France has been the fourth leading destination for American study abroad students for the last five reporting years, according to IIE’s Open Doors. And Paris is host to multiple programs as it is a city that has attracted artists, philosophers, musicians, writers and students for centuries. As a city renowned for its beauty, history, culture, education, and art, students have viewed it as an essential location to visit. Loren Ringer acknowledged this and provided a brief history of recent terror events in Paris. He cautioned that geography is no longer a reliable predictor for safety abroad: If attacks are possible in Paris, they are possible anywhere. Risk assessment for program planning for a study center, housing, or other needs, does not guarantee safety. Ringer stated that education abroad professionals must prepare their students with concrete directions to follow after an attack abroad, similar to the “duck and cover drills of the Cold War.” “...Geography is no Education abroad directors frelonger a reliable quently use news apps that prompt them predictor for safety when disaster strikes abroad to reduce abroad: If attacks the surprise of having a student, parent are possible in Paris, or faculty member notify them of an incithey are possible dent first. Working collaboratively, the anywhere..” field has a better chance to respond in a practiced way. Alexandra Mitchell reported finding support and best practices in Paris from colleagues at APUAF and OSAC. Mitchell discussed how language plays a major role in how the field defines and guarantees safety.

She reflected that fear management in the aftermath of the attacks became one of her greatest challenges. Because the triggers of the students, parents, herself, university partners and colleagues were all different, she had to carefully select her language to calm the feelings of each group.

Meetings with a trauma counselor were beneficial in reassuring students, she found. ∙12∙

Language could also cause cross-cultural confusion, as in the example Mitchell provided of the terms, “State of Emergency” and “Border Closing,” used by French authorities, but which meant something different to American ears. To the French “State of Emergency” increased French police powers and other security measures while “Border Closing” referred to greater scrutiny for people crossing into France. Some students who had travelled outside France erroneously assumed they couldn’t return because they thought the country’s borders had been sealed. “...Most students are not likely to be victims of terror. Students abroad are far more likely to suffer more common problems arising from unsanitary water or food sources, vehicular accidents, communicable disease or crime.”

Both on-site directors and U.S. staff worked long hours following the attacks to establish student whereabouts. Mitchell reported that her students who had traveled to other countries or who were outside Paris were more distressed than those who were in Paris during the attack. Each of the panel’s speakers reported that the majority of students were able to quickly return to their normal routines and complete their programs.

As terrible as these events are, most students are not likely to be victims of terror. Students abroad are far more likely to suffer more common problems arising from unsanitary water or food sources, vehicular accidents, communicable disease or crime. The horrific nature of terror attacks inspires fear just as the perpetrators intend. Educating students about terror and its likelihood as only one of the hazards of risk abroad, can put those fears into perspective, before students depart for programs.

Julie Friend reviewed the topic through a comparative crisis response lens. She chose to compare and contrast the coordinated terror attacks of London’s transport system in July 2005 with the 2015 Paris attacks. Both events were coordinated, both cities are centers of culture and viewed as safe cites for study abroad programs. Both cities are in the top five destinations and have been for as long as the IIE Open Doors report has collected data. But the differences in technology over ten years were striking because of the commonplace use of social media and smart phones, causing dramatic changes in the response to these separate incidents. The differences ∙13∙

in expectation and sophistication of communication tools resulted in greater complexity in providing crisis response in 2015.

For instance, U.S. students communicated their whereabouts in November via social media (e.g. Facebook, What’s App, etc.) to parents and to each other Photo source which made these tools essential in the response. This helped to more quickly account for students, but also created greater expectations for swift communication about other aspects crisis response. Because students are so connected with each other, Friend recommended that universities send crisis communications to all students abroad, in all locations. Sending official communications to all students across Europe reassures students that their friends are being looked after at the crisis site, reaches students who might be traveling, and guarantees that all students get a consistent message.

Terror has affected our field for decades, dating to the tragedies of 1988 Pan Am flight 103 (Lockerbie), the Bali bombings 2005 and the London bombings of 2005, and now the Paris attacks. Of course, there are multiple examples of attacks in the United States as well, including attacks of 9/11, Boston and most recently San Bernardino. Our field responded by developing health, safety and security protocols and the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad. It is critical that education abroad professionals prepare students, train in the best practices, and revise those practices on a continuous basis. Our panel would like to see this discussion continue and expand. We believe that the new normal includes the uncertainty of terror attacks occurring anywhere and by any means. While this perspective shakes our assumptions about safety abroad, including how we use language and place to define it, our greatest responsibility will be to continue to collaborate as a field to find suitable solutions for these newest challenges.  ∙14∙

Study Abroad: Legal and Operational Guidance Contained within the Standards of Good Practice for Education AbroaD William Hoye, ExecutiveVice President, General Counsel, & COO, IES Abroad Natalie A. Mello, Vice President, Member Services & Training,The Forum on Education Abroad An earlier version of this paper was presented by the authors at the 2015 Annual Conference of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and appears in the NACUA Annual Conference Proceedings, June 28-30, 2015 Washington, DC .

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here are Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad that are recognized by the U.S. government. These Standards have been developed over the past 15 years by members of The Forum on Education Abroad. It is highly likely that your university or college has affirmed its commitment to those Standards. Why should legal counsel be aware of these Standards of Good Practice? This article provides some important legal implications for colleges and universities, focusing particularly on what it likely means, legally, for a higher education institution not to comply in some of its own international programs and activities with the standards of an organization of which it is a member; and which has been designated by the Federal Government as the standards development organization (SDO) for the education abroad field.

Click here to read the full article.

FROM the forum BOARD Chair: The Forum Engages in Strategic Planning Mary Anne Grant, President Emerita, ISEP

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n my experience, organizations grow in a stair-step fashion with periodic plateaus and steep trajectories. The Forum has followed that path since its founding in 2001. The early years were marked by activities to get the organization up and running, including incorporation as a 501(c)(3) non -profit, setting up a governing board and determining key foci. These activities included The Forum’s signature contribution to the field—the Standards ∙15∙

of Good Practice. In 2006, when The Forum moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania hosted by Dickinson College, it began to experience steady growth and clarity of mission with supporting activities well-defined.

As The Forum matured, a wide array of services and resources have been developed to help institutions build strong and solid education abroad programs. The membership has grown significantly to nearly 800 institutions at present and the annual conference draws over 1,200 participants seeking to share information and learn about new approaches and perspectives regarding the many different aspects of education abroad.

In 2012, The Forum Board adopted its current mission and vision statements to reflect more clearly the goals and purpose of The Forum and approved a strategic plan that has guided the organization to the present.

It is now time to take another look at The Forum’s priorities and plans as the field expands in various ways, not only to serve larger numbers of students but to offer an increasingly varied portfolio of education abroad options and to address issues and concerns such as health and safety, student learning outcomes, and professional development and training.

Now, we find ourselves in the midst of a national dialogue about doubling the numbers of students in education abroad programs. At the same time, we are called to address the need for greater inclusiveness, broaden the scope of programs and destinations, focus on health and safety, and ensure high-quality programs that meet student educational goals. This is a big agenda and The Forum must consider not only how it will respond to challenges and demands, but also how The Forum will influence the dialogue and directions of education abroad. Thus, The Forum Board has launched a new strategic planning initiative to determine key goals for the next several years.

The Forum is strong and growing, an excellent position from which to examine our vision for the future, reinforce and/or revise our mission, reconsider our values, and determine goals and activities through 2021. A new strategic planning initiative does not mean that everything will change.

However, strong organizations should periodically take a step back to ∙16∙

examine the environment and assess whether they are staying current and relevant. The Forum is in an excellent place to do just that in the months ahead.

The Board intends to engage with the leadership, staff and membership to foster dialogue about the future of education abroad. This will begin with a joint Board-Council-Staff seminar and a membership town hall at the Atlanta conference. A Board-Council-Staff strategic workshop will be held in Philadelphia as part of our summer meetings. We will also host some open dialogues in conjunction with Forum events around the country and at the European conference in Athens, Greece in October. A Strategic Planning Committee has been formed with representatives of the Board, Council and Staff to coordinate, listen, and document what we see and hear. Finally, we have engaged an outside strategic planning consultant to guide us through the process.

Critical to this exercise are the voices, opinions and ideas of our broad constituency. We need to ensure that The Forum continues to serve the field in new and creative ways as well as to continue those activities that are appropriate and relevant to maintaining the high quality we all seek in education abroad offerings.

I hope you will participate in these conversations whenever possible to share your ideas, concerns, and challenges. Together, we can ensure a strong future for The Forum, and indeed, for education abroad. 

Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of The Forum on Education Abroad.

The Forum encourages responses to the perspectives in this issue.

Reflections, topic suggestions and other correspondence are welcomed, and all contributions will be considered for future publication.

Please send correspondence to: info@forumea.org

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© The Forum on Education Abroad Dickinson College P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 info@forumea.org +1 717 245-1031 ∙18∙