The Paris terrorist attacks in November that killed 130 people have raised concerns in the student body about the continuation of Choate’s winter term abroad program in Paris. However, Choate’s administration has issued the final verdict: the program is scheduled to proceed as planned.
A group of senior officers ultimately made the decision to continue to offer the program, in collaboration with Ms. Sarah Boisvert, the Director of Global Programs, and Ms. Anne Armour, the Director of the Paris study abroad program.
Ms. Boisvert, in addition to monitoring world events, worked with International SOS (ISOS), an international services provider that offers security assistance, to investigate the risks of traveling to France. She said, “After the attacks in Paris, we carefully reviewed and evaluated the information ISOS provided with regards to the attacks themselves, as well as what the ongoing risks, and potential additional threats may be. I also spoke with their Paris bureau directly about the increased risks, if any, for travelers to France. In light of the attacks and the French government’s sweeping response, ISOS has not raised their travel risk rating of low for France.”
Ms. Armour also believes that the program in Paris will be safe. She explained, “We discuss security for kids abroad all the time, whether there are crazy things going on in the world or not.” The France study abroad participants all attended orientation meetings that included safety and emergency information. Moreover, the area where the attacks took place are not places at which the study aboard students spend a lot of time.
The students in Paris would also be under the guidance of faculty who are familiar with Paris. As Ms. Armour said, “We have a lot of faith in our faculty in Paris. These are people who either live in Paris currently or have lived in Paris. They are extremely conscientious.”
With concerns about safety addressed, Ms. Armour contacted participants’ host families to ask if they would still feel comfortable taking in Choate students. She said, “We had to see if our faculty in France was okay, if the families who had signed on to be host families were still willing to participate, and they were. We knew we had everything in place to continue if the parents were willing to continue.”
More than simply determining the feasibility of continuation, Ms. Armour ensured that the participants of the program wouldn’t have to sacrifice their enjoyment in the name of safety. Ms. Armour reached out to Ms. Deborah Palmer, one of the faculty members who will be teaching in France, to confirm that most museums and monuments were open and that the transportation systems were still working.
“We have to make sure we are offering these kids the program they signed up for and that we have been in the habit of giving over the years. If they can’t go to those museums, monuments, and use Paris as their classroom, there is no point in going,” Ms. Armour commented.
There was also a large demand from parents for the continuation of the study abroad program. Ms. Armour recalled, “The morning after the attacks, I already received messages from parents saying, ‘We hope you’ll go anyway.’ I never received any messages from the parents saying we must not go. I was happily surprised.” She continued, “I think it’s these kinds of programs that can prevent this from happening in the future, because we can learn how to know each other and appreciate each other from these programs.”
However, as Dean of Students Mr. James Stanley stated, “We had to ask about if this was the right decision for our students. The ultimate decision was to leave the decision in the hands of the families.”
Parents were given three options: have their child continue to participate in the program as planned, withdraw from the program and study at Choate for winter term, or postpone the final decision until winter break, in which case the student would be required to come to classes during December.
Two of the ten France study abroad students have decided to choose the third option, and the other eight will participate in the program as scheduled. In regards to the housing situation for these two students, Mr. Stanley stated, “We had the capacity to appropriately house every kid. There would have been complications with roommates and other things, but if something happens and the program is cancelled, we can house them.” He continued, “When students decide to study abroad, their housing situation remains uncertain. There is juggling that happens.”
The recent attacks did not influence Sarah Platt ’18, who is still going to classes during December but will most likely continue with the program. “Before any of the Paris attacks, I was going to stay during December. I’d already planned to go to all my classes.” She continued, “When I found out about the Paris attacks, I wasn’t scared at all. I never once questioned whether or not I was going. Paris is so safe right now because everyone is under such high alert.”
She was optimistic about studying abroad, “We have an independent project that we do, and most of us are thinking of doing our project on something related to recent terrorist attacks.”
Kate Moore ’17, the other student who opted to continue in going to classes during December, now lives in a senior dorm. She also is not worried about the safety of Paris. She explained, “My mom was really worried because she thought the program would be cancelled, hence why I am here. That really worried me. I think it will be safe when I go—logically it should be the safest place on earth. However, I think this may make it less fun, because they won’t be as lenient.”
Ana Nenadic ’16 was also concerned that the program would be cancelled because of the attacks. She said, “I was very relieved to find out that we are still able to go abroad as planned. Security measures in all of Europe are very high right now. Paris is thoroughly monitored. I hope that Choate will not be silent on the issues of terrorism and security. These are extremely important topics now in Europe.”
It seems as if most of the participants are glad Choate is continuing to offer the program. Dilan Bozer ’17, another participant who has decided to go on the trip, said, “I come from a Muslim country and the attack in Paris affects many people’s views on Islam and how it is interpreted. So I think it is important to fight against this by getting to live in a city that is currently going through a hard time. Paris will be a good opportunity for all of us to widen our view on what’s currently concerning the world.”
