Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Ebola Crisis Cancels Study Abroad in Ghana

Days before the start of the fall semester, the university cancelled a study abroad program to Ghana for seven students in the School of Nursing and Health Studies following concerns over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The semester-long program in Ghana, terminated on Aug. 19, was one of the options offered to international health majors as a part of their required study abroad during the fall of senior year. Other study-abroad options in Africa included trips to Rwanda and Tanzania.

The university issued a travel moratorium for Georgetown-sponsored activities in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone in an Aug. 1 email to the Georgetown community, a day following the postponement of a Coca Cola-sponsored African Business Forum, which was to have featured Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Gaston Hall.

“This means that university funds will not be used to support trips to these areas, nor will the university facilitate or otherwise endorse travel to these areas until further notice,” Associate Vice President for Risk Management Joseph Yohe and Assistant Vice President for Student Health James C. Welsh wrote in the email.

There have been no reported cases of Ebola in Ghana as of Aug. 21. However, while it is outside of the moratorium zone, Ghana’s location in West Africa still puts it near the epicenter of the crisis.

“Due to the current outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa, the university decided to suspend the Ghana program for the fall semester,” Director of Media Relations Rachel Pugh wrote in an email to The Hoya. “This decision came from a careful and measured assessment of the evolving situation in the region.”

Director of Global Education Craig Rinker declined to comment.

In a separate email, sent to the seven students who were to go on the trip, Executive Dean of School of Medicine Howard J. Federoff and NHS Interim Dean Patricia Cloonan confirmed the study abroad program’s cancellation.

“We realize this is very disappointing, but please know the decision was made — first and foremost — out of concern for your health and well-being,” they wrote in a joint email to the students.

Bernhard Liese, the chair of the international health department, said that the trip’s cancellation was not ideal for students.

“While we know this has been difficult, the university made its decision with the students’ well-being as the central factor. We deeply appreciate our students’ flexibility,” Liese wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The department presented the students with two alternative options: spend fall semester in Washington, D.C., to complete the spring semester’s internship early and then spend spring semester abroad, or forgo the opportunity to study abroad in favor of spending fall semester taking classes and working on a thesis, completing the spring internship with the rest of the class. The former option, which would still take place in Ghana, will be modified so students do not miss senior week and commencement, with a contingency plan in case the Ebola crisis continues into next year.

According to Medecins Sans Frontieres President Joanne Liu, the Ebola crisis could very likely continue into second semester. She predicted that the Ebola crisis would last at least six months.

“In terms of timeline, we’re not talking in terms of weeks, we’re talking in terms of months. We need a commitment for months, at least I would say six months, and I’m being, I would say, very optimistic,” Liu said to BBC News this month.

Of the seven who originally planned to go to Ghana, four students chose to pursue study abroad in the spring semester and three chose to complete theses.

The department also worked with the Office of Student Affairs to arrange fall semester housing for students who needed it.

Aishling Thurow (NHS ’15), one of the students who had planned to go to Ghana this fall, initially selected the program due to the high-quality work done on the program.

“By the end of it, you’ve completely done your own primary field research experiment and have a lengthy report to show for it,” she said. “To be able to graduate and say that you had that experience and were able to do that is definitely pretty impressive.”

Thurow expressed her concern that by forgoing the opportunity to study abroad in Ghana, her job chances post-graduation could be negatively affected.

“That’s honestly what made the decision so hard. If you decide not to go in the spring, you’re giving up this opportunity to intern and conduct primary research,” Thurow said. “Most careers and people already in the field value abroad experience a lot — more than anything.”

Thurow chose to do both a thesis and internship this semester, which will allow her to graduate early.

“I decided [to not study abroad] because I had the opportunity to graduate early and take what I was supposed to take in the spring now and write a thesis in place of going abroad,” she said.

Liese hopes that the alternative plans set up by the department will minimize the impact on students.

“We have worked very hard to minimize its impact and ensure that the students are positioned for success upon graduation,” Liese wrote.

In spite of the trip’s cancellation, Thurow remained optimistic about the coming year for the NHS students.

“It was very easy to be angry and frustrated and upset but there’s no use in that after a while and you’ve just got to focus on what you can do to make it right and make it the best year possible,” she said.

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