To the Editor:
I was a participant on the Buenos Aires Foreign Study Program in the spring of 2000 and as a result, I've taken an interest in the recent developments surrounding the Spanish department FSP and its possible move from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay (The Dartmouth, Feb. 4, "Spanish dept. FSP has unclear future"). I had an amazing experience while I was in Buenos Aires and never in the course of my trip did I feel unsafe. Though the present situation in Argentina is saddening and tragic, in no way should it prevent Dartmouth students from setting foot in Latin America's southern cone. Nor is the Spanish department's prudent wait-and-see attitude "ridiculous" and "irresponsible" as asserted by Amanda Burrows '04. Ms. Burrows' statement that she and other students are "missing out because we took the precautions that they [other students] weren't willing to take" is itself ridiculous.
Dartmouth students should feel confident that the always over-cautious administration will protect their safety abroad (after all, it is tuition money in the pocket). In fact, if anything, Dartmouth does far too much to protect its foreign study students from the exhilarating and exacting travails of living abroad. I would also like to vouch my support for Professor Juan Medrano-Pizzaro's skill and care in the organization of the Spanish department FSP. Montevideo is a great city and in many ways more amenable to student experience than Buenos Aires. Sensationalistic musings and recriminations aside, I'm sure this spring's FSP will be an unforgettable experience in a wonderful and overlooked part of our world.
