After a dramatic decrease in students' desire to study abroad in Mexico a recent trend potentially spurred by national news media's extensive coverage of drug warfare affecting some Mexican states the Spanish and Portuguese department canceled its Spring term Language Study Abroad to Puebla, Mexico. The department, which has not nixed a study abroad trip in six years, may also relocate the Winter LSA from Puebla to Barcelona, according to Spanish and Portuguese department chair Jose del Pino.
"We think that this low enrollment is due to the perception of insecurity in Mexico, and some parents and students are concerned," Del Pino said.
Only four students were committed to the Spring LSA when the College decided to cancel the program, according to John Tansey, executive director of Off-Campus Programs.
The Spanish and Portuguese department will meet next week with the Office of Off-Campus Programs and the Office of the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Interdisciplinary Studies to decide the fate of the Winter LSA in Puebla, according to Del Pino.
Although several regions of Mexico have recently experienced extreme violence, the media's coverage of the drug warfare has disproportionately inflated the public's perception of danger, Del Pino said.
"I think that when they read papers about assassinations and kidnappings in Mexico, people may think that it happens all over the country," Del Pino said.
Puebla and its surrounding regions remain out of harm's way, he said.
"It's clear that Puebla is quite safe, and the host university and the town of Cholula are safe," Del Pino said. "Relocating is not in direct connection with a particular incident in the area, but based mostly on a general public perception on a safety issue that is real."
The program's traditional week-long vacation for students caused concern among faculty members and administrators, as students tend to travel alone or in small groups during the week, according to Del Pino.
"That's part of the excitement of doing an off-campus program, that you're able to travel by yourself or other students and explore the country," Del Pino said. "And that's a motive of concern, because a student could choose to go to an area that is unsafe."
Charlotte Hendren '14, who was accepted into the program but chose to remain on campus this year, said student preference for alternative Spanish programs, rather than safety concerns, might be the reason for low enrollment.
"I think that regardless of the term, people find the Barcelona trip to be more appealing on the whole," Hendren, who was accepted to both programs in Mexico and Spain, said. "People going on the Puebla trip might be people who applied to both and only got into Puebla, or otherwise they might do a transfer or exchange program outside of Dartmouth."
Cost differences between Spain and Mexico, however, might deter some students from going to Barcelona if the program is relocated next term, Aleschia Hyde '12, who participated in the Spring LSA to Puebla, said.
"I think substituting Barcelona for Mexico is a good idea in the sense that kids do want to go somewhere, but it is much more expensive in the day-to-day impact," Hyde said. "I can imagine students not being able to go, especially if they're saving up for their LSA."
Approximately nine students are currently enrolled for the Winter program in Puebla, Del Pino said. Foreign programs with fewer than eight enrolled students are subject to cancellation, although some have occasionally run with fewer than eight, according to Tansey. Since 2001, no LSA or Foreign Study Program has occurred with fewer than five students, Tansey said.
Del Pino said that if the Winter program proceeds without change, faculty members would make sure that students avoid more dangerous areas during their vacation.
"We are taking into consideration what is best for students, both in academics and in safety, and we are likely to relocate another site in Latin America for the 2012-2013 year," Del Pino said. "It will be for one or two years, and we will see how things evolve."
The warm winter season in Mexico may also be a factor in students' choice to go during Winter term rather than Spring, according to Glenn Kim '12, who went to Puebla his sophomore Spring.
"That's when you can enjoy the fruits of being in a warmer climate like Mexico," Kim said.
Kim said he enjoyed his trip and did not feel the effects of political instability.
"It's unfortunate that it's been canceled because I had such a great time when I was there," Kim said. "The concerns are legitimate because the situation has gotten worse, but I'm sad that those students won't experience how amazing Mexico is despite its share of political problems."
Because the program is likely to move in the future, Del Pino said the department will consider moving the program next term as well.
"We might as well start right now," he said. "Students who are enrolled would be the first ones to know."
The department may eventually establish additional LSA programs in Cuba or Santander, Spain, according to Del Pino.
"We are taking this matter very seriously, and we've put a lot time and interest to offer students the best academic experience possible," Del Pino said.
Other universities pulled their programs out of Mexico following a travel warning on restricted regions issued by the State Department last March, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The warning advised citizens to delay travel to regions in northern Mexico due to increasing drug-related violence.
The University of Texas, Austin drafted a petition process approximately 1.5 years ago for students traveling to restricted regions and brought in a risk analyst to assess the danger in those areas, according to Arelis Palacios, a study abroad program coordinator for Latin America at the university. Several programs have been canceled, and a faculty-led program in Akumal, Mexico, has been postponed, Palacios said.
"Students can still travel to Mexico, but they have to prove that their studies can only be done in that part of the world," she said. "For example, students working on an independent study and graduate students will have their applications accepted."
Low enrollment has also affected programs across several other College departments, including this Fall term's French FSP and the Italian LSA Plus next Spring, according to Graziella Parati, chair of the French and Italian department.
"Fall is always a critical quarter because there are a lot of social activities going on on campus," Parati said.
Increased program offerings in recent years may have contributed to the drop in enrollment, according to Parati.
"There are many more choices than there used to be in the past, and I think programs abroad are now competing with each other," Parati said. "It's a good thing on one hand because students have more choices, but on the other it makes filling the programs a little more of a challenge."
