With New Travel Restrictions Imminent, Students Abroad Scramble
(Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
By Benjamin Pontz, Editor-in-Chief
It was 2:00 a.m. in Switzerland when President Donald Trump began his address from the Oval Office to outline the next phase of his administration’s response to the coronavirus, but Anna Cincotta ’21, who is studying abroad in Geneva, nevertheless decided to stay up and watch.
“Students in my program were sending each other articles about the potential for a European travel ban last night,” she said. “After reading these articles, I started to wonder about how the President’s address could affect my ability to get home.”
She was right to take notice.
The president announced a 30-day ban on travel from continental Europe to the United States that would begin Friday morning, setting off a panic among American students studying abroad. While administration officials later scrambled to clarify that this ban would not apply to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, many colleges and universities nationwide had seen enough and began sending urgent messages directing students to book travel and come home immediately.
“The University of Rochester is instructing you to arrange your travel to return home IMMEDIATELY,” one directive said.
“With these changes, Villanova can no longer support participation in study abroad programs in these locations. We encourage students to book travel home as early as possible,” said another.
Some study abroad programs themselves, including one in Copenhagen, Denmark, also began to cancel and send students home.
As of 2:00 p.m. Thursday, though, more than 16 hours after the president’s address, Gettysburg College has sent no communication to students abroad beyond a short message last night that came before the travel restrictions were announced. The college did not respond to a request for comment about how it is handling the latest news.
Students feel on their own to make a decision about what to do next.
“I feel fine and safe staying here, but the majority of my program is leaving, which isn’t very reassuring,” Maddie Neiman ’21, who is in Vienna, Austria, said, later adding, “I almost wish Gettysburg would call us back so I don’t have to make that decision myself.”
Cincotta said that she has booked a flight home. In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s address, she was not sure what she would do, but she decided today to come home after talking to her family and realizing that almost every other student in her SIT program is going home, which makes the program unlikely to continue.
“Most, if not all of the students in my program at this point, have plans to return to the United States as soon as possible,” she said. “My decision to depart was largely rooted in the fact that other institutions were forcing return, and that my SIT program is unlikely to continue.”
Later Thursday afternoon, her program was canceled. She remains troubled by the college’s lack of communication.
“I’m still confused about how Gettysburg plans on addressing the new travel ban,” she said. “As the only Gettysburg student in my program, I’ve noticed that other students are receiving emails with clear guidelines from their respective institutions. Most of these emails inform students that they should not delay in scheduling their flights home. Some schools have even promised reimbursement for these flight changes given the circumstances.”
Some Gettysburg students are content to ride things out.
Gyasu Bajrachaya ’21, who is studying in Vienna, said he will stay until directed otherwise.
“Until Gettysburg mandates that I come back, I’m gonna make the most of this situation,” he said in a text message. “Thankfully, I have a green card, so I am not as worried. It is truly sad for international students who’re studying abroad,” he added, noting that some have made plans to leave.
Mary Frasier ’21, who is among five Gettysburg students in Budapest, Hungary, said that one student in her program is planning coming home at their parents’ request, but that the rest wonder whether Hungary might be safer than the United States given the emerging community spread of the virus in the states.
“The US is a giant petri dish right now,” she said.
Note: Several of the individuals quoted in this story are, when on campus, members of The Gettysburgian’s staff. They do not hold staff positions while abroad, and their views reflect only their perspective as students studying abroad.
This story was updated at 2:25 p.m. Thursday to reflect that the SIT Geneva Program has been officially canceled.
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