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

Stay Behind the Barricade

Georgetown has long produced students keen on both activism and international affairs. But in light ofDerrik Sweeney’s (COL ’13) recent experiences in Cairo, it’s time to remind ourselves of the responsibility that accompanies the privilege of studying abroad.

Considering our myriad study abroad programs, immersion language programs and majors dedicated to the study of global cultures, it’s no surprise Georgetown students have taken interest in the uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East. But while we have the opportunity to study in these places and experience the excitement of the events unfolding there, studying abroad is not justification to join in the movements.

Derrik Sweeney and two other students from American universities were released from detention inCairoafter being arrested last Tuesday for participating in protests in Tahrir Square. While we are extremely grateful for the safe return of Sweeney to the United States, his actions could have jeopardized the ability of students to study abroad in Egypt and other Arab nations in the future.

Although we encourage students to indulge their love of international affairs and witness history in the making while abroad, we urge them to exercise caution and common sense. There is a fine line between observing and actively participating in potentially dangerous events in foreign countries, and serious consequences can follow the latter.

The opportunity to study abroad is a luxury our university has worked hard to afford and to share with its students. Whether they want to study archeology and classical texts in Rome, learn aboutmicrofinance in India or practice Spanish in Latin America, the Office of International Programs has the resources and wherewithal to get students almost anywhere they want to go. In return, students owe it to the university to stay out of trouble and represent the university well while they’re away.

When turmoil strikes in and around students’ study abroad locations — and even before it does — the university administration and OIP work from afar to keep students safe. Before they are even approved to leave the United States, students must sign a contract agreeing not to participate in political activism while abroad. OIP and administrators send safety warnings to alert students of potentially dangerous situations around them. And when necessary, as was the case in Egypt in January, OIP has proven capable of conducting an evacuation. These safety measures are negated, though, if students fail to take university instructions seriously.

Admittedly, OIP warned students last week of the dangers of the recent protests in Egypt only after Sweeney was detained, but the American University in Cairo — where Sweeney and the two otherU.S. citizens were studying — cautioned students to stay away from Tahrir Square before the arrests. Regardless of which institution issued the preemptive warning, Sweeney’s ordeal should serve as a reminder that students must heed university advice and exercise caution while abroad.

Georgetown students, for better or worse, seem to find themselves at the epicenter of international events. But while the desire to participate in historic occasions as they unfold is a natural tendency, study abroad is not a license to join in prohibited activism.

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