April 8, 2002 Citing safety concerns, UC recalls students studying in Israel By Hanan Eisenman, UC Office of the President In view of the dramatically escalating violence in the Middle East, and with the personal safety of its students as the number-one concern, the University of California announced on April 2 that it is recalling to the United States its Education Abroad Program students currently studying in Israel. UC is assisting these students in a number of ways, including arranging for their safe and speedy return to the United States and exploring opportunities for independent study for the remainder of the academic term. (UCSC has one student studying in Israel, according to the Office of International Education. The office reported that the student was safe.) UC's decision affects 27 students enrolled in programs in Israel. UC is assisting these students in a number of ways, including arranging for their safe and speedy return to the United States and exploring opportunities for independent study for the remainder of the academic term. Another 28 students who started the academic year had already voluntarily decided to leave the program. In addition, the university is placing its fall 2002 academic program in Israel on hold, pending a re-evaluation of security in Israel at a later date. UC officials stressed that the University of California will not abandon its Israel programs; it will leave in place its infrastructure and staff, including its program directors, to prepare for the eventual return of UC students to Israel. Such actions are not without precedent. In recent years, UC temporarily halted its Education Abroad Program activities in China following the Tiananmen Square massacre, in the Middle East during the Gulf War, and in Indonesia during civil uprisings. Most recently, the university did not permit students in its India programs at Delhi and Hyderabad to extend their studies into this year's spring term because of the military buildup and increasing hostilities between India and Pakistan. Other universities, including the University of Washington and University of Colorado, already have recalled their students from Israel. Return to Front Page