SARS has affected the Syracuse University students again, this time with the cancellation of the study abroad program to Hong Kong for the fall semester.

The severe acute respiratory disorder epidemic that swept through Asia, North America and Europe last spring resulted in the early termination of the Department of International Students Abroad program. SARS also raised concerns after a student returned to SU from Toronto with a suspected case of the disease, which later proved to be false.

The disease, that is identified with cold-like symptoms, has claimed 642 lives so far.

This fall’s program was cancelled after contact with the Center for Disease Control and worries about the part of the program that takes place in mainland China, said Jim Buschman, associate director of DIPA.

‘The situation seems to be coming under control in Hong Kong, but with so much of the first phase of the program taking place in mainland of the People’s Republic of China and the situation still high there, we didn’t think it was fair,’ he said.

The first phase of the program is a 12-day seminar during which students and professors travel throughout China.

This fall’s program was cancelled partially due to an inability to conduct this part of the program in another nearby country, Buschman said. He hopes that if China is not an option by the spring, DIPA will be able to find a country that will provide a similar academic experience.

DIPA is not expecting a major decline in interest in the Hong Kong program, although they expect there may be some hesitation for a short time, Buschman said. But the School of Management and other schools realize Asia is an important market and will continue to be in the future, so any decrease that does occur because of concerns will be remedied as concerns die down, he said.

The Oklahoma State University study abroad program has already experienced decreases in participation. Oklahoma State has a study abroad program in Hong Kong during the summer which was canceled, said Geraldine Auel, study abroad coordinator at Oklahoma State.

Auel said the reason for the cancellation was a lack of participation, which she could not say for sure or if it was a result of SARS.

‘Based on university policy, if the program had been offered it would have been canceled because of the travel advisories that have been issued,’ she said.

The CDC has issued a travel advisory for mainland China and Hong Kong, according to its website. An advisory means people planning non-essential trips to those locations should consider postponing them until further notice. The CDC also issued a travel warning for Toronto. A warning means people should take safeguards while traveling in the region.

SU has not yet made a decision to request that students suspend travel to Toronto, said SU spokesmen Kevin Morrow.

‘At this point the decision has not been made to curtail travel to Toronto,’ he said.

Students whose plans now must change because of the cancellation were given three choices. One was acceptance into any of the DIPA programs in Western Europe this fall. The second was a deferring of acceptance in the Hong Kong program until the spring semester. Some of the students in the program do not attend SU and those students had the third option of anything their individual university would do as far as accepting the student in their own study abroad programs, Buschman said.

Published on May 21, 2003 at 12:00 pm