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Health, Safety, and Diversity Abroad


Health and Safety Abroad: General Guidelines
Helping to ensure the health and safety of Northwestern students abroad is one of the top priorities of the Northwestern Study Abroad Office. The best way that students can prepare for a healthy and safe study abroad experience is to inform themselves about basic health and safety issues before leaving the U. S.

We encourage students to read this section very carefully and spend some time browsing the resources and Web sites linked here. Also, make sure to read any pre-departure information that you receive from your program provider or on-site director. Before you leave to study abroad, learn what resources are available to you once you're abroad. For instance, if you are in an area experiencing some turmoil, you should log on to the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site every day (www.state.gov). Or, as you plan your side trips, you should visit both the State Department site as well as the National Center for Infectious Diseases: Travelers' Health Web site because some countries require that you get immunizations well in advance of your trip. In addition, this site posts any updates regarding health conditions abroad, such as SARS, AIDS and Malaria.

Once you are abroad, make sure to exercise due caution: by following the advice of your on-site directors, staying abreast of local conditions, seeking additional information regarding your study abroad country and any other countries to which you plan to travel, monitoring your own health, and staying in touch with your program, the Northwestern Study Abroad Office and your parents, should a crisis arise.

The information provided in this section gives you starting points in your preparation for a healthy and safe study abroad experience. Please contact the Study Abroad Office if you have further questions. Remember: your health and safety abroad largely depends on the responsible decisions you make before you leave and while you’re abroad.

Study Abroad Health Insurance
All students studying abroad must have health insurance that will cover them in their host country. Some Northwestern programs or program providers may require students to purchase specific healthcare plans. Please review the information on this page to find the plan that will be most effective for you. You will inform the Study Abroad Office of plan you chose on the Pre-departure Forms which you must submit at the mandatory Pre-departure Orientation.

Study Abroad and Travel Warnings: Northwestern's Policies
The U. S. State Department regularly issues Travel Warnings for countries it determines are unsafe for American citizens. Students who wish to study abroad in a country on the Travel Warning list are subject to the University's Travel Warning policy. To read this policy, please visit: http://www.northwestern.edu/risk/travelwarning.htm.

Students who are already abroad on a program administered by Northwestern University or affiliated programs may be required to return to the U.S. if the Department of State issues a warning that applies to the country in which they are studying. The University will work with these students, their families, and the programs to decide the best course of action at that time. Northwestern has established this policy as part of our continuing efforts to provide a safe and beneficial experience for our students who participate in study abroad programs and trips. For a complete list of all current Travel Warnings, see http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html.

Monitoring World Events
There are times when it is difficult to assess the impact of world events on specific study abroad locations. The Northwestern Study Abroad Office does its best to help you and your parents assess these situations, whether they occur before you leave for study abroad or while you're there. We receive all routine and emergency postings from the U.S. Department of State's list-serv, which issues periodic "Public Announcements" and, when appropriate, more serious "Travel Warnings" about situations that pose potential dangers to Americans abroad. We also monitor private intelligence services. If students are currently studying abroad when a Travel Warning is posted, we will work with them to determine the best course of action, which may require that they return to the U.S.

When the Department of State issues a Public Announcement or a Travel Warning about a specific country or region, the Study Abroad Office takes several precautions before we contact outbound students or students who are abroad. First, we contact the U.S. offices of the study abroad programs located in the affected countries. Programs are in close contact with their on-site directors, who can provide the most up-to-date information on local conditions and inform us of what steps they may be taking abroad. If warranted, we call or email on-site program contacts and other study abroad administrators for more information. For our exchange programs, we contact our partner universities abroad to gather more information and learn their recommendations. In the case of our summer programs, we contact the faculty directors in the affected countries. Directors and universities abroad, in turn, will be in touch with the local Embassy or Consulate. Once we have assessed the situation as thoroughly as possible, we contact our students abroad as well as provide information to outbound students. This information generally includes copies of the Department of State announcements, along with recommended steps for students to take abroad. If the Department of State posts a Travel Warning for a particular country, outbound students will be subject to the University's Travel Warning policy, which can be found at: http://www.northwestern.edu/risk/travelwarning.htm.

We do our very best to reach every one of our students impacted by such events; but not everyone has daily email access or cell phones, and students currently abroad are sometimes traveling.

In the event that a situation arises where there is political unrest or threats have been made against U.S. interests abroad, your first step should be to contact your program administrators on site. If, for any reason, you are unable to reach your program director or staff, you should call the Northwestern Study Abroad Office at 847-467-6400 or email us at studyabroad@northwestern.edu. You should keep a list of emergency contact numbers (such as your on-site contacts, and emergency U.S. contacts in case you can’t reach anyone on-site) on you at all times while abroad.

Rest assured that everyone in the Study Abroad Office will work closely with you and your program and do everything in our power to assist you. Please contact us at any time if you or your parents have any questions.

Take Responsibility for Your Own Health and Safety!
We encourage you to spend some time browsing the resources and Web sites listed below before you leave the United States so that you'll know what resources are available to you once you're abroad. For instance, if you are in an area experiencing some turmoil, you should log on to the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site every day. Or, as you plan your side trips, you should visit both the State Department site as well as the National Center for Infectious Diseases: Travelers' Health Web site because some countries require that you get immunizations well in advance of your trip.

Diversity Abroad
Northwestern University strongly encourages study abroad students to participate as much as possible in the local culture of their host country. This is one of the most exciting--and often challenging--aspects of studying abroad.

Race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities may be perceived and treated very differently in the cultures you'll be spending time in. For this reason, we encourage you to research the social norms, cultural mores, and local practices of your host country before your program begins. To assist you, we’ve listed several resources below that address diversity and study abroad.

Gender Abroad

Race and Ethnicity Abroad

Sexual Orientation Abroad

Students with Disabilities
Students who have disabilities are strongly encouraged to make any needs known to a Study Abroad Adviser here at Northwestern, and to your study abroad program. This will allow us to make necessary arrangements and to accurately advise students regarding resources abroad.

The Study Abroad Office is located on the second floor of 630 Dartmouth Place. Since the building is not accessible to all students, office staff will make arrangements to meet with students elsewhere as appropriate.

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