Safety is a major concern among students and parents when taking the step to study abroad. Duquesne has chosen a number of study abroad programs with well regarded reputations and excellent track records for safety. All of our programs pay special attention to the safety needs of our students and keep Duquesne and students’ families informed as events unfold.

Many of us equate the faraway and foreign as the unsafe. However, the reality can often be quite different. For instance, statistics on personal crime are much lower in many countries around the world than they are in the United States. Many safety issues center on personal crime and not the larger world events that are often featured prominently in the U.S. media. Safety abroad is much like safety at home: sensible, responsible behaviors go a long way to being safe in any environment. Good judgments, particularly those concerning alcohol consumption, are essential. By far the most frequent cause of student injury while study abroad is drinking alcohol, just as it is in the United States.

All students studying abroad will be provided with culture-specific safety tips in their Pre-Departure Orientation at Duquesne and their orientations on-site.

There are a number of resources available to families when considering safety and study abroad.

The Center for Global Education provides an extensive and detailed website on study abroad safety issues. Take a closer look for more recommendations and considerations.

How does Duquesne evaluate student safety when situation arise?

There are several resources to which Duquesne can refer when evaluating a situation and making decisions about a study abroad program. First and foremost, we rely on our program providers for input, information and guidance on the particular situation. In addition, Duquesne refers to many sources that help paint an accurate and reliable picture of the situation. These resources include:

American Embassies Overseas – www.state.gov

American embassies overseas will assist Americans traveling overseas in times of national crisis or threatening circumstances.

NAFSA:Association of International Education -www.nafsa.org

NAFSA is the professional organizational umbrella for study abroad directors and professionals. NAFSA is an important source of information about study abroad locations throughout the world. This organization provides its member institutions a valuable network of experienced professionals who can advise each other on standard practice for American students studying abroad: from safety, to health, to political unrest.

 State Department Advisories-http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html

The United States State Department issues updates and announcements regularly to inform U.S. citizens traveling or studying abroad about any developments pertinent to general safety and security. There is also a “studentinfo” site to provide some general helpful tips for students.

CityBrief – A Risk Assessment Service-www.citybrief.com

The University’s insurance provider offers its subscribers a detailed look at almost any international country/city. Furthermore, this service rates each location on a scale of 1-7 in terms of relative safety. Access to these detailed reports is limited to subscribers, but Rome remains at a City Risk Rating of 3, with 1 being the safest. The rating of 3 is a better rating than most US cities!

Site Directors and the Office of International Programs

Site Directors located at each of the program sites, including Rome, Italy are the most direct source of up-to-date safety information. Each of the site directors live in-country and are familiar with looking out for the safety and well-being of students living abroad. The Office of International Programs keeps in regular contact with each of our program providers and relies on site directors for valuable information regarding student safety.

Our Resident Director in Rome, Italy, Michael Wright keeps abreast of safety issues and maintains a close network of colleagues through the Association of American Colleges and Universities with Programs in Italy (AACUPI-www.accupi.org) for support. This association of 84 American colleges and universities acts on behalf of all its members to stay informed of local conditions. This information is shared with the students.

Office of Overseas Citizens Services

Should a family need to contact a student while traveling (e.g. when you are traveling after your official study abroad program), emergency assistance is available through the Citizens’ Emergency Center of the Office of Overseas Citizens Services (OCS) operated by the State Department’s Bureau of Consulate Affairs.

OCS can, for example, transmit emergency messages from your family, provide protection in the event of an arrest or detention while abroad, transmit emergency funds to destitute nationals when commercial banking facilities are not available, etc. It would be wise for you to provide your family with at least a tentative itinerary so that in an emergency, they can give it to the OCS to contact you.

OCS is open Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The OCS toll-free hotline at 1-888-407-4747 is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday-Friday, except U.S. federal holidays. Callers who are unable to use toll-free numbers, such as those calling from overseas, may obtain information and assistance during these hours by calling 317-472-2328. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, please call 202-647-4000 and request the OCS duty officer.