Spring Break
London terror threats impact study abroad
Threats don't deter students
JONATHAN DUNN For The Red & Black
Issue date: 7/5/07 Section: News
As a result of plotted terrorist attacks last week in London, University students participating in the UGA at Oxford program this summer are temporarily unable to make trips into the city.
Franklin College students studying in Great Britain cannot travel from the Oxford University campus into London for another week and a half as part of a series of security measures taken due to the current terrorist threat level, according to Megan Blakely, one of the students in the program.
On July 29, United Kingdom police discovered two vehicles which contained car bombs of gasoline-filled canisters and nails, set to go off in public streets. The bombs were dismantled before they exploded, but as the anniversary of July 7, 2005 is almost upon us, many in London can only hope that successful terrorist plots do not ensue.
On that day in 2005 more than 50 people died as a result of four suicide bombings in London. The newly planned terrorist attacks - although foiled - set precedence for a pattern that translates into heightened security within many public transport systems.
For University students with plans to study on the Oxford campus this fall and for those who are there now, the rise in the threat level has not been interpreted as grounds for termination of either trip.
Kalpen Trivedi, director of the UGA at Oxford Study Abroad Program, said in an e-mail from London Tuesday: "There is no cancellation of the Oxford program for this coming fall."
Trivedi said the staff is committed to providing and promoting opportunities in academic excellence in areas abroad.
The University students remain confident in the efforts officials in Athens and Oxford have taken to ensure the safety of all summer program participants.
Blakely, a rising sophomore from Atlanta, is at Oxford. She said she refused to let the terrorism in 2005 be an excuse to miss out on the opportunity.
"The bombings of 2005 didn't affect my decision at all. The only thing that worried me was when I found out about the recent car bombings," she wrote in a message from London.
"When the airport was bombed the morning of our flight, my parents were even more hesitant, but this is something I really wanted to do, and that wasn't enough to stop me."
Like Blakely, Joshua Farnsworth, a junior from Woodstock, did not let the terrorist threats deter him from going to Oxford in an earlier session this summer.
"The possible threat of terrorism or crime was marginal compared with the unparalleled opportunity to study at a world-renowned university," he said.
"On the whole, I found that my personal safety was rarely an issue or concern during my three months in the U.K."
Franklin College students studying in Great Britain cannot travel from the Oxford University campus into London for another week and a half as part of a series of security measures taken due to the current terrorist threat level, according to Megan Blakely, one of the students in the program.
On July 29, United Kingdom police discovered two vehicles which contained car bombs of gasoline-filled canisters and nails, set to go off in public streets. The bombs were dismantled before they exploded, but as the anniversary of July 7, 2005 is almost upon us, many in London can only hope that successful terrorist plots do not ensue.
On that day in 2005 more than 50 people died as a result of four suicide bombings in London. The newly planned terrorist attacks - although foiled - set precedence for a pattern that translates into heightened security within many public transport systems.
For University students with plans to study on the Oxford campus this fall and for those who are there now, the rise in the threat level has not been interpreted as grounds for termination of either trip.
Kalpen Trivedi, director of the UGA at Oxford Study Abroad Program, said in an e-mail from London Tuesday: "There is no cancellation of the Oxford program for this coming fall."
Trivedi said the staff is committed to providing and promoting opportunities in academic excellence in areas abroad.
The University students remain confident in the efforts officials in Athens and Oxford have taken to ensure the safety of all summer program participants.
Blakely, a rising sophomore from Atlanta, is at Oxford. She said she refused to let the terrorism in 2005 be an excuse to miss out on the opportunity.
"The bombings of 2005 didn't affect my decision at all. The only thing that worried me was when I found out about the recent car bombings," she wrote in a message from London.
"When the airport was bombed the morning of our flight, my parents were even more hesitant, but this is something I really wanted to do, and that wasn't enough to stop me."
Like Blakely, Joshua Farnsworth, a junior from Woodstock, did not let the terrorist threats deter him from going to Oxford in an earlier session this summer.
"The possible threat of terrorism or crime was marginal compared with the unparalleled opportunity to study at a world-renowned university," he said.
"On the whole, I found that my personal safety was rarely an issue or concern during my three months in the U.K."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Detlef von Berg
posted 7/06/07 @ 9:36 AM EST
It's important to note that, if it's true the students in this program are not able to travel to London, that's only because some program administrator has told them not to. (Continued…)
Will McDonald
posted 7/09/07 @ 2:23 PM EST
I feel left out of the University's security measures. I am studying abroad in Germany and I made the trip to London right after the attempted bombings. (Continued…)
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