Eight of the 11 were in the semester-long Paris program, some living and working in the same district where the attacks occurred. The other three were participating in the College’s semester in Granada program, but just happened to pick Friday, November 13, 2015, as the day they would visit Paris.

All the students in Paris that night were located and accounted for within two hours of the attacks. “Any time something happens in a country where we have students, we follow up with them immediately to make sure they’re safe,” Director of Off-Campus Programs Ashley Sinclair said.

The team in Lake Forest kept in constant contact with onsite Paris program coordinator Maria

Al-Salem ’67 and consulted with security experts, the U.S. Embassy, and peer schools with students in Paris, which agreed unanimously to remain open for the rest of the semester and to maintain scheduled programs for spring 2016.

“The safety of our students is paramount,” Sinclair said. “If we felt that our students remained in any danger—in any location around the world—we would evacuate the program.” Lake Forest had 45 students outside the U.S. studying in more than a dozen countries last semester.

In the days following the Paris attacks, the College provided a pathway for participants to leave the program early yet still earn their four college credits.“We left the decision to stay or go up to each individual student,” Sinclair said.

A healing luncheon

In Paris, Al-Salem brought together the students for a long lunch after the attacks. “It was a shock for everyone, but the students rallied and handled it very well,” she said. “Being together and talking helped.” In the end, only one student chose to leave the program early and return to the U.S.

The Lake Forest team monitors twice-daily updates from Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) and the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security as well as daily Travelex updates on “hot spots” around the world whenever a student is overseas. “We also maintain close relations with on-site staff for programs. They reach out if there is ever any issue with students—even if it is simply a sprained ankle or lost passport,” Sinclair said.

Following the fall attacks, students are still required to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), a free U.S. State Department service that allows U.S. citizens and nationals traveling abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate so that they can be contacted in case of an emergency.

“We also require all students to attend a pre-departure meeting where we cover personal safety and emergency planning, what to do before they leave, and what to do and who to contact when they arrive. We make sure they work with their host program in advance and at on-site orientation to learn the equivalent of calling 911 where they’re going, as well as the safest way to get to a local clinic or hospital,” Sinclair said.

She also advises new study abroad students to avoid big groups and going out at night, to learn some of the local language, to try not to stand out as an American or flaunt English, and to leave their baseball caps at home.

For now, Sinclair foresees no change in the system. “We try to do everything we can to vet the program and make sure they’re going to be safe and to prepare our students to make informed decisions,” she said.

Forty-eight students are studying abroad in more than 18 countries this semester.