By Joseph Hadfield
The U.S. Department of State is cautioning students who will travel abroad this spring and summer, and BYU travel study programs are taking the warning seriously.
In a letter sent to universities across the nation, Secretary of State Colin Powell detailed the dangers of reckless behavior while visiting foreign countries.
'The truth is that Americans are expected to obey all of the laws of the countries they visit, and those who break these laws sometimes face severe penalties, including prison sentences,' Powell said in the letter.
According to the State Department, 2,500 Americans are arrested in foreign countries every year.
Student arrests receive particular attention, as in the cases of John Tobin, a Fulbright scholar who served a six-month jail sentence in Russia, and Michael Fay, who was publicly flogged in Singapore in 1994.
BYU travel program coordinators acknowledge the risks students face in foreign countries.
'We tell them to be aware, to be cautious and avoid confrontations,' said Rod Boynton, BYU''s coordinator for international study programs.
Boynton said about 1,200 BYU students will visit 50 countries for study abroad programs this year.
'BYU has expert faculty who can caution students of dangerous or challenging situations,' Boynton said.
Before leaving to study abroad, BYU students must go through a preparation course covering health and safety tips.
'It''s tailor-made to the program and city they will be in,' Boynton said.
Besides the study abroad program, other students choose to participate in BYU Travel Study tours.
Senior Liz Cannon is going to Italy this spring through BYU Travel Study and is currently taking a required preparation class for her trip.
'So far they have given us a lot of papers with cultural information, study abroad rules and info., and tons of consent forms,' said Cannon, 21, a student from Farmington Hills, Mich., majoring in psychology.
Safety precautions depend on the location, said George Talbot, director of BYU Travel Study.