By Cassidey Kavathas, News Editor
Study abroad programs continue to face challenges in planning their trips. Sorrento, Italy and Perugia, Italy both cancelled their 2021 programs but plan to return in 2022. As of now the Francis E. Kelley Oxford program is still planning a 2021 trip and is holding off on cancelling until the end of May.
“There are two reasons the Oxford program is still planning to run and it looks better everyday. It’s looking better in the United States and it is looking much much better in the Great Britain,” said Mike Jones-Kelley, director of the Francis E. Kelley Oxford program. “The British government has said they expect to have the entire country vaccinated by July 1 and the Bonnies arrive on July 2. The British government also plans to lift all COVID-19 restrictions.”
The Oxford program is still recruiting and currently has five slots open. This is due to better conditions in the United Kingdom which allows Trinity College to offer more rooms to St. Bonaventure students. If the program is cancelled in May, everyone’s deposits will be refunded.
“It’s going to take everybody working together for us to be able to pull this off,” said Jones-Kelley.
The pandemic has caused many different approaches to planning these programs as well as flexibility by students and faculty alike.
“This has been very interesting to put together because a good amount of the students have been signed up since last year,” said Anne Lee, assistant director of the Francis E. Kelley Oxford program.
There has also been some creative thinking to make sure the Oxford program can take place during 2021.
“We have also asked the administration to work with the county to see if there is any way to get the Oxford students vaccinated in April,” said Jones-Kelley. “The administration said they would do it but there is no guarantee they can pull it off.”
Due to the effects of COVID-19 on Italy, both the Sorrento program with the Sant’Anna Institute and the Perugia program with the Umbra Institute were forced to cancel their programs for the 2021 year.
“When a student signs up for Sorrento, Italy they are guaranteed to have a life-changing experience,” said Anna Bulszewicz, the Sorrento program director. “A life-changing experience in Italy does not mean wearing your mask and going to bed at a curfew time of 10 p.m.”
Despite this, there are already plans in motion for the return of the Sorrento program in the summer of 2022.
“My kind of mentality is make a sacrifice now and then next year it will be extra amazing,” said Bulszewicz.
Due to COVID-19 and a decline in national enrollment, the Umbra Institute had to move their summer sessions dates for the program from mid-May to June to mid-June to July. This caused some conflicts with registered students.
“I didn’t want to delay [cancelling] any further because registration for classes is coming up and students in fairness need to know whether the courses they were hoping to take in the summer are going to be possible or not,” said Bob Donius, the director for the summer study in Perugia, Italy.
As of now, Perugia, Italy is already planning for 2022. The new dates for the program are May 20 through June 25. The program will offer six credits, seven if the student is taking a science course.
The program will cost $6,500 and will include credit hours, housing, airport transfer in Italy, orientation, excursions throughout Italy, Institute facilities and services, resident director, cultural and social activities, supplemental student health insurance, transcripts and a weekly group dinner.
“We should be wide open, come next year, we should be good,” said Donius.
Some programs weren’t as lucky to reschedule yet. Summer programs in Japan, China and Salamanca, Spain have all been canceled for the near future due to the pandemic.
Alva Cellini, the director of study abroad in Salamanca, Spain noted that a trip is not scheduled for this year but there will be one in the near future.
Christopher Dalton, who is involved with the Japan study abroad program, stated that the program has been put on hold till the pandemic has passed.
“Decisions about other summer programs are made by the provost and director of each program.” said Yvette Jordan, study abroad coordinator at the university. “Travel.state.gov and the CDC.gov websites currently have international travel warnings, which impacts study abroad travel.”
Faculty are hopeful that travel abroad will go smoothly as the world returns to normalcy.
“The administration has been very flexible and helpful,” said Jones-Kelley. “They have done everything they could to make it possible.”
There are many of different travel abroad opportunities offered through St. Bonaventure to learn more and explore options go to https://www.sbu.edu/academics/experiential-learning/study-abroad.
“Students can start the planning process to study abroad whenever and should pay close attention to cancellation policies, refund policies and deposit deadlines,” said Jordan. “The earlier you start planning, the better.”
kavathcj20@bonaventure.edu
