Notre Dame International (NDI) released a statement Thursday regarding student safety, following the Paris attacks and terrorist threats. Three groups of terrorists staged attacks across the city Nov. 13, killing 130 people and injuring hundreds more. The terrorist group ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attacks.
“The University of Notre Dame believes that serious academic engagement in countries outside the U.S. is the best way to form global citizens who are equipped to participate in and respond to an increasingly complex and interconnected world,” the statement said. “NDI seeks always to balance this University value with vigilance and diligence by preparing students before they depart for international programs and providing resources and response plans for the duration of their time abroad.”
The statement listed existing and ongoing measures to ensure student safety, as well as new and enhanced measures, which include “regular updates to students abroad regarding world and local events that may affect them” and a “formalization of incident response plans — both on campus and at Notre Dame’s Global Gateways.”
The statement referenced an email sent Nov. 14 by Tom Guinan, NDI's associate vice president of administrative operations, to students studying abroad. The email offered details on available counseling and support services, encouraged students to register all personal travel away from their program locations and asked them to respond to communications from NDI staff and family members in a timely manner. NDI has no plans to “curtail or modify” any spring 2016 study abroad programs, according to a statement issued Tuesday. “The safety and wellbeing of our students abroad is of the utmost importance to the University. We will diligently follow guidance from the State Department in the coming weeks and months and will keep in contact with peer universities to ensure we respond quickly to any health and safety issues abroad that may impact our students,” the statement said.
