Saint Mary's and Notre Dame administrators have confirmed the safety of students studying abroad in Rome after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 100 kilometers north of the city.
Haleigh Ehmsen, media relations associate for the College, said in an email that 12 Saint Mary’s students arrived at John Cabot University on Wednesday, but were not on site during the earthquake. The students are enrolled in the State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, and received an emergency message from the U.S. Embassy in Rome at 3:30 a.m. (Editor’s note: Ehmsen served as Saint Mary’s Editor for The Observer last term.)
Ehmsen said Jennifer Zachman, faculty coordinator for study abroad programs at Saint Mary’s, sent an email out to check in with those in Rome and has not yet received a response from all students in the program.
Tom Guinan, associate vice president for operations, said the University has no reason to believe any students would have been affected by the earthquake.
Notre Dame students were scheduled to arrive in Rome on Wednesday, Guinan said, and the University has asked John Cabot University for confirmation that all students checked in safely. Guinan said students from the School of Architecture and students studying in Bologna are not expected to arrive in Italy until next week.
According to communication from John Cabot University, the earthquake was felt in the city, but there was no damage to campus.
