Drug cartel-related violence in Mexico has prompted the U.S. federal government and the university to warn students about studying abroad and traveling there.
The university issued a travel alert for students, faculty and staff warning of increased crime and violence in Mexico and urged travelers to “avoid dangerous situations.” The alert followed one release by the U.S. State Department on Feb. 20 that warned travelers of the risks involved with traveling to Mexico because of the recent growth in crime, especially near the United States border, and several unresolved kidnapping cases of U.S. citizens.
The violence has caused some students to reconsider or cancel their spring break or study abroad plans. But travel agency executives and university officials said their programs go to safe areas in the country.
After Neil Rebele, a senior accounting major, read several government releases and news articles on traveling to Mexico and heard the Mexican government was prone to a sudden collapse, Rebele decided to forgo his trip.
“I went through StudentCity to see if they changed their refund policy, but I’m not hopeful and I spent over $1,500 on the trip,” Rebele said of his experience with a student travel website. “I thought it was unnecessary to take the risk of going there. I suggest that anyone who does go to check in with the U.S. [Embassy] in case anything happens.”
The violence has been particularly intense in certain areas of Mexico and has involved both drug cartels and Mexican police forces, which some believe to be corrupt. In Cancun, a 4-star retired Mexican Army General was appointed as the region’s anti-drug czar last month. Shortly after, he was found on the side of the highway, his arms and legs broken from torture and riddled with bullets. In Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, more than 1,600 murders were committed last year.
But Todd Steinberg, the owner of Xtreme Trips, a travel agency geared toward college students, said he doesn’t think the increasingly unstable situation in Mexico is unusual or will cause students to change their plans.
“These warnings are issued with regularity on a seasonal basis,” Steinberg said. “Every year we receive a moderate influx of questions and concerns from parents and students, however the nature of these calls is purely informational. Students rarely ever cancel their trip.”
Yet one of the students deciding to forgo his trip is senior communication major Paul Friedman, who said safety is his top priority.
“Regardless of how much I’d be paying, safety is more important,” Friedman said. “While it doesn’t seem to have affected tourists that much yet, the fact is, at any moment Mexico’s government could be toppled and drug lords are in control.”
Student-aimed websites such as StudentCity.com and Springbreaktravel.com have posted the travel alerts, as well. The alert on StudentCity’s website said travel alerts have not specifically been issued for areas where they offer spring break trips.
Senior economics major Mike Martorella had planned to vacation in Acapulco, Mexico, this spring, but because of the violence, he decided to cancel his plans even after paying more than $1,000 for his trip.
“I just don’t think it’s worth the trouble,” Martorella said. “I mean, if I’m thinking about the dangers while I’m vacationing, I won’t be able to relax, and that’s the point of a vacation, isn’t it?”
Catherine Donohoe, the university’s study abroad adviser for Spain and Latin America, said many students are still choosing to travel to Mexico, even despite the alerts.
“In our experience, well-established university-based study abroad programs do a very good job of addressing safety concerns. … We must keep in mind that Mexico is a very large country,” Donohoe said. “Puebla is located over 1,000 miles from Ciudad Juarez, so we cannot easily reach conclusions about what happens in Puebla based on what happens near the U.S. border.”
Sophomore psychology major Kayla Zionts is one of the students Donohoe described: Though Zionts is aware of the risks involved, she’s sticking with her spring break plans.
“I’m really nervous about the situation in Mexico,” Zionts said. “But I already paid, so I’m going to go.”
Similarly, Brian Canell, sophomore letters and sciences major, has already booked a trip to Acapulco and is going because the money is non-refundable.
“I had reservations because I got e-mails from the government and [the university] about crime, and my parents were afraid that I’d get robbed or kidnapped, but the fact that I’m going with 15 other people makes me still want to go,” Canell said.
Joy Lee, a senior communication major, traveled to Puebla and Mexico City in Jan. 2007 for her College Park Scholars American Studies program. She said she was not warned by the program of any dangers specifically relating to Mexico, but was given basic travel tips.
“The students traveling to Mexico for spring break may be in more danger, only because they will be going to touristy locations where it’s known that they’ll have large sums of money with them,” Lee said.
“There may be a lot more Americans around, but at the same time, everyone will be sharing the same target on their backs,” she added.
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