The International Programs and Services Office at the Pace University Pleasantville campus has remained optimistic about study abroad in the face of the Paris attacks that took place on Fri., Nov. 13.

Study Abroad Program Coordinator Kristina Byrne said that Pace contacted all students abroad in Paris or other European cities and that they are safe.

“We’ve been in contact with students since [last] Friday,” Byrne said. “All of our students are ok. We did have actually one student who was in Paris.”

Byrne also said the student had been offered counseling services by Pace and the student’s host school.

According to Byrne, the students have voiced their safety concerns but have not requested early termination of their trips.

“A lot of the other students were rightfully scared,” Byrne said. “No one has expressed any concern at this time yet to come home. They’re shaken up, but from what we know they seem to be doing ok.”

Byrne said that Pace students planning to study abroad in the upcoming winter intersession or spring semester have not withdrawn their applications since the Paris attacks.

“I’ve had a couple of students asking for additional support and advisement on how Pace is handling the situation,” Byrne said.

“Montaigne to Beaumarchais: Classical Influences on Contemporary France,” a study abroad course to Paris planned for the spring, was cancelled in the aftermath of the attacks.

Professors Dr. Harold Brown and Dr. Adelia Williams-Lubitz, who were leading the course, reached their decision last Sun., Nov. 15, and met with members of the International Studies office next Monday. Brown said the decision was not easy nor made lightly.

“What really brought the entire business home was seeing images of a young student from California who was  attaining life long goals by studying abroad in Paris for a semester, and who was killed while having dinner with a small group of friends and fellow students,” Brown said. “At that point, I wanted to go to Paris to show our independence, but I also realized that the only responsible decision was to cancel the trip.”

There still is a faculty-led trip to Paris in place in January for the winter intersession. The course, “Understanding a Globalized World,” is led by professors Dr. Baptiste Barbot and Dr. Nils Myszkowski.

“[The course is] actually led by two Parisian Pace professors, so they’re very confident in having the course continue to go at this time,” Byrne said. “We had an additional pre-departure session to go over the current state in Paris and kind of give students the resources they need to make any decisions.”

Myszkowski said they provided information to the students and invited them to find out more about the situation independently.

“We however mentioned the security changes in the hosting University and explained what would be different there,” Myszkowski said. “We also explained that the cultural events that may be planned could be different for security reasons.”

Myszkowski said he and Barbot considered canceling the course, but decided against it after assessing the situation and discussing it with the Department Chair, the Psychology Undergraduate Program co-chair and the Study Abroad Program Coordinator.

Further, Myszkowski said that schools and universities remain open in France thanks to reinforced security levels. He also said all guest lecturers are still scheduled to present and that the course’s content has not been altered.

“This travel course is attached to a winter school for international MA students in Behavioral Economics with prestigious international guest lecturers in the domain,” Myszkowski said.

According to Byrne, travel warnings posted by the U. S. State Department may affect study abroad programs. Students who are currently abroad are covered under Pace insurance and registered in the U. S. State Department as foreign travelers, Byrne said. Therefore, students will be contacted by the U. S. Embassy and evacuated in the event of another attack or emergency if necessary.

Byrne said that although it is a “scary time to be traveling,” she encourages students to consider international travel while assessing “personal risks.”

“We’re just following a lot of the recommended sites and making sure that we’re making the best decisions for the health and safety of our students,” Byrne said. “We’re still very much encouraging students to keep an open mind when it comes to study abroad. The only way you’re going to increase your cultural awareness and get a view of what’s going on in the world is to travel the world.”

Professor Alessandra Galassi, originally from Rome, has no intention of cancelling her international travel plans. She will be traveling to Rome to celebrate Thanksgiving and visit her family.

“I am still going next Tuesday, but I am more anxious than other times. As a matter of fact I am never anxious to travel but I am now,” Galassi said. “However, I am convincing myself that this is the right moment to travel because it’s more controlled. What makes me anxious the most is not too much the possibility of losing my life but the fact that my kids will grow up without me. That’s my worry.”

Galassi said that she does not intend to “do anything differently” when she arrives in Rome despite of her fear.

“I’ll do what I always do,” Galassi said. “Go out, see friends, stay with the family, and enjoy my city. But I am sure my mother will tell me to stay home and be safe, she does get nervous.”

It is unclear if students are eligible to receive a refund if they choose to return early from their trips. According to Byrne, the matters of a refund would be dependent on the program policy of the host institution and would need further discussion wit the International Studies Office at Pace.