Responsible Study Abroad Case Studies - Practice Contributed by Wendy Williamson Available at

Categories Behavior Health & Safety Disasters

BEHAVIOR (1-9)

1 Your group reassembles after a visit to an open market to re-board the bus to head to the next site. Both visits are part of the academic component of your program. One student reports that her camera was stolen in the market and she hops on the back of a moped taxi because she’s sure she knows who the thief was. She heads back into the market to find the thief. The rest of your group is waiting on the bus.

2 One of your students is consuming way too much alcohol night after night and begins to become verbally abusive to other students and faculty leaders. It is starting to affect program morale and the student's ability to perform their course work.

3 It appears that your co-leader is developing an inappropriate relationship with a 22 year old student on the program. Some of the students are saying that he has tried to call into bed with a few other girls also.

4 One of your students goes off his medication while on program and becomes unstable. He did not self report mental health issues before departing on trip. What do you do?

5 One of your students breaks up with her partner while on program. The problem is her partner is also a student on your program. Group dynamics change dramatically.

6 A student comes to you and tells you in confidence, “Student X has drugs with him.” What do you do?

7 One student is late to almost every group event/function. One day he never arrives at all for the set walking tour. What do you do?

8 A female student dresses inappropriately for the culture, despite your requests and warnings. What do you do?

9 Roommates hate each other! They demand to be moved. There’s no room at the inn. What do you do?

HEALTH & SAFTEY (10-19)

10 Several students in your program are placed in a one-day community service site through an organization the program has worked with for several years. Two nights prior to this scheduled service commitment, a gang- related shooting occurs in the same neighborhood where your students are supposed to fulfill this commitment.

11 A few days before your program starts, one of your students notifies you that she is hospitalized with pneumonia in an adjacent country.

12 You are one of two faculty directors leading a group of 20 students on a spring break program to a medium-size city in Latin America with the final week in a somewhat remote area in a neighboring state. A few days before departure for the neighboring state, a student becomes ill and does not think she can travel with the group. The program is hosted by a well-established center, based in the city, that has staff members who will be accompanying the group (additional staff members will remain in the office).

13 A student comes down with an unknown illness that keeps them from being able to participate in daily activities. There is no "Western" medicine available in the area the program is being held in and the student is not getting any better.

14 A student starts having trouble with her foot and can't walk around with the rest of the group. The next few days will involve a lot of walking around a city and with the short duration of the program the student's inability to participate will drastically hurt their experience and ability to learn what they need to learn while abroad.

15 Student is injured and requires hospitalization during a traveling study abroad program.

16 A young homesick student spends most of the day on a cell phone or lap top, communicating with family and friends back home, never connecting with the students in the group. What do you do?

17 A crying student tells you over breakfast that the young local man she was flirting with the previous night entered her room and sexually assaulted her. What do you do?

18 Due to illness or disability, your student cannot join the group for the set departure. He or she must stay behind as the group moves on. What do you do?

19 A student is hospitalized and his family still is not in the country by the group departure date. What do you do?

DISASTERS (20—28)

20 It's the last day of the program and you (your co- leader, if this applies to you) and your 20 are on the way to the airport, when one of your students discovers that she cannot find her passport. What do you do?

21 Your co-leader has a heart attack during an organized group excursion abroad.

22 You are in an airport abroad with your students waiting to go on to the next program site. Two customs officers have just entered the waiting room, spoken privately to one of your students (an older, unpopular student) who then got up and walked away with them, leaving a bag by the vacated chair. The director also reports that other students on the program had reported that the older student seemed to be involved with the purchase of drugs. The students also report that they had smelled "drug" smoke coming from this student's room. The plane is boarding.

23 Student has learns that her father had a heart attack, is in the hospital, and might die. She is hysterical… what do you do?

24 A student is robbed while traveling the Metro— money, camera, and passport. What do you do?

25 At the Boston airport, half the group is on the plane for the last leg home to Denver. It is the final flight of the day to Colorado. The rest do not clear customs. You have not entered the plane, yet. You could. What do you do?