Pitt forwards State Department terrorism alert

The University advised students studying abroad in Europe to take extra precautions after the… The University advised students studying abroad in Europe to take extra precautions after the U.S. Department of State issued a warning Sunday about possible terrorist attacks on the continent.

The alert, which expires Jan. 31, has not affected study abroad students’ classes or travel throughout Europe and should not affect spring study abroad programs, said Jeffrey Whitehead, interim director of the Study Abroad Office.

An e-mail sent to students Sunday night included a link to the travel alert — which is one step below a more serious travel warning — and recommendations for staying safe in Europe, Whitehead said.

He said students should “maintain caution and vigilance in their travels” and instructed them to walk away from a situation at the first sign of trouble. Whitehead also warned students to make sure they keep their cell phones fully charged, turned on and with them at all times.

He also encouraged students to register with the embassy nearest to the city where they study, a tip the U.S. Department of State echoed when it suggested that U.S. citizens should register their travel plans with the embassy nearest them.

“At this time, this travel alert will not affect programs for next semester,” Whitehead said. “We will make the same recommendations to our spring students that we are currently making to our fall students.”

Whitehead encouraged students planning to go abroad next semester to speak with their parents about the best possible location, since “study abroad is typically a decision that a family makes together.”

Safety should always play a role when students decide where to study abroad, he said.

Current information from the Department of State suggested that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations are continuing to plan terrorist attacks on major tourist destinations across Western Europe.

The main targets, according to the U.S. Department of State website, include public transportation systems and other tourist-attracting infrastructures. Terrorists have targeted such structures in the past, including subway and rail systems, as well as planes and boats.

Melissa Swafford, a junior who plans to study abroad in Spain in the spring, was shocked to hear about the travel alert but ultimately said that it will most likely not affect her plans.

“This is the chance of a lifetime. People always say you have to do it. I don’t want fear to overrule my drive to go. I think I’ll still end up going, but I’ll definitely be more cautious,” Swafford said.

Patrick F. Kennedy, the U.S. under secretary of state for management, told the Post-Gazette on Sunday that the alert was not meant to discourage Americans from traveling to Europe, but rather to “urge common-sense precautions, including vigilance about unattended packages, loud noises and moving away quickly if something is beginning to happen.”

Representatives from the Department of State could not be reached for comment yesterday.