May trips to Mexico cancelled because of swine flu
Eric Ludy
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: News
Two planned study abroad trips to Mexico through UMD's International Education Office (IEO) were cancelled in a decision last week by U of M administration to play it safe in regards to the swine flu outbreak there.
In one trip, six students and an instructor were planning to go to Mexico City and Chiappas in the last week of May, and in the other, 16 students, a teaching assistant and an instructor were planning a trip to Guanajuato from late May to early June.
"Students were really disappointed. We were all disappointed, " said Alice Bier, the director of the IEO.
One issue with the cancellation is how to deal with the airline tickets purchased. Bier said that for the Guanajuato trip, tickets were pre-paid by the university, which would seek to have the flights rescheduled. For the other trip to Mexico City, however, airline tickets were purchased individually by students.
To aid them in seeking refunds or in rescheduling their flights, the IEO wrote a formal letter from the university explaining the cancellation that individual students could submit to their respective airlines.
Susana Pelayo-Woodward, the instructor leading the trip to Mexico City, has planned to reschedule the trip for the 2010 winter break in January, according to Bier.
The trip to Guanajuato, however, will not be rescheduled, according to Andrew Snustad, the instructor who organized the trip.
In one trip, six students and an instructor were planning to go to Mexico City and Chiappas in the last week of May, and in the other, 16 students, a teaching assistant and an instructor were planning a trip to Guanajuato from late May to early June.
"Students were really disappointed. We were all disappointed, " said Alice Bier, the director of the IEO.
One issue with the cancellation is how to deal with the airline tickets purchased. Bier said that for the Guanajuato trip, tickets were pre-paid by the university, which would seek to have the flights rescheduled. For the other trip to Mexico City, however, airline tickets were purchased individually by students.
To aid them in seeking refunds or in rescheduling their flights, the IEO wrote a formal letter from the university explaining the cancellation that individual students could submit to their respective airlines.
Susana Pelayo-Woodward, the instructor leading the trip to Mexico City, has planned to reschedule the trip for the 2010 winter break in January, according to Bier.
The trip to Guanajuato, however, will not be rescheduled, according to Andrew Snustad, the instructor who organized the trip.
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