Student and Scholar Orientation in 2016

Kerry Geffert
Product Evangelist, Terra Dotta

A recent article in The PIE News, “Safety net: how to manage risk for students & staff abroad”, reminds us of our constant need to update crisis management plans. While the article focuses on events happening abroad, domestic crisis management plans as they relate to our international students and scholars also require periodic revisiting based on recent events.

So, too, do our orientation programs. As you prepare your pre-departure or arrival orientation sessions on the topic of Health & Safety, have you found yourself wondering if, given world and national events of late, you should be providing new, additional information?

I remember back when I was a child, we practiced air raid drills at school. We would all proceed to the lowest level of our elementary school because it was a designated air raid shelter, and there we would hug the walls. It has been decades since elementary school children have done this.

And on the television, there were warnings about picking up unknown objects found on sidewalks. The concern was for blasting caps that could cause bodily injury if handled incorrectly. That was 1960s terror.

As an international student advisor in the 1980s and 1990s, I remember coaching our new international students on how not to look like a tourist when visiting New York City. We spoke of petty theft, locking doors and personal safety. Today’s advisors likely include these and many more topics, some universal and some specific to the institution’s locale.

Have the topics changed in just the past year, or even six months, whether for incoming international students or departing education abroad students? What new topics have arisen that are becoming important when preparing students for life in their new surroundings?

Following are a few possibilities that are, admittedly, scary. The extent to which they might be addressed (from not at all to special sessions) is a decision that may be influenced by factors such as location, institutional culture and our own comfort level with the topics. However, like fire drills, they raise our awareness and help us prepare our response should a rare and unlikely event occur.
 

Understanding Gun Laws

High profile, media attracting shootings can be curious and frightening incidents to students from countries with much different gun laws. Likewise, it may be disconcerting for us in the U.S. to read statements on the webpages of other countries. For instance, the German Foreign Ministry webpage about traveling to the U.S. says in part, “In the US, it is relatively easy to obtain possession of weapons. Should you be the victim of an armed robbery, do not try to fight back!” The Australian information about U.S. Safety and Security says, in part, “You should be vigilant to the possibility of gun crime in all parts of the United States. No matter where you intend to travel, you should do some research on which local areas or suburbs may be less safe…For those living in the United States, you should familiarise yourself with emergency evacuation and ‘active shooter’ drills.”

International students and scholars may need further information regarding state vs. federal laws. “Open carry,” “concealed carry” and “campus carry” may have relevance to your community and may require further explanation. With the amount of current media coverage, students may require assistance with understanding the laws and cultural influences behind these practices.
 

Lockdowns and Active Shooter Response

While school and campus lockdowns are more common in the U.S., the active shooter topic deserves discussion regardless of whether students are coming to the U.S. or are headed for a program abroad. Infact, it may be a consideration for all of us. While we think of active shooters as using firearms, recent European events have shown that other weapons can be involved.

By the time students reach our campuses, they have likely participated in a school lockdown at some point in their secondary education. A January 2014 New York Times article proclaimed “In [an] Age of School Shootings, Lockdown Is the New Fire Drill.” International students, scholars and their dependents may require background and resources to understand individual campus procedures.

Active shooter response is likely one of the more unsettling of the newer topics. However, while underscoring the relative rarity and randomness of these occurrences, discussions can be a springboard for helping students to consider appropriate responses and mental preparation. Resources for both of these topics should be available from campus security offices and through the website of the Department of Homeland Security.
 

Emergency Exits

In a 2004 article, “Fighting fire with psychology,” on the website of the American Psychological Association is a finding that “most people will try to exit through the door they entered.” The statement is in relation to fire evacuations, but may have application to other situations such as the active shooter topic.

One need not be an alarmist to encourage emergency preparation, hence the oft-ignored emergency procedure announcements at the beginning of every airline flight. Whether the venue is a classroom, a lecture hall, a cinema, a subway, a restaurant or a dance club, simply noting the closest exit(s) may provide sufficient practice should the rare incidence of evacuation become necessary. Such attention is particularly important when one is outside of one’s normal environment where cultural and local standards may be different than one’s own.
 

Personal Vigilance

Personal vigilance often focuses on warnings to students regarding pickpocketing, protection of valuables, petty theft and other crimes of opportunity. Numerous websites offer tips and items for purchase to guard against would-be criminals and thieves. Despite its Hollywood treatment and unlikely coincidences, the movie Taken even provides a starting point for more realistic conversations regarding personal safety. In these situations, the individual tends to have control of over the level of personal exposure. However, personal vigilance can extend to control of external situations or objects within one’s environment.

Many years ago I did not see a London play because the whole area had been cordoned off. An unidentified package had been discovered near the theatre. It was a false alarm; however, it was indicative of the vigilance that is now required, especially in more urban areas.

“If You See Something, Say Something™” is a campaign of the Department of Homeland Security whose message can apply both in the U.S. and in other countries. The habits involved are actually similar to those we already encourage students to adopt when in a culture different from their own – namely, be observant and watch for clues that can help identify norms and appropriate behavior. When something is incongruous, be ready to take appropriate action.

Safety and security are now routine topics at pre-departure and arrival orientations, whether on our own campuses or abroad. It is important to continually refresh our programs and put these topics in perspective, particularly with extensive coverage by media and social media that may make large-scale crises seem commonplace. Our intent is never to scare or instill fear, but instead to make our students and scholars aware of present dangers and how they can prepare for them, and act responsibly should an event occur. Nor is it meant to curtail student and scholar mobility! As Senator J. William Fulbright observed in his 1983 remarks to CIEE,

“Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations. Man's capacity for decent behavior seems to vary directly with his perception of others as individual humans with human motives and feelings, whereas his capacity for barbarism seems related to his perception of an adversary in abstract terms, as the embodiment, that is, of some evil design or ideology.”