Education Abroad
Summer 20XX

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I am writing to you as the listed emergency contact for an IU student who will be studying abroad soon. Your student, like the other IU students who have studied abroad, will find that overseas study will add an important dimension to his or her education, offering a broader perspective on their studies and on themselves, preparing them for new opportunities and more interesting lives. Returnees from programs tell us: “This was the best experience of my life,” “I have learned a lot about myself and have grown as a person,” and “You learn more by living there than you ever could in a classroom.”

ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION ABROAD
IU Education Abroad acts as liaison between students abroad and the academic and administrative units of IU. If you have questions about program fees, financial aid for the program, housing or academic issues, contact this office first. Students studying abroad represent exceptions to the normal processes of the offices of the Registrar, Bursar and Student Financial Assistance, so it is often easier for you to get answers to your questions through Education Abroad. The enclosed card lists the ways to reach our staff. Keep one copy for yourself and be sure to give one to the student to carry at all times while abroad.

INFORMATION
We expect the students to read carefully the Getting Started booklet, program handbook, and other materials from this office. But it is important that you too read them, so that you are as well informed as possible about academic expectations, program costs and fee payments, money and banking, health insurance, and the academic calendar. You’ll find the handbooks here. If you don’t have access to the Internet, please call our office so we can send you the print version.

HEALTH ISSUES
On a medical history form we asked each student to provide us with information on any physical or emotional condition which might require treatment abroad. This information could be crucial for our resident directors in anticipating and dealing with any health problems that might arise during the student’s stay abroad. Please contact this office immediately if you believe it important to add anything to the information already provided.

SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITY
Our first priority is always the health, safety and security of IU students abroad. We have provided extensive information and advice to all students in preparation for their period overseas, and we work closely with program administrators abroad on a continuous basis to safeguard the health, safety, and security of participants. We stress to program participants that they must act responsibly in their daily choices and behaviors so as to minimize risks. In addition, we expect you to play an important role in discussing safety and behavior issues with your student, in keeping in touch while he or she is abroad, and in being responsive to this office should we request information or advice concerning the student. We draw your attention to the “Recommendations to Parents/Guardians/Families” in the Getting Started guide, as well as the summary list of health, safety, and security items found here.

When Education Abroad is informed about an emergency situation abroad in a city or country where IU students are located, we will work to confirm the safety of IU students. Depending upon the type of program, such communications might be directed to partner institutions/organizations, to IU program faculty/staff traveling with students, or to individual students.

COMMUNICATIONS UPON ARRIVAL
Give the study abroad participants several days to get oriented abroad before you expect them to contact you since an immediate call or e-mail may not be possible. Students will need time to locate a public telephone, a computer with e-mail access, purchase a telephone debit card or a local cell phone, or visit a designated office with set hours in order to call. They may also be exhausted, or forget. Give them several days to master the communication systems at their site.

VARYING REACTIONS TO THE NEW CULTURE
Almost all students abroad report developing new levels of self-confidence and self-reliance, but a period of mild disappointment, homesickness, or depression is a normal part of the study abroad experience. All students, regardless of previous experience, maturity, disposition, or knowledge of the country in which they will be living, experience some degree of culture shock, with periods of frustration, adjustment, even depression. It is common for students to contact home during moments of low morale, but not when they are busy and things are going well. Keep these inevitable low moments in perspective by realizing that homesickness and culture shock are usual, expected, and transcended—usually within a few days. Encourage the student to talk first with the Resident Director or the staff at the office for international students for advice and help in addressing any problems that can be resolved abroad. Feel free to contact this office if you are concerned about the welfare or state of mind of the student. We can contact on-site program representatives to determine if any action should be taken or to supply you with information to address your concerns.

VISITING THE PROGRAM
If you plan to visit the program site abroad, please schedule the trip for one of the program’s vacation times or after the program has ended. It is not realistic to expect that students can focus on classes or exams when friends or relatives are in town. Even if you are not planning to visit during the program, you may wish to apply for a passport should travel abroad become necessary. If you do not have a current passport, you can find instructions on how to obtain one at the U.S. State Department’s website here.

COMMUNICATIONS
Should you have any questions or concerns about study abroad, please feel free to contact me. You can also check our website here. We hope that each and every one of the students studying abroad will have a rewarding and safe overseas study experience.

Sincerely yours,

IU Education Abroad Staff

edabroad@iu.edu

abroad.iu.edu