International & Off-Campus Studies and COVID-19
International and Off-Campus Studies (IOS) at St. Olaf College is closely monitoring the COVID-19 (often called “corona virus”) outbreak. We review information from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of State, international government officials, and our partners and universities around the world. IOS regularly monitors a variety of international events (disease, natural disasters, political upheaval, local strikes, etc.) and has procedures in place to protect the health and well-being of our students off-campus.
Only one off-campus program has been canceled for spring or summer 2020. In isolated areas with local outbreaks, students who are presently abroad are following locally-devised health checks, quarantine measures, or travel limitations. Plans are underway to amend programs as needed for Summer 2020 and beyond. We strive to reduce (but generally cannot eliminate) the negative impacts to students’ finances or degree progress when programs need to be re-routed or canceled.
Our first priority in communication is targeted messaging to students who are presently affected by an outbreak. Our next priority is preparation for students planning to study in an affected area anywhere around the globe, including in the U.S. Our third priority is responding to parent and family concerns, as we encourage students to be the main conduit of information to their families. Our final priority is informing friends and alumni of the college.
We encourage IOS participants to actively monitor the disease outbreak for themselves, to heed the advice of the local staff at their program sites, to follow CDC precautions to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses, and to discuss their individual circumstances with IOS and their families as they make decisions. We understand that individual participants and their families may make their own choices, even if those differ from the recommendations of the College.
IOS can be reached at ios@stolaf.edu