SAFETI Clearinghouse : On-Line Newsletter : Introduction

SAFETI On-Line Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 1, Fall 1999-Winter 2000

Introduction
by Gary Rhodes

The SAFETI (Safety Abroad First - Educational Travel Information) Clearinghouse Project, develops and disseminates resources to support study abroad program development and implementation, emphasizing issues of health and safety. This is possible using a World Wide Web-based Clearinghouse format, enhancing collaboration between higher education institutions, government, and non-governmental organizations. It is funded through support by FIPSE (the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education ) of the US Department of Education, and is a part of the Center for Global Education.

The SAFETI On-Line Newsletter serves to promote the development and dissemination of information on issues related to health and safety and study abroad. This first edition of the newsletter includes articles which present thoughts about orientation courses, sexual harassment and assault, drugs and alcohol, language issues, as well as an introduction to other useful Websites.

Orientation Courses: A Background: For over 20 years, Bruce La Brack at the University of the Pacific has been teaching a course for students prior to participating in study abroad (INTL 151: Cross-Cultural Training 1) and another course to support the re-entry process after students return from study abroad (INTL 161: Cross-Cultural Training 2). He previously wrote an article about how the course was initiated. For the first edition of the Newsletter, he has written an update on the development of the course since that time. The Intercultural Press has been generous in allowing us to disseminate the earlier article as well.

Sexual Harassment and Assault: Nancy Newport’s work had been introduced to us through the resources she had developed that had been used by the Peace Corps in the area of sexual harassment and assault. Her insights bring to light many issues that administrators should take into account when developing effective policy and procedure in this area.

Drug and Alcohol Use and Abuse: Joel Epstein, an expert in the use and abuse of Drugs and Alcohol on US college and university campuses, brings to light how the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act may place certain responsibilities upon institutions in terms of drug and alcohol use and abuse by students on their programs.

Language Issues: Rodney Sangster is a Regional Director for the University of California Education Abroad Programs. His academic background is in linguistics. In his article, he has raised many important questions about whether the duty of the institution to the study raises higher when the student is not fluent in the language of the country where the student is studying.

Special Section: Background on Other World Wide Web Resources: For this issue, there is a background on the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) organization, Mobility International, an introduction to the SAFETI Adaptation of Peace Corps Resources, in areas ranging from Crisis Management and Personal Safety to Malaria, etc., as well as other relavant Web Resources for health and safety and study abroad.

These articles will appear in the SAFETI Newsletter and their information will be integrated into the relevant content areas of the SAFETI Clearinghouse. We hope that you find the articles in the Newsletter useful. We will be publishing the Second Edition in Summer 2000. If you have ideas for articles or experts that you think we should contact, or if you would like to contribute and article, we would appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Gary Rhodes, Editor and Director
Center for Global Education
SAFETI Clearinghouse
LACIS - SOCCIS, LMU Extension
University Hall
Loyola Marymount University
1 LMU Drive, Suite 1840
Los Angeles, CA 90045-2659
Phone: (310) 338-7451
Fax: (310) 338 - 2706
E-Mail: grhodes@lmu.edu
URL: http://globaled.us/safeti

Gary Rhodes, Ph.D.is Director of the Center for Global Education at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and Editor of SAFETI (Safety Abroad First - Educational Travel Information) Clearinghouse. Before this, Dr. Rhodes served as Program Coordinator in the USC Office of Overseas Studies for nine years. His doctoral dissertation for his Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education Systems/Administration of Higher Education is titled Legal Issues and Higher Education: Key Issues for Institutions and Administrators (May 1994). He has served as an expert witness, written articles, given presentations, led workshops, and has been widely cited at the local, national, and international level in issues related to health and safety, risk management, and legal issues for study abroad. He has served NAFSA: Association of International Educators (NAFSA) as the Region XII (California, Nevada, and Hawaii) Representative for Study Abroad (SECUSSA) and is currently a NAFSA Professional Development Program trainer for Education Abroad Advising. He is co-author of the chapter "Legal Issues" in NAFSA's Guide to Education Abroad for Advisers and Administrators, 2nd Edition (1997). He has served as a member of the MICROSIG Steering Team, and is member of the SECUSSA Subcommittee for Data Collection.