Last year (1998), two events in southern Mexico and Guatemala have raised concerns about the safety of participants in study abroad program between the University of Florida and the University of the Yucatan. The killing of 45 indigenous people in the state of Chiapas and the robbery and rape in southern Guatemala of several US college students from St. Mary's College in Maryland has brought this issue of safety to the forefront. Added to this are reports of robberies in Mexico and Central America all of which raise concerns about whether precautions are taken to ensure the safety of students on our program here at the Unviversity of Florida.
The Yucatan exchange program began in 1984 and continues every year to
attract students from UF and other universities as well as students from
the University of the Yucatan who come to study at UF. Each year
we review ways to ensure that the program is safe and effective.
To the credit of the program, we have never had a violent incident within
the program. The total number of participants for the program is
over 600. This is not to say that we are resting on this good fortune,
only that the Office of Overseas Studies and Programs and the advisors
of the program are very aware of the possible risks of traveling in other
countries and we do what we are able to limit the possibilities of something
happening. We have had students who have had their purses and wallets
taken, students who were detained by the police when they didn't have identification
with them, and students who have been in traffic accidents in Mexico.
But Merida and the state of Yucatan remain an extremely safe place.
My own children grew up spending a lot of time in Merida; my wife and I
always felt they were safer there than in Gainesville or most places in
the US.
The procedures we use to limit the possibility of interpersonal violence
are built into the structure of the program. Every student receives
written and verbal orientations about personal safety while traveling.
Although people in the city of Merida and the state of Yucatan are extremely
hospitable, sometimes the unique experiences of living in a different country
puts students at a disadvantage as normal carefulness can be forgotten.
Our orientation material stresses that one should always travel with other
people, preferably local residents, to take taxis late at night to return
home, to always let the family students are staying with know their travel
plans, and to have a plan for dealing with emergencies. We also give
students a list of emergency telephone numbers including a card to carry
in their purse or wallet with the numbers of the local police and contacts
on it. Each year we meet with the US consul in Merida and discuss
issues of danger, drugs, and emergency procedures in case of natural or
social calamities with the students on the programs.
The purpose of study abroad and exchange programs is to learn about the world by seeing life "from the inside." While in Yucatan, we encourage students to take advantage of their time in Mexico to explore, to travel, and to learn first hand what life is like there. We go on weekly excursions to villages and archaeology sites, always using either the University of Yucatan buses or those from a private company. Local scholars and professors from the University of the Yucatan accompany us on the trips, and our itinerary is well known by other university officials, the bus companies, and the families of the students. We also go to well known places where people know us from our trips from previous years.
The events of Chiapas and Guatemala were horrible. But they happened at a great distance from the Yucatan. In Chiapas, the violence that occurred had been building at least since 1994 when a rebel group began an open conflict with the government and with local landowners. In Guatemala, civil society has suffered greatly due to fifteen years of violence which has left the country torn apart. Yucatan, on the other hand, is known as a very peaceful part of Mexico. Relations with the United States have always been friendly, so much so that the state of Yucatan petitioned to become part of the US several times, most recently in the 1960s! More importantly, Yucatan is a place where poverty exists, but also where local citizens work hard to bring about democratic change. Yucatan is one of the only states in either Mexico or the U.S., for example, to have had a woman mayor of the capital city and a woman governor of the state in the early 1990s. Opposition politics are healthy in Yucatan, and the state is often held up as an example of a place with a strong civil society and concern for economic and social equality. These features help make our stay in Yucatan safer than in other areas.
The best preparation for a successful and safe time in a place like Merida
is to learn as much as possible about the region, to learn from the people
there on how they themselves live a secure and safe life, and to keep concern
about personal safety a priority while enjoying the experience of living
in another culture. The program office as well as the advisors for
the program, Drs. Mark Brenner and Allan Burns look forward to discussing
these issues with you.