Studying abroad in today’s world is exciting, but natural disasters and political upheavals can render student safety unpredictable. For the students in Marquette’s South Africa Service Learning program, however, their well-being is secure.

About two weeks ago, Marquette sent a group to Cape Town to assess students’ safety in the South African study abroad program. The entourage included Terry Miller, director of the Office of International Education, Larry Rickard, director of the Department of Public Safety, and Paul Mascari, a lieutenant in DPS.

“It’s important for us to get on the ground no matter where students are to ensure their safety,” Rickard said. “We need to be able to sleep at night while our kids are around the world.”

The visit was part of a university effort to comply with the standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Education’s Clery Act, which, among other things, requires higher education institutions to give timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees, Miller said.

Miller has been involved in international higher education for 14 years, and this trip marks his third to Cape Town.

“The program was thoroughly reviewed, and overall it passed with flying colors,” he said.

The team checked out the safety of the students’ housing, transportation, school and service sites. Rickard said he was very satisfied with the layout of the house where all the students live, noting secure windows, doors and locks.

Though transportation has been a concern in the past, Rickard said he was pleased and impressed with how well-connected the transportation administor was with the community. This asset is especially vital in maintaining awareness of possible community uprisings, he said.

Rickard also mentioned a possibility of introducing new modes of communication such as providing students and administers with radios in the case of critical circumstances.

“Communication and transportation are the keys to safety,” he said.

While the university conducts overseas visits for all study abroad locations, Miller said there is a particular affinity to the service-learning programs in Madrid, Spain and Cape Town because the two programs are run directly by the university.

While the Madrid students perform service work at one central site, in Cape Town the students volunteer in several different communities, complicating safety matters for Marquette. The university also assumes substantial responsibility in Cape Town because students live in the Kimberley House, which is the only property Marquette leases overseas.

“It raises the bar on our review of the program and compliance to it,” Miller said.

The students in Cape Town are nearing the end of their semester, and many feel as comfortable there as they did in Milwaukee.

Melissa May, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she feels relatively safe in Observatory, the bohemian suburb where students live, in large part because of Marquette’s pre-departure preparation.

“It’s just like any city,” she said in an e-mail. “You have to be aware of your surroundings, use your head and always bring a buddy with you.”

Charlie Wagner, a junior in the College of Business Administration, feels the same way.

“Observatory is about as dangerous as a bad part of Milwaukee, but with common sense and good situational awareness, danger can be avoided,” he said in an e-mail.

Rickard, who has never visited the city before, mentioned he was touched by the students’ work there and said they all seemed to be in great spirits.

“I’ve never been prouder of Marquette,” he said. “I wish all Marquette students had this opportunity.”