Alerts

According to a statement from the Japan Meteorological Agency, an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 has struck the region of Kansai. The earthquake occurred at 0800 hours local time (2300 UTC), roughly 2km (1.2mi) from the town of Takatsuki, in the Osaka Prefecture (roughly 250 miles south of Tokyo). A number of injuries have been confirmed, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that the earthquake has caused at least one fatality. Local train services and bullet trains have been halted in the area, while some areas of Osaka are reportedly experiencing power shortages. No tsunami warning has been issued.

All CIEE participants in Japan are confirmed to be safe. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-40-STUDY.

On Tuesday, 12 June, reportedly two people have been taken hostage in Rue des Petites Ecuries area in what appears to be an isolated incident. The area has been cordoned off and emergency operations are ongoing.

We are closely monitoring the situation, have no reason to believe that any of our students have been directly impacted by this event, and are in the process of contacting our students to ensure they are all safe and aware of the incident, and to provide needed guidance for staying safe.  We will provide updates here of any relevant developments. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-40-STUDY.

According to local media sources on Tuesday, 12 June, the hostage situation that took place at 45 rue des Petites Stables in Paris has been resolved. All hostages were released with one suffering minor injuries, and the hostage taker was arrested following operations by the emergency and police services. Currently a part of the street surrounding the building where the situation took place remains closed. Students were notified of the event and there has been no indication of any direct impact to CIEE  students or staff. We will provide updates here of any relevant developments. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-40-STUDY.

Dear Colleagues, Parents, Guardians, and Students,

I am writing to share an academic update regarding the ongoing student protests in Chile, which have led to an extended disruption of classes at Universidad de Chile (including Facultad Economía y Negocios (FEN)-Universidad de Chile, which operates independently), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad Diego Portales. These protests continue to result in intermittent campus closures. CIEE students have been cautioned to stay away from active protest areas.

Both CIEE classes and Universidad de Chile classes with an international student enrollment majority continue to meet. In addition to receiving information at in-person meetings at the CIEE office, students are receiving regular emails with instructions for contacting professors, for completing assignments, and for reporting any classes that they are unable to attend due to protest activities. CIEE Santiago on-site staff and the Registration team in Portland are tracking this information for all courses in which CIEE students are enrolled.

CIEE Santiago on-site staff continue to work closely with the host institution faculty and staff; with these partners, we have begun to develop contingency plans should the protests disrupt any testing locations or testing dates.  However, there are no anticipated changes to the program end date at this time.  On-site staff in Santiago will keep students informed of any further developments, and CIEE will notify home school advisors and emergency contacts as the situation evolves.

If you have any concerns regarding health, safety, and security in Santiago, we encourage you to contact our Director of Health, Safety, and Security, Colin McElroy at hss@ciee.org. If you wish to discuss any academic concerns, please reach out to the Regional Director of Operations for Global Institutes - Latin America, Erik Perez at eperez@ciee.org. As always, CIEE staff can also be reached at 1-800-40-STUDY.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Wood

ALEXANDRA WOOD, Ph.D.  //  CIEE

Vice President of Academic Affairs - Study Abroad

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Dear Colleagues, Parents, Guardians, and Students,

I am writing to share an academic update regarding the ongoing student protests in Chile, which have led to an extended disruption of classes at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV).  These protests continue to result in intermittent campus closures. CIEE students have been cautioned to stay away from active protest areas.

CIEE classes and courses offered by the International Student Exchange Program at PUCV continue to meet. CIEE Valparaíso staff have been in email contact with students who are taking PUCV classes in order to keep them apprised of ongoing developments and to share instructions on completing academic work amid the disruptions.  Students have been asked to report all classes that they are unable to attend due to protest activities. CIEE Valparaíso on-site staff and the Registration team in Portland are tracking this information for all courses in which CIEE students are enrolled.

CIEE Valparaíso on-site staff continue to work closely with the host institution faculty and staff; with these partners, we have begun to develop contingency plans should the protests disrupt any testing locations or testing dates.  However, there are no anticipated changes to the program end date at this time.  On-site staff in Valparaíso will keep students informed of any further developments, and CIEE will notify home school advisors and emergency contacts as the situation evolves.

If you have any concerns regarding health, safety, and security in Valparaíso, we encourage you to contact our Director of Health, Safety, and Security, Colin McElroy at hss@ciee.org. If you wish to discuss any academic concerns, please reach out to the Regional Director of Operations for Global Institutes - Latin America, Erik Perez at eperez@ciee.org. As always, CIEE staff can also be reached at 1-800-40-STUDY.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Wood

ALEXANDRA WOOD, Ph.D.  //  CIEE

Vice President of Academic Affairs - Study Abroad

On Saturday, 12 May, at least one person has been killed in a mass stabbing in Place de l'Opera area. Reports indicate that the attacker has been shot dead by the security forces. Several people have been injured during the incident. The area has been cordoned off and emergency operations are ongoing.

We have no reason to believe that any of our students have been directly impacted by this event, but are in the process of contacting our students to ensure they are all safe and aware of the event, and to provide needed guidance for staying safe.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-40-STUDY.

Dear Colleagues, Parents, Guardians, and Students,

I am writing to share an academic update following the disruption of classes at Centre International Rennais d’Etude du Français pour Etrangers (CIREFE) due to ongoing Université Rennes II student protests.

Our staff in Rennes report that intermittent campus shutdowns have occurred throughout this month. CIREFE, where CIEE students take most of their courses, has been able to anticipate the campus closures and to relocate classes to off-site locations. CIEE Rennes Director Daniel Audaz has been in frequent email contact with students to keep them apprised of the situation, and to provide detail on the alternate classroom venues.

Additionally, CIREFE intends to organize make-up sessions for the approximately 3.5 class days – which primarily impacted phonetics and laboratory classes that take place in computer labs – that were missed as a result of the protests. End-of-term exams are scheduled for next week and during the third week of May; CIREFE will hold these exams at off-campus locations, and no disruptions to student testing or the program end date are anticipated. On-site staff in Rennes will continue to keep students informed of any further developments, and CIEE will notify home school advisors and emergency contacts should the situation change.

If you have any concerns regarding health, safety, and security in Rennes, we encourage you to contact our Director of Health, Safety, and Security, Colin McElroy at hss@ciee.org.  If you wish to discuss any academic concerns, please reach out to the Regional Director of Operations for Southern Europe, Jaime Ramirez at jramirez@ciee.org. As always, CIEE staff can also be reached at 1-800-40-STUDY.

Sincerely,

ALEXANDRA WOOD, Ph.D.  //  CIEE

Vice President of Academic Affairs - Study Abroad

CIEE continues to closely monitor the ongoing situation on the Korean peninsula with the elevated tensions between the United States/South Korean and North Korean governments. Our current intelligence reports for South Korea continue to indicate that while the raised tensions and strong rhetoric will most likely continue in the short-term, the likelihood of direct military action by either side remains low. As such, we are continuing to offer our programs and support our students this semester. CIEE remains prepared to act quickly should the security situation unexpectedly deteriorate.

Security risk assessment ratings from our intelligence providers have not changed due to the heightened tensions, due to repeated weapons tests (including the recent ICBM test-launch in November), or due to the recent comments about conflict in the region made by Sen. Lindsey Graham. The U.S. Department of State has also not issued any warnings or alerts for South Korea or Japan, maintaining only a Travel Warning for North Korea.

Our on-site resident staff in South Korea have indicated that South Koreans are continuing to go about life as usual. For them, the threats and bluster from North Korea are a typical routine.

The safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff is our first priority. CIEE has a robust active emergency and communication plan that includes evacuation assistance and security intelligence services that provide us with frequent updates. We are part of the Overseas Security Advisory Council, a division of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the U.S. Department of State, and we coordinate with a consortium of security professionals that works with more than 60 other colleges and institutions throughout the U.S.

Students have emergency contact information for on-site CIEE staff members, who are available at all times. Our internal alert system includes the ability to contact students quickly through combined text, phone, and email blasts. We also advise students to enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), to ensure they receive the latest information about security issues from the U.S. Embassy.

We will continue to keep you informed of developments as needed. Our website, ciee.org/alerts, is regularly updated and here you will find a list of active alerts to help communicate any health and safety updates regarding our students on programs. You can also read the latest safety and security messages from the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Seoul here. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-40-STUDY.