An increasing number of Penn students are not letting State Department travel warnings get in the way of their study abroad plans, officials say.
School administrators say they are letting more and more students travel to countries the government views as exceptionally risky.
Since 2004, Penn has allowed students to petition to study in countries that are on the State Department warning list if they are able to show a need to travel to those locations for specific academic reasons.
There are 26 countries on the list, including Israel, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Pat Martin, Penn's senior overseas program manager, said that she has no estimate of the number of students who petitioned this year. However, she says that the number was higher this year than in previous years.
And for students like College senior Dvora Wilensky, ignoring the State Department has its benefits.
"I've wanted to go to Israel my whole life, so for people who really want to go, [the State Department warning and petition process] is not really a deterrent," she said.
Wilensky attended Hebrew University in Israel, which is an increasingly popular destination for American students after the number of foreign attendees plummeted in the years following 2001.
Penn Office of International Programs officials say that many universities -- including Penn -- began to take these warnings more seriously after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, after which Penn shut down study-abroad programs in most of the countries on the list.
But now, more and more students are bypassing the State Department's recommendations.
Before 2001, about 1,000 American students enrolled in Hebrew University's exchange program, according to Amy Sugin, director of academic affairs for the University's Rothberg International School.
In 2003, the number dropped to 250 students, but is on the rise, nearing 800 people.
Martin said that the petition process helps students like Wilensky get to the places they want.
"We fully inform them of the situation and let them know that it is not advisable per the State Department, but if they still feel strongly and they undertake the petition process, then we know that they are serious," Martin said.
Students must write a statement explaining the academic reasons for the petition, and both they and their parents must sign security waivers indicating that they understand all the risks involved.
For Wilensky, her desire to study in Israel was greater than the trouble of going through a petition process.
"None of us were ever discouraged from studying in Israel," Wilensky said.
Her group was the first from Penn allowed to study in Israel after it was banned following the attacks.
According to Bureau of Consular Affairs spokeswoman Laura Tischler, there are no set criteria for placing certain countries on the travel warning list, but they normally include political and health risks.
"A travel warning is issued when the State Department recognizes a particular threat involved with travel in that country. One possible impetus is, if we have restriction on travel of diplomats to that state, then we will issue a warning," Tischler said.
She added that some warnings apply to only specific parts of a country.
"Students go abroad and learn about the world, but we want them to be aware of the conditions first," Tischler said.
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