The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/office-of-global-learning/)
Although Cornellians have enjoyed studying abroad in countries like the United Kingdom and Italy, many have also had to navigate the unique challenges brought about by the Russian-Ukrainian war.
As Cornellians study abroad for the first time since March 2020, uncertainty surrounding COVID restrictions, new variants and limited programs raise concern.
During the 2020-2021 academic year, the University suspended study abroad programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While this overarching policy has been lifted for the next school year, many other restrictions remain, hindering student plans.
As much as we love Cornell, many students jump at the chance to leave. Whether it is for a break, a semester or a whole academic year, many students take the opportunity to participate in an exodus off-campus and explore new and exciting places either abroad or domestically. But can you really blame them? Imagine an opportunity to act like an adult but with a great support system, a chance to skip an Ithaca winter and spend our weekends traveling to nearby countries, or doing homework in a forest. Sounds better than trekking to the arts quad.
After five months of protests in Hong Kong, the city’s universities are becoming epicenters of increasingly violent conflict— and now international students studying abroad in Hong Kong, like Abbie Zhu ’21, are evacuating the city.
The newly instituted Office of Global Learning aims to better integrate international students into the Cornell community and sponsor more study abroad opportunities for Cornellians.