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Officials said 12 GW students are studying in China despite SARS fears.
GW-affiliated programs, including the Counsel on International Educational Exchange and the Counsel on International Education, canceled their East Asian programs for the remainder of the spring semester, said Courtney Goike, a GW Study Abroad coordinator.
SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, has spread throughout Asia since it first appeared in China last November. Although the World Health Organization said several Asian countries have successfully contained the spread of the disease, China is still struggling to cope with thousands of infected citizens.
As of Wednesday, 372 people had died from the disease, while an additional 5,401 were infected worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
The Institute for the International Education of Students, a GW affiliate, already canceled its summer 2003 program in Beijing. Michael Steinberg, executive vice president and director of academic programs for IES, said a "final decision" on whether IES will hold its fall semester in Beijing will be made by July 1.
"One member institution has made the decision not to allow students to go to China," said Steinberg, who declined to identify its name. "I see that as premature. If we felt that there wasn't a good chance that (SARS) can be turned around, we wouldn't go ahead with the semester."
Steinberg said IES has seen an increase in applications for the China program for the fall.
Five GW students are scheduled to study in Beijing with the IES program either next fall or for the entire academic year, Steinberg said.
However, Goike said students have expressed concern about the disease's impact on travel and logistics.
"Some GW students abroad in Chinese programs that haven't been cancelled or suspended have indicated to (the study abroad office) that they may take a voluntary withdraw and return," Goike said.
She said the Office for Study Abroad keeps track of the spread of SARS in East Asia and follows updates and statistics on the disease with other college administrators on a Yahoo Group Web site. The site allows study abroad coordinators to keep up to date with the latest information on SARS and study programs in China.
