BajaNomad

Students Called Back from Baja California

CaboRon - 4-25-2010 at 07:14 AM

UT System: Stay out of Mexico
By Zahira Torres Austin Bureau
Posted: 04/24/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT


AUSTIN -- The University of Texas System said on Friday that all students, faculty and staff in seven northern Mexico states should immediately return home.

UT System officials cited escalating violence in the Mexican states as the reason for recalling students attending university-sponsored programs in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Baja California and Durango.

Officials said the system's nine universities and six health institutions are already planning the return of about 40 people.

A shootout in Juárez, which is in Chihuahua, killed at least five federal police officers and one city police officer on the day the recall was announced.

Francisco Cigarroa, the UT System chancellor, said in a statement that safety concerns played a key role in the decision.

He said the actions taken "with regard to study-abroad programs and other university-sponsored international activities are prudent, given the unfortunate escalation in violence in these regions."

The suspension of travel for university-sponsored exchange programs in the seven Mexican states is indefinite, officials said. They said they would continue to monitor the situation before deciding to lift restrictions.

Some universities began ordering that students return from Mexico even before the recall was carried out.

The University of Texas at Austin this month suspended its exchange program at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. It recalled six university
students because of concerns over drug-cartel violence.
Administrators of the University of Texas at El Paso said student travel into Mexico for institutional purposes has been "severely restricted" since fall 2009.

But UTEP Executive Vice President Richard Adauto said that after the recall was ordered, the university did ask two staff members in Mexico City to return to El Paso if they were on university business.

The recall does not apply to that area, so the measure was more of a precaution, Adauto said.

Donna Ekal, the associate provost for undergraduate studies at UTEP, said the university also has one student studying near Mexico City.

Adauto said the suspension of university-sponsored travel to certain states in Mexico could affect faculty and staff conducting research.

"I am sure it will affect some people's research efforts as well as any collaborative efforts that were going on with Mexico, but there were not a whole lot of people traveling into Mexico anymore anyway," Adauto said.

He added that university staff had already taken up videoconferencing and other forms of electronic communications with their counterparts in Mexico.

UT System officials said each campus has also been asked to "carefully" review all university-sponsored programs in countries and territories for which the U.S. Department of State has issued travel warnings. Those areas include Kenya, Colombia and the Philippines.

"The institution review committees at the campuses will be looking at those programs and doing their own risk assessments to make sure that those programs are OK and that proper safeguards are in place," said Anthony DeBruyn, a spokesman for the UT System.

Zahira Torres may be reached at ztorres@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606.

Reporter Adriana Gómez Licón contributed to this report.

Students Fantastic Experience in Baja

shari - 4-25-2010 at 07:25 AM

In the name of balanced reporting...this student group from the Grass Valley had an amazing trip to Baja last month. They came as part of their ecology class to study the ecosystems here and their lives were enriched by the incredible experiences they embraced during their month wandering the peninsula....they learned first hand about turtles with Antonio in BOLA, whales and tourism in san ignacio and GN, fishing industry in BA..snorkeled with sealions at Isla Asuncion, learned to dance the cumbia in Ensenada at a school there as well as learned some spanish and made lots of mexican amigos along the way...the trip was a huge success.

[Edited on 4-25-2010 by shari]

snergia 2010.JPG - 48kB

capt. mike - 4-25-2010 at 07:36 AM

good...more beer and tequila for us....:lol::lol::lol:

David K - 4-25-2010 at 08:53 AM

I think that it is clear students are not targets in Mexico...

It is the lack of action by the government of Mexico to stop this that has caused enough concern by those not in Mexico to do the only thing they can to get Mexico to do something serious... leave Mexico or boycott Mexico.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Police are to protect us from criminals or at least to scare criminals from comitting crimes... and in this case, the criminals are not affraid of committing crimes and are killing the police, pretty regularly in Mexico.

What is it going to take to put some SERIOUS action into the works here? Using the army for searching people on the highways... or the border searches going into Mexico isn't doing anything to stop the narco crimes against the Mexican police.

[Edited on 4-25-2010 by David K]

mtgoat666 - 4-25-2010 at 09:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K


What is it going to take to put some SERIOUS action into the works here? Using the army for searching people on the highways... or the border searches going into Mexico isn't doing anything to stop the narco crimes against the Mexican police.


obviously, law enforcement does not have the solution.

perhaps if we redistribute wealth from rich to poor, and equalize the income disparity, the motivating factors for crime would be eliminated, and we could all live in peace and harmony.

make it so!

hope!

yes we can!

lux sit!

David K - 4-25-2010 at 09:03 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Quote:
Originally posted by David K


What is it going to take to put some SERIOUS action into the works here? Using the army for searching people on the highways... or the border searches going into Mexico isn't doing anything to stop the narco crimes against the Mexican police.


obviously, law enforcement does not have the solution.

perhaps if we redistribute wealth from rich to poor, and equalize the income disparity, the motivating factors for crime would be eliminated, and we could all live in peace and harmony.

make it so!

hope!

yes we can!

lux sit!


Oh yes, it worked SO WELL in the USSR, Eastern Europe... :rolleyes:

Packoderm - 4-25-2010 at 09:19 AM

I'll reluctantly join this hijack. Countries that have a more equal distribution of wealth tend the be the countries that have lower criminal and terrorist activity. Those with lopsided wealth distribution seem to be either unsafe hellholes or ruled by tyrannical regimes whose extreme versions of justice is often mirrored by repressive social structures such as sharia law. As far as the USSR goes, if one has not read Animal Farm, one should do so before making such general statements. If Mexico had a more equitable distribution of the wealth, the choice for so many wouldn't so often be a choice between dirt poor peasantry or joining a crime syndicate. It might then be as safe of a country to visit and live as a typical European country. It does not seem accurate for vacationers and retirees from the U.S., who do not need to scramble and make contacts for a living [while in Mexico], to make statements about crime and life in Mexico.








[Edited on 4/25/2010 by Packoderm]

bajajudy - 4-25-2010 at 10:08 AM

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/50-of-new-latam-poverty-in-me...

Bajahowodd - 4-25-2010 at 10:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Packoderm
I'll reluctantly join this hijack. Countries that have a more equal distribution of wealth tend the be the countries that have lower criminal and terrorist activity. Those with lopsided wealth distribution seem to be either unsafe hellholes or ruled by tyrannical regimes whose extreme versions of justice is often mirrored by repressive social structures such as sharia law. As far as the USSR goes, if one has not read Animal Farm, one should do so before making such general statements. If Mexico had a more equitable distribution of the wealth, the choice for so many wouldn't so often be a choice between dirt poor peasantry or joining a crime syndicate. It might then be as safe of a country to visit and live as a typical European country. It does not seem accurate for vacationers and retirees from the U.S., who do not need to scramble and make contacts for a living [while in Mexico], to make statements about crime and life in Mexico.








[Edited on 4/25/2010 by Packoderm]



And just think what we have to look forward to as the US middle class continues to shrink and be stressed.

Packoderm - 4-25-2010 at 11:07 AM

This increase in poverty doesn't seem to be caused by an overall decrease of wealth in Mexico.

Bajahowodd - 4-25-2010 at 11:14 AM

It's what's happening in many places in the world. The rich keep getting richer. It's the distribution of wealth that's the problem.

toneart - 4-25-2010 at 02:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Quote:
Originally posted by Packoderm
I'll reluctantly join this hijack. Countries that have a more equal distribution of wealth tend the be the countries that have lower criminal and terrorist activity. Those with lopsided wealth distribution seem to be either unsafe hellholes or ruled by tyrannical regimes whose extreme versions of justice is often mirrored by repressive social structures such as sharia law. As far as the USSR goes, if one has not read Animal Farm, one should do so before making such general statements. If Mexico had a more equitable distribution of the wealth, the choice for so many wouldn't so often be a choice between dirt poor peasantry or joining a crime syndicate. It might then be as safe of a country to visit and live as a typical European country. It does not seem accurate for vacationers and retirees from the U.S., who do not need to scramble and make contacts for a living [while in Mexico], to make statements about crime and life in Mexico.








[Edited on 4/25/2010 by Packoderm]



And just think what we have to look forward to as the US middle class continues to shrink and be stressed.


Look out! It is already here. We just haven't fully assimilated it yet. So many mortagees underwater. So much unemployment.

Of course crime is worse in countries where there is a vast inequity of wealth vs. poverty!

Now, back to crime in Mexico: It is attributable to the above, but the continued demand for drugs and the willing cartel suppliers is not going away; certainly not by walls, drug wars and military road stops. There is more at play here than meets the eye, and that we aren't privy to.

Regarding the University of Texas, I can understand the recalls. The danger lurks, even if students and tourists are not usually targeted. "Kids will be kids" as the cliche' goes. I have noticed that almost always, when a young person, student or not, is kidnapped or killed, there is almost always some contact with the drug culture in Mexico. It may be a relative that is directly involved, but the kid, innocent or not gets targeted.

The university does have a responsibility and a liability for University programs abroad, despite any misperceptions of the actual danger.

Bajahowodd - 4-25-2010 at 03:42 PM

A sign of the times. It's mostly about potential legal liability.:wow:

toneart - 4-25-2010 at 05:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
A sign of the times. It's mostly about potential legal liability.:wow:


Bingo :!:

bajabass - 4-25-2010 at 05:32 PM

Just another group of people, though small, that probably won't be back in Mexico because of narco violence. The story gets ever more sad, day by day.:( I just hope it hits rock bottom bad soon, so maybe the long climb back to a desirable destination for travel can begin. Thanks for the equal reporting Shari, those kids will never forget their time in Baja! I just hope they come back.