Several University of Memphis students were in their final stages of preparation for a class trip to Israel over spring break. Bags were being packed, passports had arrived and time off from work had been arranged.
One can imagine their surprise when they received an e-mail on Tuesday, only 12 days before their plane was to depart, with a subject line that read "Some shockingly bad news."
The news was from their teacher, David Patterson, the director of Bornblum Judaic Studies at The U of M and was responsible for planning the entire trip. Patterson let his students know that he had just received a call from International Programs telling him that the President and Provost had canceled the trip. The students were assured that their money would be refunded and they would still get course credit, but many considered that unimportant.
"I've been waiting to go to Israel my whole life," said Laura Coplon, a freshman international business major. "I was really excited about going."
Laura's sister, Anna, who graduated last semester with a degree in political science and international studies, said she stuck around The University just for this trip.
"It's actually quite expensive to take this one class - it was over $1,000," she said. "I took this class because I wanted to go to Israel."
The class, which is called "Israel: Antiquity and Modernity," met on Tuesday night with Chrisann Schiro-Geist, the vice-provost of academic affairs, and David Cox, the executive assistant to the president for partnerships and administration, to discuss the trip.
Although Israel, the West Bank and Gaza strip have been on the State Department's travel warning list since June 2005, the trip had been planned since August 2005. Schiro-Geist said The U of M's policy is to deal with travel to those countries on a "case-by-case basis." She said The University made their recent decision to "postpone" the trip after seeing BBC reports "anticipating major upheavals" during the time the students would be there.
Many students disagreed with The University's reliance on one media source.
"I don't understand the standards that were used to make this decision," said Jerry Leek, a graduate student in the history department who was planning on going to Israel. "They seem arbitrary."
Leek visited Israel three summers ago and studied at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
"When I went, there was a travel warning out, and I didn't feel in danger the whole time I was there," he said. "I felt safer there than I do in downtown Memphis."
Leek is taking the class with his wife, and said, not only have they invested money in passports and travel -related items, but, that he and his wife have had to spend money for a babysitter while they were in the class "with the anticipation of going on a study tour."
"Just because our extra money for the trip is going to be refunded, that still doesn't make up for all the extra money I've invested in the trip," he said.
Patterson has been to Israel 20 times and said he has "never had a feeling of being in any danger at all."
"There's no security system better than the Israeli security system," he said. "In a place that thrives on tourism, a tourist group has never been hit."
Patterson prepared a release for the students to sign that would relinquish The U of M from liability if a student were to be injured on the trip.
Even though the school would not be legally responsible, Schiro-Geist said the "decision was made because in the best interest of the community we felt that this was the best thing to do."
Many of the people going on the trip felt earlier notice would have been acceptable.
"I'd be perfectly OK if they said we couldn't go on the front end," Patterson said.
Some students were upset that The University made the decision without consulting any of the students first.
"I understand the school's position, and if I were in their shoes I would have done the same thing, but I would have done it in a different way," said Jonathan Cox, a senior philosophy major.
Cox said he still feels that where the students would be staying - they were going to drive through the West Bank to get to Jerusalem - would be relatively safe.
"They're predicting riots because their government is trying to increase taxation, and they're worried more attacks will take place, but the Holy Land is not a place terrorists attack," he said.
Steven Shipowitz, a broadcast journalism graduate student in the class, said The University could be sending a harmful message.
"You're sending a mixed message," he said. "You're sending a message of concern and a message that Israel is not a safe place to go, which is appalling to the Jewish community."
Holden Potter, who is auditing the class, thinks The University's decision gives in to fear.
"The terrorists are winning," he said. "They've cowed you - they've cowed a great University."
The total cost for the students to take the trip was about $1,700 - $1,000 of which came from the students, and the rest was funded by a discretionary University account set up by a donor, which Patterson has the authority to utilize as he sees fit.
Anna Coplon said despite any security warnings, she felt safe about the trip.
"We live in Memphis and there are people getting shot, raped and murdered all the time," she said. "I'd feel safer in Israel because they have higher security measures. I had no inhibition about going."
David Cox said the question of travel safety will arise more often in the future.
"As The University pushes our students to be engaged internationally, this will become and issue more and more," he said.
Although Laura Coplon thinks The University will not change its mind, she at least hopes this will be the last time something like this happens.
"I hope that they'll learn from this experience and that they won't do this to anyone else," she said.
A special committee in support of the trip to Israel met with Schiro-Geist and Teresa Hartnett, the director of resources and planning for The University, last night. All new information is to be presented to University President Shirley Raines today, and a final decision is expected soon.
