DeKALB | As protests in Egypt reach the one week mark, the Study Abroad office reported that no NIU students are in the country.

Anne Seitzinger, Study Abroad office director, said if a country issues a travel warning, some students cannot study abroad in that country.

“Once a country is on a travel warning list, the policy is that undergraduate students cannot participate in study abroad in that country,” Seitzinger said. “Graduate students can petition to participate.”

Petitioning to study abroad in a country with a travel warning is a two-step process, Seitzinger said. The petition first passes through associate provost Deb Pierce. Then, it has to be approved by the provost.

Though petitions are considered for a variety of reasons, Seitzinger said graduate research is a common justification.

“A lot of times, graduate students are doing research with a faculty member from that country,” Seitzinger said. “It’s definitely a matter of weighing why the graduate student wants to go there while looking at all the indicators we have as far as safety. That’s our primary concern.”