Marist Study Abroad Programs Cancelled for Fall 2020 Semester

The Marist Office of International Programs announced that it will suspend the Marist Abroad Program (MAP) for the Fall 2020 semester. The decision was released on June 11 in an email from Dean of International Programs John Peters to students who applied for the college’s study abroad experiences.

“While the COVID-19 situation has seen tremendous improvements over the last three months, it is our duty to balance this information with the overall safety and security of our students,” Peters wrote in the email. “Following long discussions with our partners abroad and careful analysis of the global health crisis, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the Marist Abroad Program (MAP) for the Fall 2020 semester.”

The decision comes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent uncertainty regarding travel and public life. Although the Marist administration decided that students may return to campus in the fall, the Office of International Programs erred on the side of caution. 

Aside from the risk of exposure to the virus while travelling abroad, the European Union is seeking to exclude United States Citizens from entering the EU, making studying abroad impossible. The decision on whether or not this exclusion will continue will occur next week. 

Students who planned a semester abroad through the MAP — either to Florence, Asia or various other locations — or an entire year abroad through the Freshman Florence Experience (FFE) or the Freshman Dublin Experience (FDE), will instead return to the Poughkeepsie campus in August. Students were asked to reach out to the Office of Housing and Residential Life if they wish to seek on-campus housing.

With the suspension of these programs, it is likely that there will not be enough housing available for all students who request it. At the end of the Fall 2019 semester, the disparity between the number of students going abroad in the fall and spring caused a housing shortage for those returning. With no students going abroad this fall, the shortage of housing will likely be exacerbated, and students may be forced to look off-campus. 

Although the majority of the abroad programs in the immediate future are suspended, the one exception is the Florence-based bachelor’s degree program in Museum Studies. The BA program will continue in the fall, but no new students will be accepted to the program to begin during the 2020-2021 academic year. The health and safety practices for the program are also currently under review, as are the protocols for the Poughkeepsie campus. 

Prior to this decision by the college, a few students had previously voiced their concerns about travelling abroad in the fall. The Office of International Programs received requests from students to defer their program applications to the Spring 2021 semester, and are encouraging other students to do the same. 

“While your Fall semester will not be what you had originally envisioned, the College is committed to working with you toward your educational goals, abroad as well as on the home campus,” Peters noted in the email. “We will work with each student individually to help plan for future study abroad options.” 

Source: Sarah Lynch