The UC Davis administration is discussing its response to expected Summer Sessions enrollment of students from countries affected by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
UC Berkeley announced Monday that its Summer Sessions program, slated to begin May 27, will turn away students from China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Later Monday, UC’s Office of the President issued guidelines recommending that campus officials strongly consider suspending or postponing upcoming programs hosting groups of students from SARS-affected countries or regions until travel advisories are modified or rescinded.
“Individuals from countries that have an advisory in effect risk exporting SARS or becoming ill themselves during travel,” said Michael Drake, UC’s vice president for health affairs.
Bill Lacy, vice provost for University Outreach and International Programs on campus, says SARS is a serious public health concern that UC Davis shares. “The campus gives high priority to the safety and well-being of our students and community,” he said.
Lacy oversees Summer Sessions and shares responsibility with Student Affairs for Services for International Students and Scholars. “We are giving this situation careful consideration specific to UC Davis’ circumstances,” Lacy said following a discussion Tuesday of the topic at a regular meeting of vice chancellors and deans. “We’ll continue to monitor news about SARS, take into consideration the systemwide guidelines and proceed thoughtfully.”
Lacy said the Davis campus has some additional time to reach its decision about summer sessions because UC Davis’ program begins June 23, almost a full month after UC Berkeley’s program.
About 90 percent of the 8,000 students enrolled last year in UC Davis’ Summer Sessions were continuing UC Davis students, and most of the visiting students were from California or elsewhere in the U.S. Enrollment from countries now affected by SARS amounted to about 25.
“The campus is proud of its role in international education and research, and is committed to that role,” Lacy said. “We appreciate the contributions of foreign students and scholars to our classrooms, our research efforts and our campus community.”
During the regular academic year, UC Davis has about 1,600 international students and 1,375 scholars. About 600 students and 225 scholars are on campus from China, Taiwan and Singapore.