As the world watches the protests unfold in Egypt today, 15 Georgetown University students are in the country for a semester abroad.
“The students are all accounted for,” Kathy Bellows, executive director of the Office of International Programs, said in an interview with Vox. “They are not in the midst of the protests.”
The students are mainly remaining in their residences currently and have been advised by the University, after consultation with the State Department, not to go out in to areas where the protests are occurring.
OIP is keeping a close eye on the protests, according to Bellows, and is “ready to respond if [the University] needs to respond.”
International SOS—a company that provides international travel assistance and has a contract with the University—has been contacted by OIP in case the situation requires that the students be evacuated.
Despite the regime in Egypt shutting down access to the Internet for the majority of country, Georgetown has been able to keep in contact with the students studying at the American University of Cairo. AUC has an office in New York that has been able to connect with the campus through a landline telephone, and Georgetown has been able to keep in touch with students through this office.
Currently there are no plans to alter the summer program scheduled to take place in Alexandria, Egypt.
January 29th update: AUC has canceled classes for the coming week in light of the violence, but reports that their students are safe in their dorms.