Home     Why ASA? FAQs Download     Catalogs Download     Application Apply Online Subscribe to     our newsletter Call us toll-free: 888-845-4272   Dear Students, Parents, and Faculty, I feel that this is an important time to discuss how ASA monitors global situations and our policies in the event of or during a war. The health and safety of our students is always our primary concern and we constantly monitor not only world events, but also local events in each of the cities that we run programs. I think it is important to note that the countries in which we offer programs are politically stable and not located in areas traditionally associated with conflict. They are also not on the U.S. State Department list of countries with official "Travel Warnings", nor have they ever been in recent history. Our monitoring is done in a variety of ways. First, as members of NAFSA (www.nafsa.org), we have access to thousands of study abroad professionals around the world. We constantly share information with other NAFSA members at local meetings, on the phone, and via e-mail. We also subscribe to the NAFSA e-mail list, which is a forum for study abroad professionals to ask questions and share information with other study abroad professionals. It is an incredibly useful tool for hearing how other organizations are handling situations and what information they have on current events. Our site staff is also an invaluable resource as they can tell us first-hand what is going on in each of our cities. We rely on them to tell us what the local media is reporting and what the "word on the street" is. In the event that any of the countries in which we run programs gets an official U.S State Department "Travel Warning", we will take immediate action to get our students out of that country and into a safe environment. We have an emergency action team made up of study abroad professionals, an emergency response professional, and a psychologist, who can assemble quickly to assess a situation and determine the best course of action. Finally, students who decide to return home will not be eligible for any special refunds. In the case that the U.S. State Department issues an official "Travel Warning" we will refund all money that has not already been spent for both students currently in the country that has been issued the "Travel Warning" and for those who have not yet departed. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office toll-free at 888-845-4272 or e-mail me at Lee@academicstudies.com. Regards, Lee Frankel Director Why ASA? | Barcelona, Spain | Granada, Spain | Madrid, Spain | Salamanca, Spain Sevilla, Spain | London, England | Eurail Passes | Common Questions