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SU Abroad cancels Hong Kong, Santiago programs for fall 2020

Daily Orange File Photo

Plans for world partner and discovery programs remain unclear.

Syracuse University has canceled abroad programs in Santiago, Chile, and Hong Kong for the fall semester.

SU Abroad is also delaying the start of at least five fall programs in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Programs in Florence and London will begin Oct. 1, while centers in Madrid, Strasbourg, France and Central Europe will open in mid- to late-September, according to the SU Abroad website.

The programs will all end in mid-December. SU Abroad has only announced plans for these programs. Plans for world partner and discovery programs remain unclear.

“It’s a rapidly evolving situation,” said Keith Kobland, SU’s media relations manager, in an email to The Daily Orange.

SU has adopted an advanced schedule for students not traveling abroad in the fall. Students on main campus will begin classes on Aug. 24 and return home before Thanksgiving.



Students who planned on studying in Santiago received an email on May 27 notifying them of the program’s cancellation. SU’s partner university, la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, will not allow exchange students on-campus in the fall, according to the email.

SU students participating in delayed abroad programs will complete online coursework prior to departure to fulfill academic requirements in the shortened semester. Program fees will be adjusted to account for the changes, according to the SU Abroad website.

Most SU Abroad students will not need to obtain visas because the abridged programs will not exceed 90 days. The abroad office still plans to offer “robust” co-curricular activities and travel opportunities.

The university is actively working with the New York State Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. State Department and the travel security firm International SOS to monitor the situation abroad, Kobland said.

“Be assured that we are monitoring all locations closely, and will maintain communication with all applicants as conditions evolve,” Kobland said.





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