Five Syracuse University students had the trip of a lifetime last month while traveling with Semester at Sea program through rough weather in the North Pacific.

Shortly after leaving Vancouver, Canada on Jan. 18, Semester at Sea’s ship, the MV Explorer hit 20 to 30 foot waves, said Alanna Ulen, a junior in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and a participant in Semester at Sea.

Semester at Sea is a study abroad program offered through the University of Pittsburgh and tours several countries throughout the world.

‘This is the first time they’ve taken off on a spring cruise from Vancouver. We’re still not sure why they did this,’ said Janet Ulen, Alanna Ulen’s mother. ‘They usually go the other way.’

Many students had difficulty sleeping due to the ship’s turbulence, Alanna Ulen said.

‘People on the rug were literally doing summersaults over each other,’ Alanna Ulen said. ‘There were are all sorts of rumors about what was really going on and how serious the situation really was.’

On Jan. 26, the ship was hit by a 55-foot wave that broke a window on the ship’s bridge, Alanna Ulen said.

‘It fried all the systems,’ she said. ‘The biggest concern for everybody on the ship that day was the voyage would be cancelled.’

The ship was forced to stop in Honolulu Jan. 31 for repairs and students were allowed to disembark.

‘It got a lot more scary after we saw how big the ship really was,’ Alanna Ulen said. ‘There was a huge dent in the side of the boat.’

The rough weather and repairs prevented Semester at Sea’s students from attending their first two stops in Korea and Japan. In order to get their students to their trips in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City on time, Semester at Sea put students on commercial flights Feb. 9, according to Semester at Sea’s Web site.

‘The way they’ve responded is incredible,’ Janet Ulen said. ‘They’ve put students in hotels the whole way.’

The cost of flying students and housing them in hotels on short notice cost Semester at Sea about $3 million, Alanna Ulen said.

‘Logistically, they’ve done a great job,’ Alanna Ulen said.

The MV Explorer’s captain, Buz Radican, left on leave Feb. 12 during the rough weather, Alanna Ulen said, which the program’s Web site says is a common policy.

‘It was pretty upsetting because we were all pretty attached to him. He was like a father for us,’ Alanna Ulen said. ‘The crew was working tirelessly throughout the entire event. They did whatever they can to accommodate us, risking their lives.’

The MV Explorer underwent repairs and inspections in Honolulu until Feb. 12, according to Semester at Sea’s Web site. The ship is expected to meet Semester at Sea’s students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam by Saturday, Janet Ulen said.

‘I think it’s better to be in hotels. I think it’s better than being on the ship,’ Alanna Ulen said.

SU’s Division of International Programs Abroad was not aware that any SU students were currently participating in Semester at Sea because it is not a recognized SU program, said Jim Buschman, associate director of DIPA.

In order to participate in Semester at Sea, SU students must take a leave of absence for a semester and enroll in Semester at Sea with the University of Pittsburgh.

‘We don’t actually know when it’s happening how many students are in Semester at Sea,’ Buschman said. ‘We’ve got enough to follow with the programs we are affiliated with to follow what Semester at Sea is doing.’

DIPA does not plan to make Semester at Sea an approved SU program, Buschman said.

‘Essentially it takes American students and puts them on a boat. It doesn’t give you the chance to live in another culture for an extended period of time,’ Buschman said. ‘If students come and ask us we have to tell them it is not an approved DIPA program and it’s not likely to become one.’

Buschman said the faculty aboard Semester at Sea is questionable.

‘We’re not convinced the quality of a faculty onboard a ship – any ship – is the quality that Syracuse would want to see,’ he said. ‘Because of the nature of what it does Semester at Sea does not have a fixed faculty … that has a negative effect on programming quality.’

Semester at Sea’s voyage has been interesting so far, Alanna Ulen said.

‘We have a great story to tell everyone at home when we get back,’ Alanna Ulen said. ‘We’re going to make more friends than any other voyage has been able to.’

Published on February 23, 2005 at 12:00 pm