In the aftermath of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombings, the safety of Syracuse University students studying abroad became an important topic of discussion.

When 35 SU students studying abroad in Florence and London died in the bombing, the entire SU community, including the SU Abroad office, had to deal with the painful outcome.

“We’re known for the safety of our students abroad,” said Jennifer Horvath, manager of marketing and communication for SU Abroad. “In a strange way, it made us very hyperaware of our students’ safety.”

But though the bombing does make people think about safety and traveling, it does not deter them from going abroad, said Judy O’Rourke, director of the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

“The students who died on Pan Am 103 were really exploring and challenging themselves, and that’s what we hope will continue to happen because that is the antithesis of terrorism,” she said.

SU Abroad has a special relationship with Remembrance Week, she said. Although it’s not involved in the planning process, the staff attends the week’s events.

Some students who participated in programs through SU Abroad have gone on to become Remembrance Scholars and, as a result, have gotten involved with Remembrance Week on an individual basis, Horvath said.

She said there is a strong overlap between the profiles of students who study abroad and those who go on to become Remembrance Scholars.

“Students who go abroad are generally very driven. They’re good students,” Horvath said. “They want to make the most out of college, which I think is a lot of the criteria for becoming a Remembrance Scholar.”

Judy O’Rourke said Remembrance Week encourages students both on campus and abroad to relate to people different from themselves.

She said studying abroad allows students to explore, expand their horizons and connect with people in many different places. This, O’Rourke said, allows students to carry on the interests of the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing.

The 35 students killed on the flight are represented each year by Remembrance Scholars. The Remembrance Scholars plan and execute Remembrance Week. This year, none of the 35 scholars are studying abroad this semester, so all will be present for the week’s events, O’Rourke said.

The guiding principle of this year’s Remembrance Week is that of looking back and acting forward. O’Rourke said she hopes this theme will encourage the campus community to look to the future and do something to create change.

“Most students on this campus were not born in 1988,” she said. “Learning about this act of terrorism and how it personally affected this campus raises awareness of how we’re all connected and have a purpose to make this world a better place.”

Published on October 24, 2012 at 10:20 pm

Contact Kerry: kwolfe01@syr.edu