The death of a San Diego State University student has an effect both at CU and on students studying abroad.
Austin Taylor Brice, a 22-year-old SDSU student who was studying abroad in Madrid, was found dead Tuesday, after going missing on Jan. 15.
Officials found his body in Madrid’s Manzanares River. His friends had reported him missing when he did not return home from the nightclub they had been out to the night before.
Many students from all over the country study abroad. According to Mary Dando, director of the Study Abroad Program at CU, close to 70 percent of CU students going abroad choose to study in countries in Western Europe, like Spain.
With the study abroad program being so popular, questions regarding safety and security of the students who participate in them arise.
Dando said CU students are given the necessary information needed to live on their own in a foreign country for an entire semester.
“Students here are provided with information on health and safety issues before, to ensure they understand the risks involved when traveling and living in a different country,” Dando said. “We also tell them to thoroughly prepare themselves with as much information needed about the country they are about to be in. We assist them by giving them the necessary resources.”
Dando said the news of a student passing away abroad is sad to hear.
“It is a really unfortunate piece of news to read about when a young bright student faces this type of casualty,” Dandow said. “This is certainly not something we would want to hear happen to any study abroad student, much less a study abroad student here at CU.”
Zach Churchey, a 20-year-old sophomore economics major, said he thinks that while there are risks involved in leaving to a different country, he feels the program is not to be blamed.
“I think that when you travel to a different country, the responsibility on yourself is solely yours,” Churchey said. “Things like this can happen to anyone, it’s just how well and responsible you want to be for yourself.”
Despite the risks, Churchey said he would participate in a study abroad program.
“I still think it is a great program for students of all levels and if given the chance, I would definitely want to be a part of it,” he said. “I have friends currently studying in New Zealand and Australia, and they tell me they love it.”
This death has not only impacted students here, but also those currently abroad.
Nicole Zimbelman, a 20-year-old news editorial and public relations major and former copy editor for the CU Independent, is currently spending a semester in Barcelona and said she was shocked by the news.
“I heard about this incident about a week ago and I was shocked along with the people in my program, because we were all living in Spain as well,” Zimbelman said. “I can’t even imagine what Austin’s family is going through.”
Zimbelman said that students abroad should be careful and follow the basic safety rules.
“Events like this remind us that we are in fact in a big city, in a foreign country, and no matter how safe we feel we always have to be cautious because something like this can happen to anyone,” she said. “No matter what, you can never 100 percent prepare for anything, especially moving to a different country with a different culture and language.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Adelina Shee at Adelina.Shee@colorado.edu.
