Mexico too unsafe for study abroad

The Fullerton College Study Abroad Program announced Friday that the summer 2009 trip to Mexico is canceled, because the violence near Cancun is too high.

LeVonne Nelson, SAP coordinator, sent out a notice to students on the list to attend the voyage, which stated, "unfortunately, the political situation in Mexico has deteriorated to the point that the United States Department of State has issued a travel alert for the area."

The trip was slated to take place in Playa del Carmen, a town approximately 10 miles from Cancun, the popular vacation spot.

According to Etta Dial, administrative assistant for the program, SAP is now focusing their efforts on the 2010 trip to Madrid, Spain and the 2011 trip to Berlin, Germany.

This is the second consecutive trip to be canceled; the first was the spring 2009 trip to London, England. However, that was because the program lacked the proper funds at the time.

"I was looking forward to the trip," said Tanner Fogle, one of the students looking forward to going to Playa del Carmen. "My foray into diverse education has been stunted."

According to Leonor Monreal, the accompanying instructor for the Mexico trip. The conflict has to do with the government's recent actions against the drug cartels and warlords of the Mexican underworld.

Monreal hopes the trip is rescheduled soon, but is unsure of the time line.

"They [SAP] did not say for sure, but if things stabilize maybe we will go," she said.

However, with excursions set for the next two years, it is unlikely that the trip would occur before spring 2012.

There is a question of the severity of the violence in Cancun. MSNBC reported last week that while in Arkansas,Martin Gonzalez,Mexico's tourism director of southern states, said it was safe to travel.

"We do not deny violence is happening, but it is drug related," Gonzalez said. "It is not violence you will feel everyday in main destinations."

However, with a new security official and two others recently being killed in Cancun and with the area being a hotbed for American tourists, the U.S. Department of State deemed the area too unstable for travel.

"While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, violence in the country has increased recently," the alert said. "It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico."