When Change is the Only Constant: How Study Abroad Navigated an Ever-evolving Landscape amid Omicron

in Global Matters
February 23rd, 2022

A Look Back on the Scale & Complexity of Changes & How Students Ultimately Journeyed to Sites

Undeterred by the constantly shifting COVID-19 public health guidelines and the unpredictability of new variants, Boston University’s Study Abroad sites have continued to welcome more students back this semester. Just as BU’s campuses in Boston have evolved with changing public health requirements in the city and state, BU’s sites abroad have had to meet the evolving requirements of seven countries and nine cities – in addition to Boston University’s expectations for keeping our students as safe as possible in this pandemic.

Gearing up for the return of students this spring to the BU Study Abroad sites in London, Geneva, Sydney, Madrid, Padua, Venice, Paris, DC and LA, the site staff had many new challenges to focus on, like finding and communicating locations for students to get their booster shots, keeping track of local vaccine passport requirements, sorting out quarantine plans if needed, and securing adequate supplies of COVID tests. Because of the amazing job BU has done in setting up the testing system on campus and the ease with which all students, faculty and staff can test whenever we need to, it is easy to forget that is not the case away from Boston. In one example, due to the initial short supply of rapid antigen tests in Australia, Mark Connellan, the Sydney Australia Director and his team, who welcomed students back for the first time since Spring 2020, went to extraordinary lengths prior to their students’ arrival to ensure an adequate supply of tests for the students. Mark found a supply at a local grocery store but purchases were limited to one 5-pack per visit. He returned to that market three times, and he and his team visited multiple other stores to meet their needs for the first two weeks of the program. Mark also worked with the Boston team and BU Purchasing investigating sourcing the tests outside of Australia. Luckily, supplies soon opened up in Australia and Mark was able to get all the tests he needed locally.

It’s a team effort to safely bring back the breadth and depth of high-quality programs that Boston University offers. The Study Abroad sites have support from Boston-based Global Programs and Study Abroad. As the Omicron surge rolled through different countries at different stages, Global Programs issued 116 updates in December alone to keep students and families apprised of changes to travel, housing, testing and attestations, internship placements, classrooms and office updates, quarantine information, and more.

Countries continue to open back up and approach pandemic mitigation strategies in their own ways. Although the pandemic continues to challenge us all, we are proud of our students, faculty, and staff – at home and abroad – for their resilience and adaptability. And as you can see from the following opening week pictures from the sites, students are once again experiencing the joy of studying abroad!