Students are being given an extended period to sign up for a few study abroad programs offered through Dixie State University.
DSU is currently offering 10 faculty-led study abroad programs, but three of these programs have extended their deadlines for students to continue signing up, said Jenny Callahan, study abroad program coordinator.
Janice Hayden, instructor of the practice in Geology who will be attending DSU’s trip to Iceland as a faculty leader, said the dates of the extended deadlines are still up in the air.
“The ones that we are working to fill are Iceland and then we have two different trips to Costa Rica, one through population health, and one through sports and recreation management,” Callahan said. “Those are the three programs we are working hard to find students that may still want to go on those or find ways for those programs to still be able to run with the students that have already signed up.”
The Costa Rica population health trip has eight out of 10 students signed up, the Costa Rica tourism and adventure recreation trip currently has 12 out of 15 students signed up, and the Iceland trip has a total of six out of 10 students signed up, but this trip will be able to run with eight students if needed, Callahan said.
Callahan said she thinks one of the biggest concerns with students not signing up for these trips is the cost, regardless of them fully looking into the financial standpoint before making their decision.
“One of our biggest obstacles right now that we are trying to overcome at [DSU] is letting students know study abroad is for everybody, not just a certain student,” Callahan said. “We know that we want to try and create programs that are affordable to help with that.”
“It’s hard for the students who are signed up and excited to go on a study abroad program that isn’t full; we owe it to those students to do everything we can to make their programs go.”
Lauren DiSalvo, assistant professor of art history and trip leader for Rome
If these three study abroad trips are not filled to their minimum number of individuals, there is a chance students will have to pay more for the trip than anticipated, Callahan said; however, that extra expense won’t be determined until the deadline to sign up for the trip has reached a close and the programs have been further evaluated to see what it would take to keep it running with the students it does have.
If students have any issues with the possible rise in expenses, they will have the option of dropping out of the program if they deem necessary, Callahan said.
Although the three trips may be struggling to find a few more willing individuals to go on the trips, the study abroad program has more students signed up this year than last, Callahan said. Last year’s summer study abroad program was looking at around 50 to 60 students, and this year it is an estimate of about 90 to 100 students.
Lauren DiSalvo, assistant professor of art history and a trip leader for Rome, said, “It’s hard for the students who are signed up and excited to go on a study abroad program that isn’t full; we owe it to those students to do everything we can to make their programs go.”
DiSalvo said application deadlines are often extended for study abroad trips because the initial deadlines are earlier in the year, and students have yet to give much thought as to what their summer entails, so the extension grants students a longer time frame to decide.
Study abroad trips offer great opportunities for students such as self-growth and cultural awareness, DiSalvo said.
“So many students have never traveled outside of the U.S. and it’s such an impactful experience to understand another culture outside of your own,” DiSalvo said. “One of the things that I personally experienced studying abroad as an undergraduate was growth in my own confidence. Being abroad in a foreign place [and] having to navigate new customs and territory does a lot to boost confidence in taking on new experiences.”
For further information about study abroad, contact Jenny Callahan at 435-879-4714 or [email protected], or visit her office located in the North Plaza, room 149C.
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