CU Keeps Close Eye On Students In Egypt
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Four students from the University of Colorado are witnessing the protests in Egypt first hand. They arrived for a semester abroad right as the protests began last week.
The streets of are Cairo filled with anti-government Egyptian protesters.
"Our primary concern is our students," said Larry Bell, CU International Education Director.
Bell says four of their exchange students are living a stone's throw away from the unrest.
"We're keeping tabs on the students as best we can via e-mail and phone," Bell said. "The cell phone service and Internet is currently intermittent."
Three of the students are at the Zamalek residence, a dormitory located in downtown Cairo. Another CU student is staying on the main campus, in the outskirts of Cairo. The American University of Cairo is hosting. The school posted an emergency announcement, saying classes are canceled for the coming week. They urge students to stay in their dorms and to comply with the government imposed curfew.
Bell says the students are staying optimistic.
"One of the students said that she was experiencing an adventure and excited to be in the country when this was going on around her," Bell said. "That's not something you can learn in a book, ever. It's a life-changing experience for her."
The others are sorry their program is not under way.
Hundreds have been injured in Cairo, but Bell says for now the CU students are safe, in their dorms and being brought food.
Only once in its history has CU had to remove exchange students from a foreign country for safety reasons. That was two years ago in Madagascar.
