OSU STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM

Students in Syria fear they might be caught up in war

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Wilson Paul Dizard IV

FOR THE DISPATCH

DAMASCUS, Syria — Everything seems at peace here.

The sun sets below nearby Mount Qassioun as the evening call to prayer rises above the ancient Arab capital. Old men lounge outside their shops, carrying on easy conversation. Children kick soccer balls along narrow alleyways.

But for Ohio State students studying Arabic here this summer, things have never been so tense. A war rages between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, only 45 minutes away. Syria supports Hezbollah, so some students fear that the conflict could expand and trap them.

"My mom is really upset," said Erin Cummin, 20, an international studies major from Miamisburg. Cummin’s family has arranged a flight home for her.

Fourteen OSU students were studying in Syria and five were in Israel. One left Syria and arrived in the U.S. yesterday, said John Greisberger, director of OSU’s Office of International Education.

On Monday, the university’s Study Abroad Health and Safety Committee e-mailed the students, urging them to "depart as soon as possible."

Greisberger said yesterday that the office has reserved seats for students on flight out of Damascus on Aug. 1 and on a flight scheduled to leave Tel Aviv on Friday and will pick up the cost.

"So far, no one has said they want to leave this Friday," he said. "One person said she wants to finish as much of the summer as possible. One student is returning on the 27 th of July."

The program at Damascus University concludes Aug. 9. One session in Israel ends July 30; the other, in mid-September.

Ohio and Miami universities have no students in the area.

Two students from the University of Cincinnati are studying in Israel, but the school has not advised them to return home, spokesman Carey Hoffman said.

"We can’t force people to leave," Greisberger said. "Students in both Syria and Israel are in programs offered by a host university there. … All we can really do, when we have a program that’s offered by another university, is strongly recommend that the students come home."

Some students don’t see a problem.

"I think the recommendation is an overreaction," said Ashanti De Silva, 19, of Cleveland. "I don’t feel in danger here. People here seem confident that Israel won’t attack Syria."

Many Syrians say Israel would not dare attack Syria because Iran has pledged to come to its aid. But even if that’s true, some OSU students are torn over whether to leave for home.

"The problem is that my friends and family back home are so worried something terrible will happen, and all the Syrians are so confident nothing will happen," said Kyle Heatherly, 22, of Elyria. "It’s hard to reconcile the two extremes and make a decision."

The OSU students live in the Christian quarter of the Old City, known as Bab Touma. The biblical "road to Damascus," on which St. Paul converted people to Christianity and which today is lined with restaurants and shops, runs through it.

While there have been several Hezbollah demonstrations in the city center, the conflict has been contained to TV and Internet news. Still, some students are preparing for the worst.

"If Israel attacks from the south, I’ll go north. If Israel attacks from the north, I’ll go south," said Paul Chamberlin, 26, from Zionsville, Ind.

For the past week, escape has been a hot topic among the OSU students. With the bombing of the Beirut-to-Damascus highway and the Beirut Airport, attempts to leave could be dangerous. Some have talked about seeking shelter in the rooms they’ve rented from Syrian families.

"Should the situation turn for the worse in Damascus, I think the area I’m in is particularly safe," said William Britzenhoff, 20, of Cincinnati, referring to the historic Old City.

"I don’t know if I really want to be in a minibus headed for Jordan, scanning the sky for Israeli F-16s," Chamberlin said.

For now, the students wait, hoping that tomorrow in Damascus will seem as peaceful as yesterday.

Wilson Paul Dizard IV, 20, is an Arabic and International Studies double-major from Washington. Dispatch reporter Allison Kolodziej contributed to this story from Columbus.

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