NDI Confirms Safety of Students Abroad Following Brussels Attacks
In the wake of yesterday’s attacks in Brussels, Notre Dame International (NDI) has confirmed the safety of all ND students known to be abroad. None were in Brussels during the attacks.
At this time, NDI does not plan to curtail or modify international programs.
However, in light of these attacks and subsequent Europe-wide Travel Alert from the U.S. Department of State, NDI will continue to rigorously monitor world events and urge students abroad to take proactive safety measures and access the University’s resources for responding to disruptive or unsafe situations.
NDI encourages members of the Notre Dame community to direct all questions and concerns about this event to Tom Guinan, NDI's associate vice president of administrative operations, at tguinan@nd.edu
All Notre Dame students abroad received the following e-mail on Tuesday, March 22, 2016:
Dear Notre Dame students abroad,
You are no doubt aware of the terrible events that took place this morning in Brussels.
The U.S. Embassy in Brussels has issued this statement on the attacks, which includes a Level 4 threat rating.
Because of the current safety risks, students are advised not to travel to Belgium until further notice.
Your safety and wellness are our priorities and we urge you to review the following information and take action on all items that apply to your situation.
Travel Considerations
We realize many of you are on spring break or are planning personal travel for the Easter holiday. In addition to avoiding Brussels, please remember to take the following measures:
- Sign up for STEP alerts to enroll your trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate
- Register all personal travel here and let others know your whereabouts if you plan to be away from your program location for more than 24 hours.
- Plan for travel delays and disruptions given heightened airport and border security
- More generally, exercise caution, vigilance, and avoid crowded urban areas to the extent possible.
Communication
- Please ensure your overseas contact information questionnaire is up to date. This is on your SP16 accepted program page in the NDI online application system. If you need assistance with this, contact Dyann Mawhorr.
- Please respond timely to e-mails / SMS requests from your respective Gateway staff or other program coordinators.
- Please keep in frequent contact with your parents/guardians when events like this occur.
- Please also be attentive to updates from Notre Dame’s partner universities and other study abroad providers.
Counseling and Support
- Counseling and support services are available through HTH insurance. Here is the contact information for HTH: HTH Worldwide: or +1 610-254-8771 (you may call collect)
- For those in Global Gateway locations, counseling and support is also available through Gateway staff. Prayer services or other community events may be organized at Gateway locations.
- For those in facilitated or direct-enroll programs, counseling and support may be available through your respective on-site program coordinators.
- NDI personnel (program directors and others) here on campus are available as needed to provide support or information to you or your parents/guardians.