As a Duke student and a participant in Duke in the Andes Fall 2003, I would like to clarify some of the points expressed in The Chronicle's article about the sudden cancellation of my program last week.
Less than 48 hours after the decision, we were on an American Airlines flight headed to Miami. Now that I am home, countless people in La Paz have told me how much the situation has improved since the resignation of President Sanchez de Lozada Friday.
Schools are opening back up and things are back to normal. All 15 students, along with our parents, are launching a heartfelt effort to get the program reinstated. We all feel the decision to ship us home was made prematurely, without the consultation of anyone actually in Bolivia at the time.
Never did I feel in any danger. Never did I feel anti-American sentiment. While I respect Duke's concern for my safety, I also resent their automatic submission to the overly cautious warning of the State Department.
The 15 Duke in the Andes students long to be back in Bolivia with our friends and host families, we want our semester given back to us.
Alice Williamson
Trinity '05
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