Dear Teachers,
Please permit me to introduce myself as the Associate Director of the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University. I am pleased you will be participating in our 2003 Japan study tour.
I wanted to take a moment to discuss concerns you might be having regarding the recent spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, more commonly known as SARS. Rest assured, our Center staff is guided by two important principles: providing each participant with a memorable experience and his or her safety and welfare. To that end, we maintain constant vigil with respect to any new developments about the disease and remain attuned to new announcements provided by proper authorities, in this case the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, and the US Department of State. Both the CDC and State Department maintain current information on their websites about SARS, so I recommend you visit their sites regularly for the information.
Your travels will take you as far as Japan where, to date, no confirmed cases of SARS have occurred; the infected areas in the region include southern China, Hong Kong, Viet Nam and Singapore. Similarly, we have had several groups travel between Indiana and Japan in the last month, all without incident. So while exercising proper caution is prudent, I believe current indicators are that you will have a safe and enjoyable visit. Should we be notified to the contrary, rest assured we shall respond accordingly, keeping you informed along the way.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mary Hayes at 812.855.4324 or marhayes@indiana.edu.
Sincerely,
Jacques L. Fuqua, Jr.
Associate Director, East Asian Studies Center
Indiana University