Students in Paris Safe

The weekend’s events led to a hectic period for Cori Filson, director of Skidmore’s Off-Campus Study and Exchanges. She said, “On hearing the first reports of the attacks I called our director in Paris. Within 20 minutes, he was able to confirm the safety of every student. He has been communicating regularly with the students, reminding them about safety protocols and local counseling services available to those in need.”

She continued, “The program will hold classes as scheduled on Monday and a group meeting is planned to discuss the incidents and work with students to help them process the events and to move forward.”

Filson wrote to the parents of Paris participants “as soon as I learned that all students were safe and accounted for. I also have written to all of our students currently studying in Europe to remind them of safety protocols and to urge them to contact their families and their program staff (if they haven’t yet done so).”

In the days ahead, Filson will be meeting with campus colleagues and Paris program officials to determine ongoing needs for support of the students, in the short and long term.

Several students spoke to a reporter from the Albany Times Union for a story published Sunday, Nov. 15, about Capital Region residents in Paris at the time of the attacks.

Claire Louise Foster, Jessica Torres and Louise Athens shared their impressions of the city of light before and since Friday. All indicated that they look forward to remaining there to complete their academic work in the weeks ahead. Said Foster, “Although Paris has a darker shadow, it is still a wonderful city I’m thrilled to be studying in, with students and citizens united in beautiful, unforeseen ways.”

Athens told the paper that such events are “terrible, tragic, devastating, but they're also unpredictable like most things in life. I definitely still want to be here. Paris has so much to offer and these events don't change that."

The Times Union’s story is part of its TU+ subscription service. For readers who have access to TU+, the story may be viewed here.

Posted On: 11/15/2015