The study abroad industry has recently come under fire, as college program providers are being investigated for offering universities so-called perks for exclusively sending students on their programs. Four of the five programs subpoenaed by the New York Attorney General's Office last month are programs approved by Brandeis, but the University's study abroad office says it hasn't been tainted by this scandal."None of the programs have made any type of qualifier in terms of our participation," Director of Study Abroad Scott Van Der Meid said.

After The New York Times reported Aug. 13 that officials from private study abroad companies offer university officials money and trips in exchange for exclusively directing students to their programs, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo decided to research various companies' business practices.

The Institute for Study Abroad affiliated with Butler University, the Institute for the International Education of Students, the Center for Education Abroad at Arcadia University and the Danish Institute for Study Abroad at the University of Copenhagen are University approved programs that have been subpoenaed. Brandeis sends 35 percent of its junior class abroad, many of whom travel on the four subpoenaed programs, Van Der Meid said.

The American Institute for Foreign Study was also subpoenaed, but the program isn't approved for Brandeis students.

Amy Bartnick-Blume, the vice president of Butler's study abroad program, told The Times they have "exclusive agreements" with certain institutions and provide around $500 to each student for maintaining that relationship.

Van Der Meid denied ever steering students toward a certain program for the University's gain and said Brandeis has never been offered travel or financial incentives.

"Any type of directing and advising that we're doing is more based on the student's criteria than any agenda that we have," Van Der Meid said.

Some of the University's larger programs, however, provide students studying abroad with $50,000 in scholarship money, Van Der Meid said. The scholarships, ranging from $250 to $1,000 each, wouldn't be enough to sell a program, he said.

"No student's going to pick a program over another over $1,000," he said. "This is a $25,000 expense."

The Times reported that students often feel restricted to travel through the programs their study abroad offices approve. But at Brandeis, programs aren't approved by the Study Abroad Office, but by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, a group made up of faculty members, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, and undergraduate and graduate student representatives.

Students said they don't feel restricted even though they cannot apply to unapproved programs or to certain universities abroad and still receive credit. Still, applying directly to an unaproved university can be a cheaper option.

"You might not have every option in the world, but I wouldn't be able to choose if I did," said Holly Sarkissian '08 said, who studied in Cameroon last semester through the School for International Training.

Students can't apply directly to most universities in Africa, Asia or Latin America, Van Der Meid said.

If a program isn't approved by the UCC, Van Der Meid said students can petition him for approval.

Though the UCC considers student services when choosing to approve a program, Sarkissian's experience suggests the Committee may want to revisit SIT.

One night, Sarkissian said she and a few friends were attacked at a train station. "I feel like the program should have had someone traveling with us," she said.

Jenna Fernandes (GRAD), who worked as a graduate assistant in the study abroad office over the summer, studied in Melbourne, Australia, through Butler's study abroad program in spring 2006.

Fernandes said Butler is one of Brandeis' "top-10 [study abroad] providers." She added that the UCC is flexible and fair in its approval decisions, and that the Study Abroad Office and has no incentive to encourage one program over another.

In deciding whether to approve a program, Van Der Meid said the UCC judges the academic rigor of the institution abroad, the student services provided by the program and whether Brandeis' peer institutions in New England were satisfied with the program.

The institution must also be accredited, match Brandeis' liberal arts curriculum and offer foreign language courses. Students must also be eligible to receive credit for their majors or minors at the university.

The UCC has approved roughly 250 programs in 69 countries. Without these various partnerships, students wouldn't have such a vast array of study abroad choices, Van Der Meid said.

"We couldn't do what we do and offer as many opportunities for Brandeis students if we didn't work in collaboration with third-party program providers, other [U.S.] universities and overseas universities," he said.

Fernandes said the University's Study Abroad Office oversees its approved programs to make sure they meet Brandeis' standards. Van Der Meid and faculty visit programs, meet with officials, sit in on classes and meet with students to evaluate programs every semester. Van Der Meid said the University pays for these trips, not program providers.

Van Der Meid criticized The Times' report about the investigation of study abroad programs, saying it was full of "misinformation and misfacts."

Both The Times and other publications are drawing parallels between these accusations and recent scandals in the student loan industry, but Van Der Meid said these industries are nothing alike.

"It's comparing apples and oranges," he said of the two industries. In study abroad, students have many options, but when it comes to financial aid, students have only a few choices, he said.

Brandeis stands out for its exceptional "quality control," Van Der Meid said, because the UCC, not the study abroad office, is charged with approving programs.

Van Der Meid helped establish the Forum on Education Abroad, an organization that tries to set national standards for study abroad programs. In response to the Times article, Van Der Meid said he will serve on a Forum committee this month to examine the field's business practices.

"We are taking [the subpoenas] seriously in the sense that Brandeis is playing a role in the national conversation," he said, adding, "Study abroad hasn't had any national oversight. It's really left it up to every institution and what they do."

Van Der Meid doesn't deny that unethical practices exist in the field. Study abroad has grown tenfold in the last decade, he said, and with that rapid growth, there's bound to be some unscrupulous practices on the way.

Perhaps employing greater "checks and balances" on programs is the answer, he said.



Michael Kerns contributed reporting.