In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, UCA has temporarily suspended all institutional related travel to China . 

Director of Media Relations Amanda Hoelzeman said that UCA used recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help make these decisions. 

UCA had three summer study abroad trips planned for China, and they have all been cancelled. Students who were enrolled to study abroad in China will be given the option to choose a different program or have their $500 deposit refunded. Another option available to students is postponing their summer trip and spend their fall semester in China.

In addition to programs that involve traveling to China, international students have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus has presented several challenges for international students who are from China.

Junior and President of the Chinese Student Scholar Association (CSSA) Manling Cheng said the virus complicates plans to travel home. 

“There are Delta and United flights that are cut off from United States to China, so if you want to go home, there isn’t a possible way to go home,” Cheng said.

This is causing problems for students who have plans to move back after graduation or want to visit their families.

For Chinese students, it is incredibly stressful not being able to be with their families during this time. Often, they find themselves checking DingXiang Doctor, which is a site that provides updates on who is diagnosed with the virus, is in ICU, has died, or has been discharged from the hospital.

“We worry about our families. The first thing we do when we wake up is check the number and the last thing we do before we go to bed is check the number,” Cheng said. 

To combat the spread of misinformation, it is important for people to check their sources before sharing information relating to the coronavirus. 

“We want correct information and education about the coronavirus. It is in the digital world and people can get information from Twitter or Instagram so easily, but there is [a lot of] false information. We don’t want false information because some people can get really scared,” Cheng said.

In the wake of the coronvirus, Cheng finds hope through the unity she sees taking place in China. 

“We’re getting better. We can see our government and the people of China colloborating. People automatically jailed themselves in their home. Our doctors and nurses are working very hard to control this. We have to have hope that we can get through this,” Cheng said.

UCA’s Office of International Engagement is reaching out to students to make sure they are aware of the services available at the counseling center for them. IE is currently working on additional outreach for Chinese students.

For anyone wanting to support China as they fight the cornavirus, they can donate money to globalgiving.org/projects/coronavirus-relief-fund/. This organization is working towards getting clean masks to China, so the people can protect themselves from the spread of the virus.