Some AU students in South Africa said that their study-abroad program requires too much work and is disorganized, though AU Abroad officials disagree and say they are working to meet student needs.
In a series of e-mails several AU students in South Africa said that changes to the program were not adequately explained, and that the program's new director, School of International Service professor Caleb Rossiter, is insensitive and assigning too much work. Also they claim that Rossiter's assistant Toni Sylvester, was dismissed "because he is not afraid to tell us the truth and treat us like adults rather than children," wrote Katherine Hein, a student in South Africa, in a Wednesday e-mail.
Rossiter said Sylvester was not "fired," but that "his duties have changed." Sylvester is still an AU Abroad consultant, he said.
However, this upset some students, who praised Sylvester's efforts.
"[Sylvester] had been essentially running the program because of the connections he has here. Every single student is indignant over his dismissal, because Dr. Sylvester was always willing to advocate on our behalf, relay our concerns to Dr. Rossiter, and organize events we all enjoyed," said Rebecca Christopher, a student in South Africa, in an e-mail. "We feel that any good experiences we have had since arriving here in Cape Town are due to him."
In an e-mail to the South Africa students, AU Abroad Director Sara Dumont offered her help and addressed the concerns of some of the students.
In regard to "the sudden departure" of Sylvester, Dumont wrote, "the transition won't be completely seamless. ... The program is not in chaos, nor is it 'falling apart.' It is simply experiencing a change in administrative personnel. In the meantime, it is those on less-demanding programs who, in the end, will have a far less profound and meaningful experience."
Dumont also said that although Sylvester's role changed, key parts of the trip, such as a trip to northern neighbor Mozambique, would not be affected.
Late in the semester, students will go on a two-week tour of southern Africa, including Mozambique, according to Rossiter. "It's a good ending to the semester," he said.
Christopher also expressed concern over getting an externship.
"[Sylvester] was also responsible for securing externships for the students, so ... many people, including myself, lost the externship they hoped to get and had to start over from scratch," she said. "About half of us still do not have externships."
Dumont said externships are not "in jeopardy" and that the issue will be settled over the next two weeks.
Students are also frustrated about their assignments.
"The best experiences that abroad students can get is that out in the field, not reading books and writing papers," Hein said in a Sunday e-mail. "AU Abroad, under the supervision of Robert Pastor (Vice President of International Affairs), is attempting to reorganize all the programs to make them more academically rigorous, forgetting that the whole point of studying in a different country is to be involved with the community in which you live."
Assignments include a two- to three-page paper each week, a separate three- to five-page paper each week and a 20- to 25-page paper at the end of the semester, which Rossiter describes as a "semester project."
Rossiter said there will be no final and said that his expectations were "not unrealistic."
"Activities don't give scholarly experience. This is study abroad, not travel or experience abroad," Rossiter said in a phone interview from South Africa. "In order to understand what they're experiencing, they need to do research and the only thing available to them is Internet cafes. Unlike [AU], there isn't access to computers in every room. ... We are scholars and in order to study you're going to have to write."
He added that the 25-page paper allows students to write about a subject that they're "wild about." Once the project is completed, students will be "experts in their topic," he said.
Rossiter said that students were required to take 15 credits in South Africa, the same as AU, but that he was sensitive to students facing culture, academic and time zone shock.
Rossiter met with students for three hours on Thursday, according to Pastor. Although this was two days after most students found out about Slyvester's removal, according to Christopher, the meeting "ended up being productive and [Rossiter] made some compromises."
"We explained [our academic concerns] to Dr. Rossiter, but it fell on deaf ears until Thursday," Christopher said, but she added that Rossiter reduced the page limit by one page and will allow students to handwrite papers. "I am glad he finally relented, yet I don't really think the changes are that significant," she said in a Sept. 19 e-mail.
Hein said she doesn't think much has changed.
"I don't know if I would say things have gotten better but we have calmed down," she said in a Sept. 19 e-mail. "Basically what has happened is that we are sick of letting the AU bureaucracy detract from our once in a lifetime experience and are just moving on with the semester."
Pastor described Rossiter as "one of the most popular teachers at AU." In a Sept. 16 e-mail, he wrote that Rossiter's popularity comes from the academic rigor of his classes and that he "retained some of the best parts of the existing program, and has modified and improved those aspects which reflect a less rigorous program."
Pastor also said that perhaps as a result of Rossiter's expectations, "not all of the students were ready for such a challenge."
Dumont agreed.
"If in the final analysis you simply do not wish to work at this level, then perhaps this is the wrong program for you," she said in her e-mail to students. "In such cases, I would support any decision you might make, with Prof. Rossiter's consent, to leave the program and receive a refund. I am confident, however, that everything is well in control for a superbly successful program and an extraordinary, life-changing, and enjoyable experience for all of you."
Students are also dissatisfied with the program's organization.
"We just want adequate communication between the students and Rossiter and wish that for any future re-structuring organizers consider the students feelings," Hein said Sept. 19. "To be a program's guinea pig is disheartening because we have now wasted three weeks of our semester, time and money trying to figure out administrative details that should have been corrected months before our arrival."
However, Dumont said that "apart from a few logistical details," the South Africa program remains unchanged from the Spring semester. "The students who had signed up for the program were all fully informed about the nature and structure of this year's program, and they had several meetings with Prof. Rossiter prior to departure, as well as a copious amount of informational pre-departure material sent to them by my office," Dumont wrote.
She said that the changes to the program should not have come as a surprise to the students unless the students did not attend pre-departure meetings or read the information sent to them. Dumont said that as the AU Abroad director she is responsible for managing AU's study abroad programs and that the changes were made with her "input and complete support."
Dumont also said she was "somewhat bewildered" at allegations of disorganization because over a period of two weeks, students "had a complete orientation program, escorted excursions, guest lectures, classes have started and are held on a regular schedule, and [they] are on homestays this week."
In the beginning of the trip, students live with South African families (or homestays) for a week and experience the renowned "African hospitality," Rossiter said. During their stay, students experience their family's lifestyle by doing such activities as attending church with family members.
The program also provides secure shuttle buses for AU students, though many students quickly learned how to get around South Africa independently to visit its beaches, cities and restaurants, Rossiter said. He added that the students use the shuttle buses to do organized activities once a week and have many opportunities to visit the different parts of South Africa, including a colored high school and a historically white high school.
Rossiter said that the trip was academic and not like a normal trip one would go on with family or friends. Rossiter noted that at the time of the interview that he was meeting with student representatives and would meet with students at any time about concerns.
Rossiter, Dumont and Pastor strongly denied the allegations and acknowledged that although there were some problems, "they have mainly been resolved," Pastor said.
While some students are still dissatisfied, Christopher said she's trying to be "optimistic" and believes that Rossiter has the students' "interests at heart."
About 30 to 50 percent of the students attending the program are in SIS, with 38 students in all, including two non-AU students from New York. All of the students are at least juniors, according to Rossiter.
