UW students evacuated from Mexico

Seventeen UW students studying in Oaxaca, Mexico, have been evacuated due to increasing violence in the region.

The UW decided to withdraw students from the area in response to a violent confrontation between protesters and federal police in Oaxaca on Saturday night.

"The political situation has gotten tenser and violence has increased in Oaxaca," said Anthony Geist, chair of the Spanish and Portuguese department, who ultimately made the decision to pull students out. "I felt the risks involved outweighed the benefits of staying there."

The students packed up Monday and Tuesday and took a bus to the city of Puebla, which is north of Oaxaca, Geist said. Nine of the students were scheduled to fly out this morning. The remaining eight planned to continue traveling in the area.

The students were studying second-year Spanish and Mexican civilization. The program was scheduled to end Dec. 8.

"The students were very disappointed," Geist said. "I could have pulled them out a month ago and made the choice not to because they wanted to stay and I felt that was important to respect their wishes as long as it didn't endanger their safety."

David Fenner, director of International Programs and Exchanges, said this is the first time since he came to the UW in the 1980s that students were pulled out of an area out of concern for their safety.

"[Students] are apt to be in places where there are ... serious security and safety concerns," Fenner said. "We have a good communication network set up so we're clear about what the situation on the ground is."

Geist discussed the situation with staff in Oaxaca two to three times a day, Fenner said. The UW was also in contact with the U.S. State Department.

Political tensions in Oaxaca flared in August, when a teacher's strike escalated to include other issues. In late October, Mexican President Vicente Fox sent a police force into the region. Several protesters were killed in confrontations with police, including an American journalist.

Pacific Lutheran University and the University of California-Davis pulled students out of the region at the end of October, Geist said.

In spite of the recent violence, both Geist and Fenner agreed the program was a great experience for students.

"We definitely intend to [send students back to Oaxaca] if the political situation allows it," Geist said.

Reporter Meghan Erkkinen: news@thedaily.washington.edu