While security at the Winter Olympics has been a worldwide concern, two St. Thomas students studying abroad in the country said they’re not concerned about Sochi security threats.
Safety and security became an issue in Sochi after the Volgograd bombings in late December and direct threats against the Olympics by terrorist cells within Russia. Since the United States Department of State issued a travel warning for Sochi, both international governments and the St. Thomas Study Abroad program are keeping an eye on the situation.
“At this point, we are unaware of any program changes to the St. Petersburg program due to the Travel Alert for Sochi,” Sarah Huesing, assistant director of Study Abroad, said.
Even though St. Petersburg is about 1,500 miles from Sochi, junior Collin Crane, who is majoring in Russian and taking classes in St. Petersburg, said he has noticed a heavy security presence.
“We haven’t been here long enough to notice if it’s an increase or not, but there’s definitely a police presence here,” Crane said. “The Russians are used to it, but the cops are around more than in the states.”
Despite the mainstream media hype over terrorist threats in Russia, there is little concern in St. Petersburg.
“Everyone likes a good story, and terrorist threats at the Olympics in Russia are about as good as they get,” Crane said.
Crane said the high level of security and the risk of being profiled as an illegal immigrant or draft dodger is more worrisome than terrorist threats.
“In all honesty, the police are the scary part,” he said. “If you don’t have your papers then you could go to jail.”
Both Crane and junior Shelby Cooper agreed that if there were an attack on the Olympics, they would feel safe.
“If anything, the only effect we would feel would be tightened security,” Crane said.
Even though St. Thomas study abroad programs have been interrupted by events in the past, such as the 2011 earthquake in Japan, it is unclear if an attack on the Olympics would interfere with the St. Petersburg program.
“We continue to monitor the situation, as we always do for the countries where our students are studying abroad,” Huesing said. “If something were to happen in Sochi, we would work very closely with our colleagues at St. Thomas and at AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) to determine what, if anything, would need to happen with the program and the students currently in St. Petersburg.”
Although the St. Petersburg program remains uninterrupted for the time being, Huesing said safety is still a top concern.
“Safety should always be a concern,” she said. “Just as here in St. Paul, a person’s safety can never be guaranteed. But, if students take the proper precautions, they can do a great deal to lower their risk.”
According to Crane, that’s exactly what the St. Thomas students in St. Petersburg will be doing.
“Russia is a lot different than the states,” Crane said. “It’s all about being smart. We’re going through a good program, and we’re not going to do anything that would put us in an unsafe position.”
Simeon Lancaster can be reached at lanc4637@stthomas.edu.