Milligan's 2003 Humanities Tour is confirmed to depart June 3 from Atlanta with a slim possibility of cancellation. However, one third of its students will not be stepping aboard the plane.
Host EF Tours confirmed the departure date in an e-mail last week to Ted Thomas, associate professor of humanities, history, and German and the 2003 tour director. Thomas said that confirmation would have included more information by now if airlines had not been under so much strain from terrorism threats and war uncertainties.
“The tour is on,” said Thomas. “We’re committed to the tour.”
According to Thomas, 17 of 43 students cancelled their reservations this semester. Most withdrew due to war uncertainties and had to pay EF Tours' $400 fee required of those who cancel 66 to 115 days before departure.
The tour will only be cancelled if Congress declared war or the U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning for one of the countries visited. Currently most of the countries under travel warning are African and Middle Eastern; none are European.
“The war would have to take a tremendous turn and there would have to be a major countrywide terrorist threat for the [U.S. Department of State] to issue that kind of a warning. So I think the chances of EF canceling the tour are very small,” said Thomas.
Junior Travis Deyton had been planning to attend since his sophomore year before changing his mind recently.
“The main thing that influenced me was the break out of the war. I don’t want to say I fear for my life, but it’s just an unnecessary risk to take,” said Deyton.
He said he considered the anti-Americanism of countries not in the coalition for war in Iraq, namely France and Germany.
Jack Knowles, professor of English and chair for the area of humane learning, has led the tour four times, most recently in 2001.
“I do not know of any major incident of anti-Americanism in the last 30 years,” he said.
Sophomore Melissa Mills is going on the tour and said she sees traveling during wartime as an experience to be shared later when she has children.
Ruth McDowell Cook, associate professor of English and humanities and 2004 tour director, said she expects the 20 slots still available to be taken by mid-April as war fears subside.
Carmen Allen, administrative assistant for academic affairs, said that a decision has not yet been made regarding a summer humanities course for those who cancelled from the tour. She said that Mark Matson, academic dean, will decide within the next couple weeks.