Spaniards remembered victims of the Madrid train bombings on the terrorist attack’s first anniversary Friday. The tragedy, which killed 191 people and injured more than 1,500 others, prompted Spain to withdraw its 1,300 troops from Iraq last year, an act that received criticism by many conservative Americans and has now unjustly affected two California community colleges.
The trustees of the South Orange County Community College District, comprised of Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College, voted 5-2 this month to end its 14-year-old summer study abroad program in Spain, according to an Associated Press article.
| The Issue Two California colleges ended their Spanish study abroad programs, citing Spain’s removal of troops from Iraq. |
Trustee Tom Fuentes, a major proponent of the cancellation and a former head of the Republican Party in Orange County, attempted to justify the measure, saying, “Spain has abandoned our fighting men and women, withdrawing their support. I see no reason to send students of our colleges to Spain at this moment in history.”
Fuentes’ comments demonstrate the ridiculous mentality of the trustees. It is unknown whether the majority of students attending these colleges agrees or disagrees with Spain’s withdraw from Iraq, and their learning prospects should not suffer due to a few individual’s political partiality.
Furthermore, the quality of educational opportunities for students at these colleges are being abridged by the biases of the trustees, a fact that has the possibility of setting a dangerous precedent for higher education in general. One has to wonder what program would be next on the chopping block, and how fairly international students would be treated at such a college. One can only hope that other academic institutions have better sense than to follow suit.
While the intended purpose of the trustees’ decision was to condemn Spanish political actions, the experience of studying other cultures is one of the most effective methods of promoting acceptance of varying viewpoints. Fuentes should travel to Spain himself before deciding such action is contradictory to supporting American efforts in Iraq.
