TTU student in France is safe
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - One Texas Tech student was studying in France during the Paris attacks, but the university says the student is safe and accounted for.
But what does the school do to prepare students before they go overseas?
Texas Tech's Office of International Affairs says they make each student aware of any threats that they may face in the various countries they'll visit.
"The key is to look at the site, where you're going to be going to and look at the threats that are specific to that site," Ambassador Tibor Nagy, Vice Provost for International Affairs at Texas Tech, says.
He tells us that his office does their best to prepare students before they travel abroad.
Alex Hinds, a junior at Texas Tech, is now in Seville, Spain and says he was could not believe what happened in Paris.
"I was in shock...if I was back in Lubbock it would kind of be like, oh that's all of the way back across the other side of the world, but this time it was more like, oh wow that's really not that far from where I am," Hinds said.
He says he tried to prepare before leaving the states by knowing where to go if anything happened.
"Just...the basics, if anything happens, if you're somewhere that it happens to, find an embassy or a consulate," he says. "First of all, obviously, find shelter and try to get in contact with an embassy or your family or even the unit coordinators of your program - touch base with everyone as soon as you can."
He says he understands that what happened in Paris could happen anywhere. So he's staying more alert.
"I've always had my eye out, but now it's just more of paying close attention," the Tech student says.
Nagy says they look at many factors before establishing a program.
"If the negatives outweigh the positives, then we will certainly not have a program going there," he says.
Hinds says though the attacks in Paris were shocking he says it will not hinder the rest of his semester abroad.
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