By Hanifah Jones, Staff writer
Susquehanna University’s Global Opportunities Office hosted its third annual Passport Caravan on Friday, March 9.
The Global Opportunities (GO) Office offers Passport Caravan once a semester. The program provides students with passports, free of charge.
Susquehanna requires that students complete a cross-cultural experience in order to graduate. Most programs are international and require students to acquire a passport. According to the Travel State Government website passports cost $135. For many students who face financial concerns about studying abroad, the opportunity to obtain a passport for free is very helpful.
“The Passport Caravan started as part of the national initiative called ‘Generation Study Abroad’,” said Molly Roe, the faculty led program manager in the GO Office. “We worked with one of our program provider partners, CIEE, for the first iteration of Passport Caravan in 2016.”
CIEE is the Council on International Educational Exchange, who’s mission statement includes, “To help people gain the understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world,” according to their website.
CIEE’s Generation Study Abroad initiative provides passports for over 10,000 students around the country. The program was developed in 2014 by the Institute of International Education, with
the goal of increasing the number of students studying abroad. “The initiative seeks to double the number of U.S. students studying abroad by 2020 by breaking down the main barriers: cost, curriculum, and culture,” Roe said.
Many students with different financial backgrounds often find themselves discouraged by the high costs of studying abroad. Plane tickets, visas and passports are all mandatory for international travel, and are often the most challenging expenses.
“In the applications, students mention the financial burden of a passport,” Roe said. “The support of alumni and friends helps us ensure that all students can participate in an international GO program. Through Passport Caravan, not only do we pay for the applications, but the applications are processed on campus. The closest passport agency is in New Berlin, so having the accessibility on campus is also helpful.”
Students who have participated in Passport Caravan note how the free passport was exceptionally helpful to them.
“I am very excited about the Passport Caravan because it is going to give me the opportunity to explore internationally without the dreadful thought of having to pay a lot of money for all of the expenses including the passport” said Amir Spurgeon, a junior business major. “I am very grateful for this opportunity”.
The first GO sponsored Passport Caravan took place in Fall 2016. Since then there have been many more, in Fall 2017 and Spring 2018.
“In March, we hosted our third event,” Roe said. “The second that was funded by alumni and friends. We have been able to give away approximately 275 passports during the three events.”
“Through Passport Caravan, we pay for the processing fee and the passport application fee, a $135 value, which will increase in April,” Roe said. “This time we had about 90 applicants for 100 spots.”
According to Roe, any unissued checks that are leftover will be used for applicants in the upcoming Fall Passport Caravan.
For more information about Passport Caravan, contact Molly Roe or visit the GO office in the lower level of Hassinger Hall.