The rioting that started in London a few days ago has made a serious impact on the way the city is perceived abroad. Those living outside of the United Kingdom have had mixed responses to the unrest, but any parent of students studying in London or the other cites affected by the violence are bound to feel concerned for the safety of their children.

Thus far, it appears that the day-to-day lives of students studying abroad in the UK have not been much affected. In Oxford, just north of London, students from American universities were asked to stay inside housing at Trinity College, according to Red and Black, a student newspaper from the University of Georgia. The students were participants in study abroad programs run by the University of Georgia, Georgetown, University of Massachusetts and St. Bonaventure University.

Many summer programs are currently ending, and US students will be returning as scheduled. Syracuse University has 31 students participating in a short-term program who were scheduled to return on August 11th. “The areas currently affected are ones where students are unlikely to go, and bystanders do not at present seem to be at great risk,” states the University’s website. Similarly, 17 Indiana University students are scheduled to return to the states this week.

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UPDATE [12/9/10]: Parliament is expected to vote on the tuition increase this evening. The largest protest to rally around the issue is also planned, with authorities prepared for more potential outbreaks of violence (see video below).

SECOND UPDATE [12/9/10]: The parliament passed the higher cap on tuition fees, and protests have taken a destructive turn. Several policemen have been injured and a royal car carrying Price William and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was attacked by protesters. William and Camilla are unhurt. The new measure must be approved by the House of Lords and receive the Queen’s signature before it is considered law.

American students aren’t the only ones facing an increase in education costs. The British government has taken action that will triple the cost of tuition after 2012. It’s empowering to report that approximately 50,000 people took a stand against these policies during a demonstration. Unfortunately, after only one hour of peaceful protesting, about 200 bad-apples ruined the bunch. A riot began and many people were injured during the course of it. Through the darkness of such violent acts, the light of the issue was lost.

The demonstration was organized by Britain’s National Union of Students (NUS) and they have clearly stated their disapproval of the riot. NUS president, Aaron Porter tweeted, “Disgusted that the actions of a minority of idiots are trying to undermine 50,000 who came to make a peaceful protest.” Read the rest of this entry »

A group of 400 rioters stormed a neighborhood street in Eugene, Oregon on September 24, 2010. Some of the rioters were college students from the University of Oregon.

The riot occurred in the West University neighborhood. Many students live in this area and have “very large houses with basements (that) can hold a couple hundred people each,” according to the Eugene police spokesman Doug Mozan.

It seems that a party got out of hand, and the drunken party-ers spilled out of the house and into the streets. Once in the neighborhood streets, they began throwing bottles at officers, breaking car windows, and tearing down street signs.

These groups tend to “engage in group-think. It was like a flash mob, almost,” Mozan said. This means that if one person says the group should riot, this one person could influence everyone else to do so. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s always exciting when your school’s team wins against a rival school. In my opinion, this always calls for a celebration. After the Sooners beat the Cowboys, my friends and I went out for ice cream. But we have never joined in a celebration that was so big that police officers were called in, 28 people were arrested, and five ended up in the hospital.

When the University of Maryland’s men’s basketball team beat Duke’s team on March 5, 2010, students gathered together and celebrated. They were very excited after defeated their rival, and “sang and cheered over their team’s success.”

However, police officers were not pleased. Officers showed up in full riot gear, with the goal of clearing the street. According to the Washington Post, many eyewitnesses reported that the officers were being overly dramatic, “banging clubs against their riot shields as they slowly moved forward.”

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