University tightens up on study abroad

SEATTLE, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The University of Washington has imposed stricter rules for studying abroad as one of its students stands trial for murder in Italy, university officials say.

Under the new guidelines, department chairs must sign off on all foreign-study trips, students who go abroad must have cell phones and insurance and there is a ban on any money earmarked for study abroad being used to buy alcohol, SeattlePI.com reported.

Amanda Knox, who was studying in Perugia, Italy, is charged with killing a housemate, Meredith Kercher, who came from Britain.

In the weeks before Knox's arrest in 2007, eight students in a group of 17 from the University of Washington became sick with mosquito-born disease in Ghana, and another group of 13 students had to be evacuated from Greece to escape wildfires.

"There's a much more formal process now with administrators that are very aware, with lines of communication open and policies in place if something happens," said Taso Lagos, who teaches international communication and manages a program in Greece.

The university has one of the largest study-abroad programs in the United States, with around 2,000 students out of the country at some point every year.