Political unrest in Kyrgyzstan could affect an upcoming UW-Madison study abroad program in Bishkek, the nation's capital.
Uli Schamiloglu, UW-Madison professor in the Languages and Cultures of Asia department and chair of the Central Asian Studies program, said the three-week international seminar, at the American University in Central Asia, remains scheduled to begin in late May.
A recent revolution and controversies over elections for parliament have kept the country in a consistent state of turmoil.
\There were elections for a new parliament and there were concerns expressed about how fairly some of the new seats were won,"" Schamiloglu said. ""There were protests over it because after 15 years people are tired of continuing poverty and corruption in Kyrgyzstan. ... I think day-to-day there's going to be all kinds of changes, and it's still not clear how it's going to proceed.""
UW-Madison Director of International Academic Programs Joan Raducha said the university would watch for any changes in the political climate of Kyrgyzstan that could affect the program.
""The situation is unfolding even as we speak, so we're looking at the situation and monitoring things,"" she said. ""We always look at issues of safety very carefully.""
Raducha said IAP has suspended programs in the past because of political turmoil and a program in Israel, canceled a few years ago, will be reinstated in the fall.
UW-Madison junior Rachael Weiker said unless the United States lifts its travel advisory to Kyrgyzstan in the next week and a half, she will not be able to volunteer there through Habit for Humanity.
""It turns out that Global Village, which is basically Habitat for Humanity International, will not allow people to travel to their countries when the U.S. puts out a travel warning, which it has for Kyrgyzstan,"" she said. ""I was looking forward to going to Kyrgyzstan. When I told people I was going, a lot of them couldn't pronounce it or didn't know where it was, but it looks like a beautiful country.""
Weiker said the organization would send participants to villages in Hungary or Romania instead.
Despite any possible problems in Kyrgyzstan, Schamiloglu said he would encourage students to participate in the program.
""There's this ongoing political uncertainty there-I don't know if it's still a revolution anymore,"" he said. ""But I think it's an exciting opportunity for some students.""
