I went to write my Odyssey article for this week when an article on Odyssey's main page, titled "The U.S. Shouldn't Allow Students To Study Abroad After Brussels," caught my eye. As a student planning to study abroad this summer, I thought it worth the read. The author noted that after the terrorist attacks in Brussels and the risk of further terrorist attacks carried out by the Islamic State, that traveling to Europe as a student was particularly dangerous.

I want to begin by saying that I understand the author's fear. The current state of the world we live in is absolutely terrifying, and the threat of terror is certainly high. I myself am a little bit nervous for traveling to Europe in it's current climate, and having to fill out forms inquiring as to whether my policy covered repatriation of remains was very sobering. However, this isn't deterring me from going.

Why? I just told you that I'm scared. I explained that I understand the danger of European cities at the moment. But I also know that I have a greater chance of being hit by a car as I'm walking down the street to class than I do of being killed in a terrorist attack. Individuals cannot live their lives in perpetual fear. I, for one, want to see Europe for all the positive things about it.

I want to visit Estonia and see how a nation rose from a former Soviet-bloc country struggling after the fall of the USSR to a world leader in technology and e-government. I want to visit Vienna and walk streets that were made before a European foot had ever walked along the shores of North America. I want to see Germany, a country that's opened it's door to hundreds of thousands of refugees and has become a pillar of humanitarianism and diversity. I resent the insinuation that I'm traveling to "drink my way through Europe." I think that generalization undermines the wealth of cultural education received by students who study abroad. The kind of inclusive multi-cultural education that I'm sure the Islamic State wouldn't want us to receive.

I have a question for that author, "Would you advise that we stop traveling to New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington D.C.?" Global terror like the Islamic State is not simply a European problem. Issuing a travel ban or preventing students from studying abroad does not automatically make us safe.

Let's not put Band-Aids on a bullet wound. State Department issued travel bans are not what will protect people from these attacks. Multi-national initiatives to combat terrorist organizations will. In the meantime, let's educate people on the events happening in Europe. Let's send over informed and prepared students. But let's not stop educating college students through important experiences like studying abroad.