UCLA Pulls Students Out of Japan Following Radiation Fears; USC Students Can Stay if They Want

Noeluap

UCLA students will come home.

And now a few more folks are headed back home to L.A. as UCLA has suspended its study abroad program in that nation. It's "evacuating" nine students.

Here's the university's statement:

As the threat of radiation exposure grows in Japan following the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami that severely damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant, UC decided to suspend its study-abroad programs in the country and is in the process of evacuating students, including nine UCLA students from Tokyo.

USC's steps are not not so drastic.

The school says students in Japan can stay if they want, but that programs there have been suspended or were coincidentally on break this week, so there's no learning to be had. A school statement:

For some of the study abroad students, their remaining spring programs already have been canceled by the host institution in Japan. For others, their universities currently are on break and are assessing plans about the upcoming term.

USC is in the process of assisting study abroad students with arrangements for leaving Japan as soon as possible or for withdrawing from classes scheduled to start in the near future, if the students choose to do so.

Added: UCLA spokeswoman Claudia Luther tells us that the suspension of study abroad in Japan applies to the spring quarter, which was just about to get underway. That quarter is history, but the school is still planning to have students in Japan in fall unless conditions there continue to get worse.