San Diego State is a U.S. university with one foot in Mexico. For years, students pursuing international degrees have attended the hillside campus because a study abroad experience is only a quick trip down Interstate 5.
But studies south of the border are on hold after California State University administrators prohibited all university-sponsored activities in this sprawling city. Drug war violence, they say, poses a threat to visitors. Many students think the only thing threatened now is their education.
“This ban is devastating.… It puts an end to my research here,” said Alaina Gallegos, 29, a student of Latin American studies and public health.
Such students as Gallegos, along with faculty and Baja California state officials, are mounting a campaign to overturn the ban, which they say is based on a distorted picture of Tijuana. On Saturday, about 35 students and faculty held a “Solidarity With TJ Day” event in which they partook of everyday Tijuana, not the Tijuana of blood-soaked headlines.
Full story: Cal State’s ban on studying in Tijuana draws protest – latimes.com
