Dear Colleagues,
In a recent note Brian Victoria has raised the issue of
student health
and safety this fall in Japan.I would like you to know that
Antioch
Education Abroad has taken the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident
very
seriously since it occurred in 2011.We continue to monitor the
situation
in Japan extensively, and this year we have determined that it is
indeed
safe for our students to attend the Japan and Its Buddhist
Traditions
program in Kyoto in the fall.
In our review of the situation
Antioch Education Abroad has used
information from the US State Department,
the Center for Disease
Control, the World Health Organization, and the
International Atomic
Energy Commission as well as public news sources.In
addition we have
consulted our sister institutions who send students to
Japan, and found
that none of the programs planned for American students in
Japan this
year will be cancelled for reasons related to the Fukushima
Daiichi
nuclear accident.We are confident that our decision to continue
the
Japan and Its Buddhist Traditions program in Kyoto this fall
is
responsible and takes seriously the health and safety of our
students.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Dr.
George
Klonos who is the new Director of the Japan and Its Buddhist
Traditions
program.He is a Japanese Religions scholar who recently completed
his
doctorate from the Religion Department at Stanford University.
His
research interests include Shugendō, Japanese Esoteric Buddhism,
the
ecology of religion, sacred geography, asceticism in East
Asian
traditions, and elements of Daoism in Japan.Dr. Klonos has
taught
Japanese Religion courses to undergraduates at Stanford as well
as
co-led a study abroad program in Kyoto. We are very happy to welcome
him
to Antioch, and are confident that with his guidance our students
will
flourish in Kyoto.
With Best Wishes,
Robert
Pryor
Director
Buddhist Studies in India Program
Antioch Education
Abroad
900 Dayton Street
Yellow Springs, Ohio
45387 USA
