The Matthew Online

Shockwaves of Perugia student murder still being felt in Rome

By Chiara Travia

ROME,  Nov. 27 - When considering the move to study abroad, nobody would ever think, 'is this place I'm going to die'?

But following the murder earlier this month of 21-year-old English study-abroad student Meredith Kercher, at a university in Perugia, visiting students are beginning to reassess their safety. Two of the main suspects in her murder are Amanda Knox, 20, an American student from Seattle, who had the bedroom next to Miss Kercher, and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

Security concerns abound for study-abroad students

By Ruthie Kasnett

ROME, Feb. 21 - Every January, hundreds of study abroad students from the United States arrive in Rome. Unfortunately, trouble greets some of them.

In past semesters, study-abroad students have been robbed, pick-pocketed and sexually abused, a formula that seems to repeat itself every semester.

A night on the town? Consider these steps

A man approaches a girl in the bathroom and aggressively pushes her into a stall. There is nothing she can do. She tries to scream, but no one can hear her. Amid the panic, it seems as if she just has to give in. But in reality, there is something she can do to protect herself.

The Matthew Online correspondent Liza Himelstein-O’Reilly investigates some of the methods female college students can employ to protect themselves in these frightening situations.

 

 

In the shadows of Rome, risks abound

By Shira Strassman

ROME, Nov. 28 — It’s a study-abroad student’s worst nightmare.  You come to Rome to live in a foreign culture and experience a whirlwind of travel adventures, and for one semester at least, it feels like you are living a dream.  Then, out of nowhere, your fantasy bubble bursts when a sexual assault casts a dark shadow over it all.