Borderland research at risk

As UTEP proclaims to be a vital and unique research university on the border, a new regulation passed by the University of Texas System is now requiring students and faculty to avoid traveling to Mexico for research purposes. The new policy has left students scrambling to find other ways to carry out their graduate thesis or dissertations.

"Since the violence started, UTEP has basically shut down all the research we have been able to do," said Alma Hernandez, graduate sociology student. "Now that this has been created, I have to rely on somebody else who lives in one of the communities to help conduct my interviews, because I can not do it myself. It creates a sort of disconnect since I am not actually there to conduct my research."

The regulation, passed down by the UT-System April 22, states institutional presidents are to "take certain precautionary measures with regard to university-sponsored international travel. These measures are necessary to ensure that the UT System minimizes risk and is in a position to assist faculty, staff or students on university-sponsored trips in the event of an emergency."

According to Benjamin Flores, interim dean of the graduate school, the new regulation is not meant to prevent students from doing international research, but is to help protect students and faculty from areas deemed dangerous.

"The rule is not that they (students, faculty and staff) can't do research in Mexico," Flores said. "My understanding is that travel to Mexico for academic purposes by faculty, staff and students is very restricted, but there are always exceptions. The main concern is the safety of people doing research in areas of Mexico that are in conflict. In the southern states of Mexico that are not in conflict, the university will allow faculty and students to go there to do their research."

As students meet with their advisor to discuss their thesis or research projects, Josiah Heyman, chair of the sociology and anthropology department and advisor, said he strongly suggests students change their topic if it requires work in Juárez or other parts of Mexico.

"I tell them that at this moment we are not authorized to allow them to do research in Mexico. There are expectations and we do collaborate with other colleges in Mexico to help them gather the data they need," Heyman said. "Our graduate program is small in our department, but I have had a student that had to alter her thesis to abide by this rule. This rule is important and I am actually in agreement with this policy, it is very important to keep students' and facultys' safety in mind and it would be very unethical to set a program where they would be at risk."

Eva Moya's doctoral thesis project was in the early stages when the regulation from the UT System went into effect. Moya, now an assistant professor of social work, said she did had to alter the gathering methods for her research project, but was lucky enough to have reliable sources to help her complete her thesis.

"I was very fortunate, I had already consulted with my peers in Juárez and had already been approved by the university before the rule was in place. I already made contacts and had a team of trained professionals that were extremely instrumental in helping me gather my data," Moya said. "I think it is having a big effect on research because faculty and students aren't allowed to travel, so it is difficult to actually conduct the research without physically being there to collect the data."

In order for faculty and students to get approval for conducting research in areas deemed unsafe, they must take their proposal to the Institutional Review Board, which oversees any ethical and safety concerns regarding research projects, and the International Oversight Committee, which must approve any travel that the research will entail.

"We (UTEP) have created a review board (International Oversight Committee) that if they do need to do research in a high risk area, not just in Mexico, they would have to present their research to them, as well as the Institutional Review Board," said Athena Fester, administrator of the Institutional Review Board.

UTEP President Diana Natalicio established the International Oversight Committee after the UT System regulation was created. The committee's main purposes are "to advise whether or not to suspend university programs or study-abroad opportunities offered by the university in countries in which significant health or safety concern has been raised; and to recommend, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not to grant an exemption due to special circumstances to its decision to suspend opportunities in a given country."

"With the recent events in northern Mexico and other parts of the world, some of our faculty and students felt we need a more rigorous process to ensure people's safety," said Irasema Coronado, associate provost and board member of the International Oversight Committee.

According to Coronado, the regulation will not have a dramatic effect on research being done at UTEP, but is more to ensure the safety of the students and faculty by making them aware of the dangers they could face.

"This regulation isn't hurting UTEP's goal of reaching it (tier-one status)," Coronado said. "We are not the only university and the UT System schools are not the only ones dealing with this. Other universities across the nation are dealing with the affects on research due to the violence in Mexico and in other parts of the world. UTEP faculty and students are still conducting research, they are now just doing it within a more conscious and safe manner."

According to Samuel Brunk, doctoral advisor for the Department of History, the regulation has not had a dramatic effect on students and faculty yet.

"I haven't seen anyone that had to change their thesis or research projects yet, maybe just alter them a little," Brunk said. "I think the policy from Austin to scrutinize all travel to Mexico seems a little over done, but there are obviously safety concerns that are real, so we are hoping to see a balanced and sensible approach to it and that it will not affect research too much."