Penn State has issued university-specific information warning students and faculty of the dangers associated with the recent worldwide outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The university has taken measures to notify its domestic faculty and students, as well as those abroad, of concerns related to SARS. Penn State made its own guidelines because it received numerous questions from students as well as reporters about the issue, Ellen Nagy, marketing manager for University Health Services, said.

The actions taken by the university, such as placing links to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on UHS' Web site, were meant to be proactive measures, Tysen Kendig, university spokesman, said. "This is really becoming a global issue; we want to re-emphasize the messages that the CDC and WHO have sent," Kendig said.

He said the university is not aware of any Penn State students or faculty that have been affected by SARS. But should a case arise, the university's facilities would be prepared and equipped to manage the malady, he added. "We don't want students to panic, but be aware of risk," Kendig said.

Penn State's study abroad programs have not been greatly affected by the SARS outbreak, Lewis Jillings, associate vice provost for international programs, said. There are two groups of students studying in Beijing and Singapore, respectively, whose programs are ending early due to SARS, Jillings said.

"There are seven students in Beijing that will probably return home very soon and 10 students in Singapore that were due to finish May 3, who might be coming home sooner," he said.

There was only one student in the international program in Singapore who chose to leave early, Jillings said.

Penn State, in conjunction with its counterparts abroad, has been issuing very clear guidelines to students concerning the SARS epidemic, he said. In addition, Penn State, along with other Big Ten universities, keeps very close touch with all its students who are in study abroad programs, he added.

The number of students applying to study abroad did not decline because of the SARS epidemic, Jillings said.

"In fact our numbers are slightly ahead of last year's at this stage," he added.

Because the notion of living in another country can be a little intimidating, the Office of International Programs sent information to all students abroad and most of their parents about SARS to provide some notion of what the risks might be, he said.

Jillings said that studying abroad can be a rewarding educational experience.

"It's a hell of a way to get an education," he said.