SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A family is calling for colleges to increase security and accountability for overseas programs after their son died while studying abroad.
The Kennedy family sent their son, Gunnar, to Saint Louis University’s study abroad program in Madrid in August. One weekend in October, he went hiking in Slovenia with fellow students.
When his parents hadn’t heard from him after the hike, they weren’t alarmed at first.
“It’s just not uncommon when he goes on these hikes that we don’t hear from him a lot,” Gunnar’s dad, Rick Rogers, said.
Gunnar’s mom, Sherry, got an email from SLU saying he had skipped class. The family immediately called the university and the U.S. Embassy to start searching.
Sherry says the two students who had been hiking with Gunnar left him on the trail, assuming he had reached the checkpoint ahead of them.
“His checkpoint was when they got off the mountain in Slovenia, they were going to meet there at the hostel, and then they were going to meet in Italy, and then obviously back in Madrid, and he missed all the checkpoints,” Gunnar’s mom, Sherry Dills-Kennedy-Rogers, said.
Gunnar’s brother, Logan, flew to Slovenia and coordinated with local authorities. On Oct. 5, they found Gunnar’s body at the bottom of a ravine. He had fallen while climbing.
The Kennedy family wants Gunnar’s death to spark change at universities.
“We want some changes to be made in schools. I’m sure SLU is probably not the only school maybe like that. And have accountability of where your kids, especially overseas, where your kids are. And make sure they’re back safely,” Rogers said.
Saint Louis University said in a comment:
“We remain deeply saddened by this tragic loss, and we continue to keep Gunnar’s family and friends, as well as the University of Virginia community, in our prayers. At SLU, we take student safety and well-being seriously, and we do all we can to provide students with the support they need for a successful, safe and meaningful experience studying abroad in Spain.”
Missouri State University sends around 450 students abroad every year. Director of Education Abroad Elizabeth Strong says MSU works to keep those students safe before they leave.
“We have worked out our communication tree. We have an emergency response plan. There are many levels of risk mitigation that we invest in. And then, of course, our emergency response plan. But we focus on risk mitigation because we want to reduce the chance that a student will be unsafe,” Strong said.
The Kennedy family hopes no other family has to go through what they did.
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