ND students restricted from studying abroad in Cuba.

Yesterday's Observer reports that, thanks to the Bush administration's new restrictions on travel to Cuba, a group of Notre Dame students and faculty will not be able to make a planned trip to the island next March. Having made the same trip earlier this year, I'm disappointed that others will be denied the same opportunity thanks to a policy that strikes me as misguided and counterproductive. I'm also beginning to wonder whether my participation in this year's trip helped doom future visits to Cuba by Domers; after all, I visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority with a group from Georgetown in March 2000, and a few months later the region was plunged into violence that has prevented further such trips by GU students. I remain very pleased to have had the opportunity to visit Cuba - and I can't wait to go back - but I'm also quite annoyed that others will be denied the chance to go. AMDG.