Our View-College students warned to avoid break in Mexico

The U.S. State Department stopped just shy last month of telling American college students to stay out of Mexico during spring break.

As students get primed for the annual rite of passage — where bathing suits, sun tans, booze and drugs are literally the school uniforms and equipment needed for the week — the Mexican travel industry is in near panic mode.

The “Travel Alert” currently displayed on the department’s website delivers an ominously bleak message that college revelers could be exposed to extreme dangers in some of Mexico’s most popular resort towns.

According to the website, Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an increasingly violent conflict — both among themselves and with Mexican security services — for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border. The website warns that the uncertain security situation in Mexico poses serious risks for U.S. citizens.

Parents of college students, many already nervous about their children being away from home for the first time, are cautioning their kids to stay out of Mexico during spring break.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a popular Costa Mesa firm, Summer Winter Action Tours, had to cancel its upcoming spring break trip to Baja California because “so many of [their] existing customers and their families are concerned by the recent Mexico travel alerts issued by various agencies.”

SWAT, which partners with many colleges on the West Coast including Cal State Long Beach, will instead redirect thousands of students to Palm Springs.

Well, at least a lot of the swimming pools in Palm Springs have the architecture of a tropical paradise, which is almost as good as being on a beautiful beach in Mexico.

Since the tragic events of Sept. 11, our country has lived in an elevated state of fear. Americans are bombarded with images of violence that occur in other countries, causing dramatic drops in out-of-country tourism and stunting a recessed economy even further.

The recent fears about traveling in Mexico are another example of this age of paranoia.

Yes, young Americans are vulnerable to violent acts that may occur outside of U.S. borders, but should college students spend their spring break in a “safe” retiree town rather than an exotic paradise?

Mexican tourism officials told the Los Angeles Times that killings have been concentrated in three states: Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Baja California. They also said that spring break hot spot Cancun “has been relatively untouched by the violence.”

The mayor of another hot spot, Rosarito Beach in Baja, is desperately trying to downplay violence in other regions, going as far as beefing up his town’s “Tourist Police,” according to multiple media reports.

The State Department website lists several steps that can be taken to avoid dangerous situations while traveling in a different country for spring break.

Students can check the department’s website to avoid highly dangerous areas of a specific region. It also suggests that travelers register with the State Department before going abroad.

Students should be certain they have a signed passport or visa and to not partake in illegal activities. It also warns to never leave any baggage unattended. Drinking too much in public and drug possession can land a student in jail, often up to a year, before bail is even set.

This is pretty basic stuff, but it suggests that much of the violence can be avoided if students use common sense. In a nutshell, avoid high-risk areas, don’t try to score drugs, keep a cell phone on you and don’t be careless with your property. Be respectful of local cultures.

Violence occurs everywhere in the world, but we can’t live our lives in constant fear. Parents and governments go to great lengths to protect young adults from the risks of traveling abroad and quite often they do a disservice to college students thirsting for an opportunity to branch out and experience a different culture.

The world’s stage is the greatest classroom of all. Uncertainty, risk and danger are a part of being an active member in the performance.