On Aug. 7, Washington Square News reported that students registered to study away in Accra were informed by email that the program was suspended for the Fall 2014 semester, as well as January Term 2015, due to the Ebola virus outbreak in areas of West Africa. While no case of Ebola has been reported in Ghana so far, NYU decided to take precautions to keep the students out of any possible medical trouble. The news was released in an email from NYU Vice President of Global Programs, Nancy Morrison.

The email read, “We believe that we cannot risk sending you [students] into an environment in which the future is so uncertain, and in which you would have encountered significant regional travel restrictions, and potential limitations with community service projects.”

In an email to The Gazelle, Deputy Director of Media Relations at NYUNY James Devitt said that students were provided with alternate options based on their citizenships. Non-U.S. citizens were given options that would cater to various immigration laws and requirements. While U.S. citizens were offered six other sites: Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, Sydney and Washington D.C as alternative sites for their semester away.

Devitt also wrote that he is unsure about future developments as far as the spring semester of 2015 is concerned, especially since no cases have been reported in Ghana at the time of printing. However, safety of NYU's students is the utmost concern of NYU administration.

"To help ensure the safety and well-being of our students, we are continuously monitoring developments in any region where we have study away sites," wrote Devitt.

Associate Dean of Global Programs Katya Grim said that NYUAD would follow suit with the decisions taken by NYUNY.

"The situation is being carefully monitored and evaluated at this time. NYU will make a formal announcement when/if needed," wrote Grim to the The Gazelle.

Nonetheless, as reported by WSN, NYUNY has not yet decided on the future of the faculty at NYU Accra.