Cuban government postpones SIU trip

Maureen Hagrman
News Reporter

Cuban government officials have indefinitely delayed SIU's mission to Cuba two days before the planned departure.

Thirty-one faculty members, administrators and researchers from SIU Edwardsville, Carbondale and the medical school in Springfield and several state and local officials had planned to go on the trip to Cuba, which was designed as a humanitarian trip.

University spokesperson Scott Kaiser said, "We wanted to meet with various Cuban officials in government to discuss agriculture, biotechnology, education and establish relationships that will be beneficial in the long run to SIU faculty and students."

Cuban government officials notified SIU officials Tuesday that "the Cuban government has postponed the Southern Illinois University mission trip to Cuba due to unplanned and unforeseen situations that have arisen beyond their control."

The delegation was supposed to leave Thursday. Some members of the delegation were to stay in Cuba for six days, while another group was to stay for 12.

Reportedly, the Cuban government left hope for the mission to be rescheduled.

"It is in the interest of the Cuban government to have this visit come to fruition and host the delegation from Southern Illinois University," the notice said. In addition, the notice said a new date would be offered within 10 days to two weeks, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Kaiser said he does not know what the unforeseen situations in Cuba might be.

"We're hoping to re-plan at this point," Kaiser said Wednesday. "We're trying to work with people's schedules.