UPDATE:

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has asked six of its students currently studying in Japan to return to the U.S. after the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning.

One student studying at UW-Eau Claire from Japan says she recollects her initial reaction after the catastrophe in Japan.

"The night it happened, my roommate told me about it. But I didn't think it was a big deal because earthquakes happen a lot," says UW-Eau Claire junior Kyoko Takashima.

But the next morning, Kyoko says she realized it actually was a big deal.

The devastating earthquake and tsunami left behind a disastrous scene in Japan.

And now concerns about radiation coming from the nuclear plant is only adding to why current study abroad students must come back to the U.S.

"Currently, there's U.S. travel warning on Japan. And according to university policy, we do not send students to any nation where there is a current standing us travel warning," says UW-Eau Claire director of Center for International Education Karl Markgraf.

It's a travel warning affecting six UW-Eau Claire students already in Japan, as well as one student who was set to teach English there this summer. She's part of just one of such programs that got canceled.

"I was upset. But I thought about it after a while and it makes sense. I understand that they're looking out for us. They want to make sure we're safe," says UW-Eau Claire senior Meghan Christian.

They may soon be safe, but the students will also be able to finish their pending credits.

"So we're going to be able to help the students complete their curriculum that they had initiated in Japan. We'll facilitate the Japanese language instruction back on this end and then our students will be working from a distance with the Japanese instructors to complete the courses that they had initiated," says Markgraf.

And while the UW System looks out for its students, students at UW-Eau Claire are doing what they can to look out for Japan, through 'Support Japan' wristbands.

"I just thought I wanted to do something for Japan because I can't do anything. I'm not in Japan and something they need would be money," says UW-Eau Claire junior Yuki Shirotsuki. Like Kyoko, Yuki is also studying abroad from Japan.

So far, the Japanese Cultural Society and International Student Association sold enough wristbands and buttons to donate just over $2000 to the Red Cross.

And for students like Meghan, that means things will only get better from here on out.

"Japan always recovered in the past. I'll end up going again some other day," she says.

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EAU CLAIRE — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has asked six of its students who currently are studying in Japan to evacuate after the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning urging U.S. citizens not to travel to Japan and encouraging those already there to return home.

The UW System also has directed campuses to suspend study abroad programs in Japan and to begin evacuating students, said Karl Markgraf, director of UW-Eau Claire's Center for International Education.

Five UW-Eau Claire students currently are studying at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan, through a UW-Eau Claire study abroad program, Markgraf said.

One UW-Eau Claire student is studying in Nagasaki, Japan, as part of a yearlong UW-Platteville program, Markgraf said, noting that UW-Platteville has asked her to return home. An additional UW-Eau Claire student was slated to study in Nagasaki during the spring semester but she has remained in the U.S. because of the crisis, he said.

All the UW-Eau Claire students being evacuated are covered by insurance that includes an emergency evacuation benefit, Markgraf said.

The students studying at Kansai Gaidai are midway through their spring 2011 term, Markgraf said. The Japanese university is trying to identify ways to help the students complete the courses from afar to minimize how the situation impacts the credits they earn toward their degree, he said.

"Every effort is being made at UW-Eau Claire to help meet the returning students' academic and social needs," Markgraf said. "The university is making accommodations available in the residence halls for the returning students; staff and faculty are working with students to arrange for the on-campus continuation of their Japanese language courses; and UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff are working with the students and Kansai Gaidai University faculty to help students complete the courses they had started in Japan."

All the UW-Eau Claire students being evacuated have the option to return to study in Japan for the fall semester, Markgraf said. Some already have indicated that they plan to exercise that option, he said.

UW-Eau Claire's Financial Aid Office is working with the students to determine how the change in their international program plans will impact their financial aid, Markgraf said.