Semester at Sea

Re “Deaths Cloud Floating College,” June 17: I’ve been on the Semester at Sea ship twice. Both times I found it to be a mind-expanding semester staffed by knowledgeable and sometimes brilliant professors. I have an Ivy League degree and have been associated with several “prominent” universities across the country, but the Semester at Sea professors had that extra gift--they cared about their students.

The tragedy of losing a child cannot be dismissed lightly and I ache for the Crawford family, but Semester at Sea personnel spend hours drilling safety into students’ heads before they are allowed to leave the ship in each port. The ship-sponsored trips are carefully researched. The program has been in existence for decades. There have been very few accidents.

PHYLLIS DODSON

Santa Barbara