The beginning of the ground assault by the Israelis against those in Gaza didn't take long for Michigan State University to call for al students studying aboard there to return home.

MSU students studying in Israel brought home early due to violence
MSU students studying in Israel brought home early due to violence
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MLive.com is reporting today that the students were ordered to return home early as a safety precaution.

"The sitaution in Israel has deteriorated to some degree and due to that escalating unrest, we made the decision to abbreviate the current study aboard program and bring the students home," said Jason Cody, an MSU spokesperson.

The eight students were set to be in Israel for another two weeks.

While students were split on whether the order was necessary, the head of the college's Jewish Studies program felt it added nothing more but confusion to the situation. Ken Waltzer said he advised against pulling the program.

"They were in dorms with their own safe rooms or shelter," he said.  "We had customized a different itinerary of excursions so we wouldn't put them in harm's way.  Faculty members were reporting back daily both to us and to the parents of the students.  We were really on this."

But Walzer said the university had a protocol in place.

"They worried that if they failed to act now, it would be harder to get to the airport,"  he said.

Waltzer said the university felt problems could make the students targets as they tried to exit the country and thought it was better to act to bring them home as soon as possible rather than take any chances.

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