{
  "id": "2016-03-22-notre-dame-brussels-attacks-advisory",
  "slug": "notre-dame-brussels-attacks-advisory-2016-03-22",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Notre Dame",
    "shortName": "Notre Dame",
    "state": "IN",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Notre Dame International"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2016-03-22",
    "type": "civil-unrest",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "A travel-registry check confirms no students abroad were caught in twin bombings",
    "headlinePublic": "A travel-registry check confirms no students abroad were caught in twin bombings",
    "summary": "Coordinated suicide bombings struck [Brussels Zaventem Airport and Maalbeek Metro station on March 22, 2016](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Brussels_bombings), killing 32 civilians and injuring more than 300. Notre Dame International (NDI) emailed all Notre Dame students abroad that Tuesday with a safety check and advisory to avoid Belgium. [NDI confirmed no Notre Dame students were known to be in Brussels at the time of the attacks](https://international.nd.edu/news-stories/news/ndi-confirms-safety-of-students-abroad-following-brussels-attacks/) and that all study-abroad students had been accounted for.",
    "outcome": "No Notre Dame students were in Brussels during the attacks. All ND students abroad were accounted for. The U.S. Embassy Brussels issued a Level 4 threat rating; NDI advised students to defer travel to Belgium."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Tuesday, March 22, 2016, shortly after the Brussels bombings at 7:58 AM and 9:11 AM CET (1:58 AM and 3:11 AM EST)",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Dear Notre Dame students abroad,\n\nYou are no doubt aware of the terrible events that took place this morning in Brussels.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy in Brussels has issued this statement on the attacks, which includes a Level 4 threat rating.\n\nBecause of the current safety risks, students are advised not to travel to Belgium until further notice.\n\nYour safety and wellness are our priorities and we urge you to review the following information and take action on all items that apply to your situation.\n\nTravel Considerations\n\nWe realize many of you are on spring break or are planning personal travel for the Easter holiday. In addition to avoiding Brussels, please remember to take the following measures:\n\n• Sign up for STEP alerts to enroll your trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate\n\n• Register all personal travel here and let others know your whereabouts if you plan to be away from your program location for more than 24 hours.  \n\n• Plan for travel delays and disruptions given heightened airport and border security\n\n• More generally, exercise caution, vigilance, and avoid crowded urban areas to the extent possible.\n\nCommunication\n\n• Please ensure your overseas contact information questionnaire is up to date. This is on your SP16 accepted program page in the NDI online application system. If you need assistance with this, contact Dyann Mawhorr.\n\n• Please respond timely to e-mails / SMS requests from your respective Gateway staff or other program coordinators.\n\n• Please keep in frequent contact with your parents/guardians when events like this occur.\n\n• Please also be attentive to updates from Notre Dame’s partner universities and other study abroad providers.\n\nCounseling and Support\n\n• Counseling and support services are available through HTH insurance. Here is the contact information for HTH: HTH Worldwide: or +1 610-254-8771 (you may call collect)\n\n• For those in Global Gateway locations, counseling and support is also available through Gateway staff. Prayer services or other community events may be organized at Gateway locations.\n\n• For those in facilitated or direct-enroll programs, counseling and support may be available through your respective on-site program coordinators.\n\n• NDI personnel (program directors and others) here on campus are available as needed to provide support or information to you or your parents/guardians.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://international.nd.edu/news-stories/news/ndi-confirms-safety-of-students-abroad-following-brussels-attacks/",
      "sourceDescription": "NDI: Confirms Safety of Students Abroad Following Brussels Attacks (email reproduced in full)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim student email reproduced in full on the official Notre Dame International news page",
        "The NDI article confirmed that no ND students were identified in Brussels at the time and that all students abroad had been accounted for -- the core verified facts",
        "The Level 4 U.S. Embassy Brussels threat rating and the ND Travel Registry guidance are confirmed details from the NDI article",
        "The bombings struck Zaventem Airport at 7:58 AM CET and Maalbeek Metro at 9:11 AM CET on March 22, 2016 -- the NDI email went out the same day"
      ],
      "characterCount": 2368
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after the initial advisory, following confirmation that all Notre Dame students abroad were accounted for",
      "channel": "website",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://global.nd.edu/news-events/news/ndi-confirms-safety-of-students-abroad-following-brussels-attacks/",
      "sourceDescription": "Notre Dame International — Brussels attacks student safety confirmation",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "The [2016 Brussels bombings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Brussels_bombings) killed 32 people in coordinated attacks at Zaventem Airport (7:58 AM CET) and Maalbeek Metro station (9:11 AM CET) on March 22, 2016, claimed by the Islamic State. Notre Dame International, which administers overseas programs for roughly [1,000 Notre Dame students abroad each year](https://global.nd.edu/travel-safety/emergencies-abroad/), sent an advisory email to all students abroad the same morning and posted a public safety confirmation on its website. Crucially, NDI's [travel registry system](https://ndi-tr.nd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Link_ID=3DB11914-5056-A111-29401EAF5E4EAB5C&Parent_ID=0) -- which tracks student locations abroad -- showed no ND students in Brussels at the time, enabling the rapid all-clear. The advisory recommended that students defer travel to Belgium, update their Travel Registry contact information, and respond promptly to coordinator outreach. The Brussels case illustrates how a large US research university with a mature overseas portfolio executes an emergency-accountability check within hours of a major overseas attack: the travel registry generates the roster, program coordinators attempt contact, and NDI publishes the status publicly once confirmed. Counseling support was made available through HTH Worldwide insurance, Notre Dame's standard study-abroad health provider.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "NDI's travel registry enabled same-day confirmation that no ND students were in Brussels -- the registry is the operational linchpin of the accountability check, not the alert system",
    "The advisory email's action items -- update Travel Registry, respond to coordinators, defer Belgium travel -- represent the standardized US study-abroad emergency-response checklist that emerged from the post-9/11 and post-London 7/7 era",
    "The NDI response was published as a news article, not an automated alert-system message -- reflecting the different legal and operational frame for overseas vs. on-campus emergencies"
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": null,
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "NDI Confirms Safety of Students Abroad Following Brussels Attacks",
      "url": "https://international.nd.edu/news-stories/news/ndi-confirms-safety-of-students-abroad-following-brussels-attacks/",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-31"
    },
    {
      "title": "2016 Brussels bombings (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Brussels_bombings",
      "type": "other",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-31"
    },
    {
      "title": "Emergencies Abroad -- Notre Dame Global",
      "url": "https://global.nd.edu/travel-safety/emergencies-abroad/",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-05-31"
    },
    {
      "title": "Notre Dame International — Brussels attacks student safety confirmation",
      "url": "https://global.nd.edu/news-events/news/ndi-confirms-safety-of-students-abroad-following-brussels-attacks/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "study-abroad",
    "brussels",
    "belgium",
    "terrorism",
    "international",
    "advisory",
    "travel-registry",
    "private-r1",
    "notre-dame",
    "2016"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-31",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-20",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}