Northwestern Stands with Haiti

NU Stands with Haiti staggered by community response

2010-03-05T17:11:00.002-06:00

In just one month, NU Stands with Haiti has raised more than $18,500.

The students’ campaign to support relief efforts on the island nation surpassed its own expectations. The original fundraising goal was $8,000, or one dollar from every undergraduate student. SESP senior Megha Agrawal, one of the campaign’s organizers, said that the large sum is unexpected, but fantastic.

“It was really exciting to see that the campus has really come together to get behind this cause,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see that people are recognizing the need for it and that they’re continuously staying involved with the issue.”

Weinberg freshman David Chase, the ASG senator who passed legislation asking for ASG support with the campaign, also found NU Stands with Haiti’s school-wide success astonishing.

“Once everything was put into place and so many student groups got involved, I think all of us really thought $8,000 was a reasonable but still challenging goal,” he said. “It was once we really started getting to our final total that I was truly astounded by the impact this student body made.”

NU Stands with Haiti was created after the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. A group of Northwestern students, including Agrawal and Chase, began the campaign as they felt a need to help save the nation.

“For me, the issue went beyond simply fundraising for disaster relief,” SESP senior Allison Bream, another organizer for the campaign, said. “I felt a sense of duty to learn as much as I could, think critically about the disaster and find some way to contribute to international relief efforts.”

They gathered the support of student groups and around campus, students deposited money and supplies into donation boxes. Much of the campaign’s success stems from the efforts of various student groups, which collected donations at events they hosted. The students behind NU Stands with Haiti also found support from the Center of Student Involvement and teachers like Lane Fenrich, who ran a yoga class to support the campaign.

“It’s really just about bringing people together,” Agrawal said. “Every day, there’s a new student group who wants to get involved.”

Besides the $18,500 students have raised, the campaign received an additional $10,000 grant from the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation of Evanston, bringing the total to $28,500, which will be donated to the organizations Partners in Health and the American Red Cross.

In the coming months, the campaign will keep on supporting the relief efforts in Haiti. Bream hopes that the momentum from the first month will continue into the coming months.

“We all feel strongly that this is just the first step towards rebuilding efforts,” Bream said. “People sometimes say our generation is apathetic. I think this sort of display of involvement shows just how much we care about what’s going on in the world. It’s been absolutely inspiring.”

With such a staggering success, the campaign’s organizers are thankful to the students who participated and donated to help Haiti survive the destruction.

“This is something that would never have happened without an empathetic student body and they deserve all the credit,” Chase said. “Every one dollar makes a huge difference and I think that the Northwestern and Evanston community deserve a lot of credit for standing with Haiti."

Source: North by Northwestern

An update on NU STANDS WITH HAITI

2010-03-05T17:08:00.005-06:00

By Letters

To the Northwestern Community:

On January 12, 2010, the world watched as a massive earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti, resulting in unimaginable destruction. As a community of Northwestern students, we felt an urgent duty to respond.

Drawn together by this sense of responsibility, representatives from over forty student groups met and organized a school-wide campaign to support the relief efforts. NU STANDS WITH HAITI was formed, with a modest goal of $8,000 — $1 for each undergraduate student.

Performing arts groups and professors, students and social action groups, religious groups and residence halls united, planning fundraisers overnight and dedicating their annual events to the cause. The result was staggering: over $18,500 were raised, more than twice our initial goal.

Our efforts were greatly strengthened together by the Evanston community. With the Evanston-based Haitian Congress, students arranged to send more than twenty boxes of supplies; our partnership with them continues. In recognition of this partnership, the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation generously pledged their support for NU STANDS WITH HAITI by providing a matching grant of $10,000 toward our fundraising efforts, bringing the present total to $28,500.

We are pleased to direct these funds to Partners In Health and the American Red Cross — two reputable organizations who were among the first to respond in Port-au-Prince and have continued to provide vital services. This campaign could not have been successful without the students, faculty, and staff who organized and participated in the many events, and we thank them greatly.

While Northwestern’s contribution is remarkable, we hope that this is the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the conditions that preceded this catastrophe and on the long, arduous rebuilding ahead. It is up to us as a community to sustain our energy and passion to ensure that we continue to stand with Haiti.

In solidarity,

NU STANDS WITH HAITI

Megha Agrawal, SESP senior, is the Co Director of the Global Engagement Summit

Source: North by Northwestern

New Fundraising Goal: $12,500

2010-01-28T02:39:00.004-06:00

After an overwhelming response to the fundraising initiative, NU Stands with Haiti has bumped up the fundraising goal to $12,500. The Northwestern community needs to raise about $2,800 in the next few days in order to reach that goal.

Haiti Week Schedule (the remainder)

2010-01-28T02:37:00.002-06:00

Thursday, January 28th

1-5PM - DZ Hot Chocolate sale (Tech)
7PM - Revolution, Reparations, and Rebuilding: A Panel on Haiti (Swift Hall 107)
8PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis Room)

11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Friday, January 29th

11AM - 5PM NU Red Cross Blood Drive (http://is.gd/6P9XN)

11AM - 3PM NOM Bake Sale (Norris)

8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)
8PM, 11PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
8PM, 11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley Pavilion)

Saturday, January 30th

2PM, 8PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)
8PM, 11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley Pavilion)

Sunday, January 31st

6PM - Responding in Faith- A Christian Prayer Event for Haiti (Fisk 217)

Collection Drives

On Going Events

Canning will take place at various locations across campus (if you would like to volunteer, sign up here.)

IFC chapters will be donating $1 per member

RHA is donating money allocated to munchies

Handmade bracelets are being sold for $5 each

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc is selling "iKare about Haiti, L 'Union Fait la Force" wristbands for $5

Haiti Panel

2010-01-28T00:37:00.002-06:00

Haiti: History, Politics, and Culture of a Country in Crisis

Thursday, January 28th, 7:00pm

Swift Hall Room 107

(2029 Sheridan Road)

Panelists:

Alie Kabba – Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Professor Joan Sherman – Gender Studies Program

Dr. Doris Garraway – French & Italian Studies

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor - Graduate Student in African American Studies

Dr. Mark Hauser – Department of Anthropology and Archaeology

Moderator:

Dr. Sherwin Bryant – Department of African American Studies

Sponsors:

NU Stands with Haiti

Department of African American Studies

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program

Latino Studies Program

African American Student Affairs

French & Italian Studies

Northwestern sends doctors to help Haiti

2010-01-27T15:21:00.000-06:00

By Kirsten Salyer

Northwestern began sending doctors and health care workers to provide medical relief to earthquake victims in Haiti Monday.

NU medical workers from the Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital will volunteer in collaboration with the University of Chicago Medical Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine and Rush Medical College.

Dr. Martin Lucenti, an assistant professor of emergency medicine and a physician at Northwestern Memorial, was the first of the group of 45 volunteers to leave for Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

After the earthquake, there was an “incredible” outpouring of support by the NU medical staff and faculty, said Dr. Robert Murphy, director of the NU Center for Global Health.

“Although Northwestern doesn’t have any programs going on the ground in Haiti, we have a lot in developing countries,” he said.

Physicians are selected for two-week trips, said Carolyn Baer, deputy director of the NU Center for Global Health. She said the center is evaluating volunteers’ skill sets and their proficiency in Creole and French.

The first wave of medical workers includes people with experience in orthopedics, trauma, anesthesia and technical support, and a second wave of more specialized support will follow, Murphy said.

“It’s a very fluid situation,” he said. “We have a list of people ready to go, and we’re sending them as the opportunity rises.”

Dr. Joseph Weistroffer, a Feinberg assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, will leave for Haiti Friday.

“It’s hard for anyone who’s watched what’s unfolded in the last weeks not to be devastated by this act of Mother Nature,” he said. “I felt compelled to help in any way. I was lucky that I have skills that are really needed down there.”

A graduate of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Weistroffer has been trained to work with disasters, he said. Before coming to NU, he served in the military as a medical officer for sailors based in the Pacific Ocean and as a physician for refugees in Djibouti.

Weistroffer said he hopes he can apply his skills as an orthopaedic surgeon and his experience with public health.

“I hope I can work as a surgeon,” he said. “But if they put me in some place to work as a general practitioner, I will. I’ll do whatever they need me to do.”

Six more medical workers will leave for Haiti next Wednesday, Murphy said.

“This isn’t going to end tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll be there at least a couple of months in a very substantial way.”

In addition to sending doctors, NU will also begin receiving patients from Haiti who have bad spinal injuries, Murphy said. The first spinal injury patient will arrive in Chicago Wednesday, he said.

As he prepares to travel in Port-au-Prince, Weistroffer said he has to be ready for anything. He said his years in the military have taught him one thing: “Man plans and God laughs.”

“We can only plan so much,” he said. “Then you go and see what you’ve got and deal with the situation that we have there.”

Source: Daily Northwestern

Fundraiser benefitting Haiti fund held at The Keg

2010-01-26T17:02:00.003-06:00

By Roshan Nebhrajani

Over the weekend, The Keg of Evanston housed a crowd rivaling the busiest of Mondays.

The bar, 810 Grove St., played host to NU Cares at the Keg on Saturday. A $5 entry fee was applied to raise funds for the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

“It was a great way to raise money,” Weinberg freshman Aleah Papessaid on her way to the dance floor. “A lot of people came out.”

The fundraiser was open to guests 18 and older until midnight. Event organizers said the night was put together in a little more than a week.

“Last Thursday I saw pictures of the devastation in Haiti and realized this is actually tragic,” said Daniel Diorio, a SESP senior. “We as talented students should do something about it.”

After making some phone calls, Diorio said he assembled a four-person dream team. Before this event, some organizers did not know one another.

“Rarely have I had an experience with a group that was so spontaneous and unstructured have such a great end result,” said Josh Brower, a Communication junior. “We just thought about who could do what and how we could make it bigger.”

As of Friday night, there were more than 1,000 confirmed guests on the event’s Facebook page.

Organizers said they were pleased with the unity that has emerged on campus in the wake of the tragedy.

“I feel like on a campus like this there are so many divisions,” Diorio said. “It’s a unique time for everyone to come together for a good cause.” Diorio.

Five of NU’s a cappella groups—Asterik, Freshmen 15, Purple Haze, THUNK and The Undertones—sang two songs each. They ended the event with a group rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There.” The singers squeezed onto the stage, belting energetic harmonies that resonated throughout the venue.

“They were great, especially the last song,” Communication and Weinberg freshman Seana Peterson said.

After the performances, the bar remained open until 2 a.m. for guests 21 and older. Diorio said Jason Catanese, a Weinberg junior and member of The Undertones, was the first person he thought to call when he envisioned the event.

Catanese said “road bumps” along the way did not deter their efforts.

“We never thought it wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “We knew we would find some way to raise money. At the end of the night, we raised $5,166 and that’s not including the pending donations from other organizations.”

The funds will be added to NU’s Haitian disaster relief efforts. By the end of the month NU hopes to raise $8,000, University representatives said. Before the additional funds from NU Cares at The Keg, a little more than $3,000 has been raised.

Diorio said the event should not be seen as insensitive to the suffering of the Hatian people.

“NU Cares at The Keg was an opportunity to band socially for a global tragedy,” he said.

Source: Daily Northwestern

Professor leads yoga class for Haiti

2010-01-26T16:58:00.001-06:00

By Sara Grossbarth

Produced by Dan Hill

Professor leads yoga class for Haiti from Daily Northwestern.

For Those Impacted by the earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-25T12:48:00.002-06:00

The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010 has had an impact around the world. Those living in Haiti and those bringing aid will be dealing with the effects of directly experiencing a trauma, as will those who lost someone they loved. However, there are effects for everyone who has witnessed the events on the news, especially those who have family and friends in Haiti. For anyone who feels the impact or knows someone who has, there are a variety of resources available to you, including Counseling at Psychological Services. CAPS has also created a webpage listing a variety of resources at:

http://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/Haiti.html

If you wish to talk with someone at CAPS about how you are feeling, please call 847-491-2151.

Meeting at Northwestern

Counseling and Psychological Services is also offering a debriefing meeting for anyone impacted by the earthquake. It will be Wednesday, January 27, 2010. It will be held from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm at African American Student Affairs in the first floor conference room at 1914 Sheridan Road. If you have any questions about this, please contact Paulette Stronczek at 847491-2151 or p-stronczek@northwestern.edu.

Remaining Haiti Week Schedule (will be constantly updated)

2010-01-25T04:53:00.004-06:00

Monday, January 25th
9:30 PM- Blu [18+ to get in, 21+ to drink] Extreme Measures performing.
10PM - Night at Prairie Moon to benefit Haiti (21+)

Tuesday, January 26th
9PM - DM Trivia Night for Haiti (Buffalo Wild Wings)

Wednesday, January 27th
10AM-1PM - DZ Hot Chocolate sale (Rock)
6pm - CAPS Debriefing Forum (African American Student Affairs)

Thursday, January 28th
1-5PM - DZ Hot Chocolate sale (Tech)
7PM - Revolution, Reparations, and Rebuilding: A Panel on Haiti (Swift Hall 107)
8PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Friday, January 29th
11AM - 5PM NU Red Cross Blood Drive (http://is.gd/6P9XN)
11AM - 3PM NOM Bake Sale (Norris)
8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)
8PM, 11PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
8PM, 11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Saturday, January 30th
2PM, 8PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)
8PM, 11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Sunday, January 31st

6PM - Responding in Faith- A Christian Prayer Event for Haiti (Fisk 217)

Collection Drives

RCB has placed boxes in all res colleges. Please go to http://www.haitiancongress.com/events.htm for a list of supplies.

There will be boxes in Norris, the Black House, Willard and the Women's Center starting Friday to give supplies.

On Going Events

Canning will take place at the Rock/Arch, Kellogg, and Tech. If you are interested in signing up, please do so here: http://is.gd/6Pa4E

IFC chapters will be donating $1 per member

RHA is donating money allocated to munchies

Handmade bracelets are being sold for $5 each

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc is selling "iKare about Haiti, L 'Union Fait la Force" wristbands for $5

Night at Prairie Moon

2010-01-25T04:50:00.000-06:00

Hang out at Prairie Moon with friends and show your support for Haiti this Monday night! We've got a room to ourselves, dance music, and drink specials all night long!

Drink specials include:
$2.50 Miller Light
$3.50 Scrimshaw
$4 Vodka Mixers

Prairie Moon will also donate 15% of all food purchases.

Suggested donation is $3 at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Red Cross and Partners in Health.

*NOTE: This event is 21+ only.

Counseling and Psychological Services Website

2010-01-23T15:54:00.002-06:00

For those impacted by the earthquake in Haiti, please check out http://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/Haiti.html.

More information concerning a specific event is coming soon.

Update - Saturday, January 23rd

2010-01-23T14:23:00.000-06:00

To the Northwestern community:

Thank you to everyone who came out to the events yesterday! Last night, we made a huge dent in reaching our goal of $8,000 by the end of the month to support relief efforts in Haiti. However, we are still encouraging every undergraduate student to give at least $1 any way you can! Please spread the word.

PROGRESS TOWARDS GOAL: $3211.96 raised in TWO days // $4,788.04 left to reach our $8,000 goal by the end of the month.

***TODAY'S EVENTS (1/23/2010)***
2PM - NCDC Senior Gala (Louis Room, Norris). Free food from Evanston restaurants, dancing, awesome live band and performances by Blast, X-Factors, and Senior Stompers!

8PM - Dolphin Show Presents "PARADE" (Cahn Auditorium). The Tony Award winning show is the nation's largest student-run musical. Donations will be collected.

8PM - AATE Presents: Harlem Duet (McCormick Auditorium, Norris). Donations will be collected. 10% of ticket sales go to NU Stands With Haiti.

10PM - NU Cares featuring: Asterik, F15, Purple Haze, THUNK, and The Undertones. See NU Care's Facebook Event for more information.

11PM - AATE Presents: Harlem Duet (McCormick Auditorium, Norris). Donations will be collected. 10% of ticket sales go to NU Stands With Haiti.

***RECENT NEWS FROM HAITI***
UNL Haiti Calls off Search and Rescue (Miami Herald, 1/23/2010)
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/1441576.html?storylink=omni_popular
Obstacles to Recovery in Haiti May Prove Daunting Beyond Other Disasters (New York Times, 1/23/2010)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/world/americas/23haiti.html?hp

***DONATE ONLINE***
- Donate online to the NU STANDS WITH HAITI group:http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/earthquake_group/NUhaiti

L’Union Fait La Force.
With unity, there is strength.
-NU STANDS WITH HAITI

Students 'Stand With Haiti'

2010-01-23T00:27:00.009-06:00

More than 30 student groups organized a week of fundraising and events

By Andrea Albers

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Port-au-Prince may be 1,850 miles from Evanston but it is close to the hearts of Northwestern students planning a week of fundraisers to aid in earthquake relief.

In an effort titled "NU Stands With Haiti," more than 30 student groups collaborated to organize daily events and drives on campus and in the Evanston community Jan. 21 to Jan. 28. Organizers hope to raise $8,000 or roughly one dollar for every undergraduate. Proceeds will go to Partners In Health and the American Red Cross

Events include theater productions, panel discussions, a homemade bracelet sale and a yoga class with Lane Fenrich, assistant dean of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

"We hope to respond effectively as a community," said Peter Luckow, a senior in the Weinberg College and a director in the global health student group GlobeMed. "I think a lot of our drive comes from the urgency of the situation and the potential for a coordinated, passionate student response."

Organizers also hope to foster discussion about Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and its surrounding issues both before and after the earthquake.

"The response from the student body has been overwhelmingly positive," said David Chase, a freshman in the Weinberg College and Associated Student Government senator. "We know we can make a difference, and we feel it is important that we do all that we can."

The Residential College Board has placed boxes in all residential colleges to collect needed supplies that will be sent to Haiti.

Donations to the "NU Stands With Haiti" effort can be made online.

Source: Northwestern Newscenter

"Hope for Haiti Now Telethon": NUIT Recommendation

2010-01-22T18:16:00.001-06:00

This is to let you know that Northwestern University Information Technology (NUIT) is strongly recommending that students who plan to watch tonight's Hope for Haiti Now telethon from their computers to please use NUTV. This will provide the best picture viewing quality. Using alternative streaming media sites, such as Hulu, will add strain to the NU Network, adversely affecting viewing quality.

Update - Friday, January 22nd

2010-01-22T15:42:00.001-06:00

To the Northwestern community:
Last night, the coalition of student groups dedicated to the NU STANDS WITH HAITI campaign set the goal of raising $8,000 by the end of the month to support relief efforts in Haiti. That is the equivalent to raising $1 per undergraduate. Make sure to give your $1 and get your friends to do the same!

PROGRESS TOWARDS GOAL: $1062 raised in ONE day // $6,938 left to reach our $8,000 goal by the end of the month.

***TODAY'S EVENTS (1/22/2010)***
8PM - Dolphin Show Presents "PARADE" (Cahn Auditorium). The Tony Award winning show is the nation's largest student-run musical. Donations will be collected.
8PM - AATE Presents: Harlem Duet (McCormick Auditorium, Norris). Donations will be collected. 10% of ticket sales go to NU Stands With Haiti.
10PM - Unofficial, unrelated, and unaffiliated house party at 2207 Sherman Avenue to raise money for Haiti. $5 drink cup (21+).
11PM - AATE Presents: Harlem Duet (McCormick Auditorium, Norris). Donations will be collected. 10% of ticket sales go to NU Stands With Haiti.

***RECENT NEWS FROM HAITI***
In the Streets of Haiti (New Yorker, 1/16/2010)
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2010/01/in-the-streets-of-haiti-jon-lee-anderson.html
Refugees from the Capital Swamp a Model Rural Hospital (Wall Street Journal, 1/20/2010)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703837004575013510747575470.html

***DONATE ONLINE***
- Donate online to the NU STANDS WITH HAITI group: http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/earthquake_group/NUhaiti

L’Union Fait La Force.
With unity, there is strength.
-NU STANDS WITH HAITI

Official Haiti Week Schedule (will be constantly updated)

2010-01-22T11:45:00.007-06:00

Thursday, January 21st

6PM - Humanitarian Aid: Approaches, Benefits & Detriments (PAS)

7PM - Against Islamophobia (Ryan Auditorium)
8PM - NUCHR: Opening Keynote (Leverone Hall)

8PM - Wave Productions Presents SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE (Shanley Pavilion)

Friday, January 22nd

8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)

8PM, 11PM - AATE Presents Harlem Duet (McCormick Aud)

Saturday, January 23rd

2PM - NCDC Senior Gala (Louis Room, Norris)

7PM - Men's Basketball vs. Illinois (Wear something Red!)

8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)

8PM, 11PM - AATE Presents Harlem Duet (McCormick Aud)

10PM - NU Cares featuring Asterik, F15, Purple Haze, THUNK, and The Undertones

Sunday, January 24th

ALL DAY - Online Giving Push (www.bit.ly/NUhaiti)

2PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)

3PM - Yoga Class with Professor Lane Fenrich (Parkes 122)

Monday, January 25th

10PM - Night at Prairie Moon to benefit Haiti (21+)

Tuesday, January 26th

9PM - DM Trivia Night for Haiti (Buffalo Wild Wings)

Wednesday, January 27th

10AM-1PM - DZ Hot Chocolate sale (Rock)

Thursday, January 28th

1-5PM - DZ Hot Chocolate sale (Tech)
7PM - Revolution, Reparations, and Rebuilding: A Panel on Haiti (Swift Hall 107)
8PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis Room)

11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Friday, January 29th

11AM - 5PM NU Red Cross Blood Drive (http://is.gd/6P9XN)

8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)
8PM, 11PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
8PM, 11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Saturday, January 30th

2PM, 8PM - Vertigo Productions Presents: Soup for Beast (Louis RM)
8PM - Dolphin Show Presents: PARADE (Cahn Aud)
8PM, 11PM - Mee-Ow (Shanley)

Sunday, January 31st

Collection Drives

On Going Events

Canning will take place at various locations across campus (if you would like to volunteer, sign up here.)

IFC chapters will be donating $1 per member

RHA is donating money allocated to munchies

Handmade bracelets are being sold for $5 each

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc is selling "iKare about Haiti, L 'Union Fait la Force" wristbands for $5

Canning for Haiti

2010-01-22T11:05:00.000-06:00

We will be canning on-campus next week from Monday-Thursday during the day at the Rock, Kellogg, and Tech. If you would like to sign-up for a time/location, please do so at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/u.northwestern.edu/ccc?key=0Au3_HrdgWLOidEhsZXBodjA3WFpjaFVnTEt1UTNjbUE&hl=en. Each time/location has space for four people, and I encourage you to sign-up as teams with a group. If you want to do so, you can just write-in your group name, but I need the name and e-mail of a "point-person" whom I can contact and who can pick-up and return the cans (see below).

Cans will be kept at the Center for Student Involvement offices (3rd floor of Norris) where they can be checked-out. If there is a team canning immediately prior to you on campus, you can just do a hand-off on the spot. Otherwise, it is important that when your team is done you return the cans to the CSI offices.CSI will deposit the funds - do not go to SOFO! If you plan to keep your team's cans overnight (such as prior to an early morning canning time or for a nighttime or weekend show) please let me know.

Again, this sheet only reflects daytime on-campus activities during the next week. If you would like to go into Evanston, through a dorm, can at a special event, or go to another on-campus location (such as Norris at lunchtime) please e-mail me so we can get it set up! There are plenty of opportunities and we want to saturate campus and the city.

You can contact me at: tws@u.northwestern.edu

Travis White-Schwoch

World Bank VP of Sustainable Development opens NUCHR

2010-01-22T10:15:00.000-06:00

By Zoe Fox

As a child growing up in Los Angeles, Katherine Sierra was alarmed with the poverty she witnessed during regular family trips to Tijuana, Mexico.

“I always saw that visual of a mom bathing her kid in a bin,” said Sierra, Vice President of Sustainable Development for the World Bank. “What you see as a child sticks with you. It drove all my studies.”

Sierra addressed Northwestern students as well as 40 delegates from 27 other universities in Leverone Hall on Thursday. Her keynote address, “Empowering Hope: Cities, Slums and Human Rights,” marked the opening of the seventh annual Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights.

This year’s three-day conference, “Urban Slums: The Shadow of the Humanitarian Generation,” brings together college students from across the country with non-profit workers, policy makers and academics.

“We want to provide the delegates with a more systematic way of thinking about slums,” said Weinberg senior Diana Nielsen, co-director of NUCHR.

Sierra began by contextualizing the reasons to confront urban slums, pointing to the catastrophic state of Port-au-Prince following last week’s earthquake.

“Slums are the most vulnerable part of cities,” Sierra said. “These are slums that were denigrated and these slums just collapsed.”

Regional context is necessary to define an urban slum. What’s considered a slum in Chile is middle-class housing in Kenya. Slums are built in marginal lands outside of the mainstream city, without zoning laws or building codes. Sixty-two percent of Africa’s residents live in slums. The urban poor live on as little as two dollars a day.

Slums form due to increased job availability in cities and policies restricting affordable housing. Of the over 13 million residents of Mumbai, more than half live in slums. Policy makers’ decision to restrict building size in order to maintain lower population density resulted in the sprawl of urban slums.

Sierra showed a video clip featuring the ingenuity of Bangkok’s urban poor in the face of hardship. The city residents created a market that unfolds over the train track when cars are not passing because no other affordable space was available for their small businesses.

When confronting the difficult problem of the slums, Sierra presented forced evictions as the most egregious violation of human rights.

“Policy makers think the solution to slums is to get rid of them. Think about it, you’ve struggled; you’ve done what you can to get your house built; then one day a bulldozer comes and knocks it down. That’s a huge blow to your spirit.”

The World Bank’s new urban program points to the lessons of the past in order to build strategies for combating urban poverty. Their focus is on the individuality of each city, its residents and their needs.

“Look at people as an asset, not as a problem. If you go after this as a problem, you’re not going to be contributing very much.”

In a video clip, Jockin Arputham, president of Slum Dwellers International agreed, “As long as you think we are the problem, nothing will occur. We are the real change agent.”

Source: North by Northwestern

Islamophobia event draws crowd of students, staff

2010-01-22T10:03:00.010-06:00

By Lizzie Rivard

As a Chinese-American graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an Army Chaplain in Guantanamo Bay, James Yusuf Yee is not the typical person one may envision as a Muslim.

On Thursday night, Yee was brought to campus by the Northwestern Muslim-cultural Students Association for the event “Against Islamophobia.”

“Islamophobia is a kind of xenophobia that’s going on in the United States and throughout the world,” said Dulce Acosta-Licea, external relations vice president for McSA.. “It is a lack of understanding for Muslims, this population which some people think is foreign or strange, and as a result there are many misconceptions.”

Before an audience of about 300 people in Ryan Auditorium, Yee discussed his experiences fighting faith-based stereotypes. While at Guantanamo Bay, Yee was falsely accused of aiding the Taliban and Al-Qaeda then imprisoned for 76 days in September 2003. Profiling Muslims for terrorism or other crimes contributes to Islamophobia, he said.

“Profiling is a violation of national standards against racial discrimination,” Yee said. “It is not something that our country was founded on.”

Miles Drummond said the prevalence of profiling surprised him.

“It opened my eyes to see what policy changes should happen,” the Communication senior said.

Islamic scholar Maulana Yusuf Abdullah also delivered an address. A teacher of several Islamic topics and a frequent lecturer at universities, Abdullah spoke on the background and causes of Islamophobia. In a post 9/11 era, Americans have wrongfully attributed violence to Islam and the teachings of the Qur’an, he said.

“We went from Osama Bin Laden, someone who was politically motivated, not religiously driven, and this evolved into blaming Islam,” Abdullah said.

This has caused distorted views of Islam as a religion, and, as a result, the Muslim population has been demonized, he said.

“This hysteria is not right,” Abdullah said. “Muslims and others have to come together and try to gain understanding of each other, and create a platform to speak against this unchecked fear against Islam and Muslims that is completely false.”
Yee offered solutions for combatting Islamophobia.

“Muslims should be active and engaged, and to be role models not just for people within our own community, but for others,” he said. “The other solution is proper education on the part of non-Muslims, and the academic arena is the perfect place to do that.”

Kenny Yeo said the event made him feel the injustices Muslims face due to Islamophobia and faith-targeted profiling.

“It was really interesting because we usually just get a point of view from the Western side,” the Weinberg freshman said.

Acosta-Licea said that McSA intended for the event to provoke discussion and to encourage others to seek answers to their questions about Islam.

“There’s more to Islam than meets the eye,” Acosta-Licea said. “I believe (this talk) was a great way for people to get to understand Islam more as a religion than as a terrorist organization.”

Source: Daily Northwestern

7th NUCHR somber affair in wake of Haiti disaster

2010-01-22T09:58:00.003-06:00

By Maria LaMagna

Arriving on the tails of one of the most devastating tragedies in history, a somber mood set the tone of the seventh annual Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights Thursday night.

About 200 students gathered in Owen L. Coon Forum in Leverone Hall for the kick-off event entitled “Urban Slums: The Shadow of the Humanitarian Generation.” The weekend-long conference will include speakers, panel discussions and hands-on activities for invited participants.

The delegates, who represent 27 different colleges and universities, were selected after an application process, said Julie Kornfeld, NUCHR co-director. The 40 students will attempt to come up with solutions to human rights problems by looking at case studies.

“We’re hoping that after they critically think about how to deal with these problems and format action plans, they’ll be able to use that knowledge to do similar things after the conference, and maybe even use their action plans and petition Congress or ask different funders for money,” said Kornfeld, a SESP junior.

Architect Ann Clark, who has worked in Haiti with Partners in Health, addressed the audience before keynote speaker Katherine Sierra took the lectern. Clark spoke about the need for hospital repair and aid in Port-au-Prince as conference organizers passed around donation boxes.

NU Stands With Haiti, another student group, collaborated with NUCHR to make Thursday’s address a kickoff event for fund raising, Kornfeld said.

“It’s a huge human rights concern these days, so we didn’t want to not address the situation even though it’s not completely related to urban slums,” she said.
Delegate Shelby Fields, a senior from Macalester College, also attended the conference in 2008.

“I’m studying international studies and human rights, so this is kind of right up my alley,” Fields said. “At least with my studies at school, they’re pretty theoretical, so this is a very specific topic that helps to narrow some of the theoretical focus I’ve had to a specific case study.”

Sierra, vice president of sustainable development for The World Bank, began her presentation with an image of Port-au-Prince projected in front of the auditorium.

“Slums are the most vulnerable part of a city, and we know that, but it was really brought to full by the earthquake in Haiti,” she said. “Keep that image in your mind as we go forward because unfortunately I think we’re going to see more of that, not less.”

Throughout the presentation called “Empowering Hope: Cities, Slums, and Human Rights,” Sierra showed a variety of images, including video clips of urban slums around the world.
While there are both environmental and safety concerns present in slums, it is important to remember that some “hardworking and entrepreneurial” individuals live there, she said.

“They can be the most vibrant culturally of any of the people that we encounter,” Sierra said. “When you think of people living in slums, think also of people who have small businesses doing what they can to provide a livelihood for their families.”
Weinberg sophomore Alex Schmittlein attended the keynote address after working in the education committee for NUCHR.

“I thought (Sierra) did a good job of using statistics and images to drive home her message,” he said. “That’s easier to connect to, rather than for me, personally, the economic side of it.”

It is important to view people who live in slums as “assets” who lack basic identity, Sierra said. The World Bank interviewed 60,000 impoverished people to see what they wanted most, according to the speaker. Although they desired clean water, food, electricity and other necessities, Sierra said there was one thing they wanted more.

“The number one thing they wanted was for people to listen to them.”

Source: Daily Northwestern

NU Stands with Haiti Donation Box

2010-01-22T03:02:00.002-06:00

In case you've had trouble finding an NU Stands with Haiti donation box, here is a picture. Boxes should be located in the lobbies of Residence Halls and Colleges, and every box should have this flyer attached. Make sure to drop something off! If you would like an idea of what to include, consult the Supplies Drive flyer located in a previous post.

NU Stands with Haiti Week Flyer

2010-01-21T23:34:00.005-06:00

Please refrain from printing this flyer as dates and times are tentative and likely to change

NU Stands with Haiti Supplies Drive

2010-01-21T23:27:00.001-06:00

Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief

2010-01-21T20:55:00.005-06:00

Friday, January 22nd

8.00 to 11.00 pm

You can watch it at www.facebook.com/DisasterRelief, or on any of the channels listed below.

"Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief" announces lineup of superstar musical performances.

Read more to find out who will be performing and where you can watch it.Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting Will Appear in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, and a Group Performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; Coldplay, and a Group Performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay‐Z, and Rihanna in London.

All Performances to be Available for Purchase from Apple® iTunes® Store with Proceeds Benefiting Select Haiti Relief Funds. More than One Hundred of the Biggest Names in Film, Television, and Music to Appear on “Hope for Haiti Now,” Along with Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Haiti.

The telethon will air commercial-free across MTV, VH1, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, the CW, HBO, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment Network, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, Centric, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, Epix, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health and Planet Green. Canada's CTV, CBC Television, Global Television and MuchMusic also will air "Hope for Haiti," as will BET International, CNN International, National Geographic and MTV Networks International, making the event available in 640 million homes worldwide.

You can also view the entire "Hope for Haiti" telethon online, at www.facebook.com/DisasterRelief.

Hungry for Haiti - RHA

2010-01-21T20:47:00.000-06:00

Presented by the Residence Hall Association:

GO HUNGRY FOR HAITI is a call for all residence halls to please skip your munchies for the week and instead donate the funds to the NU Haiti Relief Effort.

We ask that during your regular munchies hour this week yall residence hall students donate clothes, toiletries, and spare change in order to provide aid for Haiti and support the NU effort.

Lastly, collection boxes will be set up in every residence hall throughout the week so please donate clothes and toiletries as directed by your hall governments.

Thank you so much for your support.

Today's Events - David Chase

2010-01-21T13:52:00.003-06:00

To the Northwestern community:

Today marks the first day of NU STANDS WITH HAITI, a week-long campaign to support ongoing relief efforts in Haiti following last week's earthquake. Over 30 student groups on campus are organizing events as part of the campaign. To get your group involved, contact megha.agrawal@gmail.com.

To show your support of the NU STANDS WITH HAITI campaign, update your profile picture with the NU STANDS WITH HAITI logo on the event page.

***TODAY'S EVENTS (1/21/2010)***

7PM - McSA Presents: Against Islamophobia (Ryan Auditorium). Speakers include Capt. James Yusuf Yee, Former U.S. Army Muslim Chaplin at Guantanamo, and Maulana Yusuf Abdullah, Eminent Islamic Scholar and Hafiz of Qur'an. Donations will be collected.

8PM - NU Conference on Human Rights: Opening Keynote (Leverone Hall). Empowering Hope: Cities, Slums, and Human Rights featuring Katherine Sierra, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank. Donations will be collected.

8PM - WAVE Productions Presents: See What I Wanna See, A Jazz, Kabuki, Film Noir Musical! (Shanley Pavilion). ALL TICKET SALES DONATED.

***RECENT NEWS FROM HAITI***

60 Minutes segment on Haiti (CBS, 1/19/2010)

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6108550n&tag=api

Paul Farmer - If Haiti is to 'build back better' (Miami Herald, 1/17/2010)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/v-fullstory/story/1429930.html

***DONATE ONLINE***
- Donate online to the NU STANDS WITH HAITI group:http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/earthquake_group/NUhaiti

Bracelets for Haiti

2010-01-21T01:01:00.007-06:00

Northwestern Students 'Stand With Haiti'.

Handmade bracelets are being sold for $5 each and go towards the American Red Cross. Bracelets will be sold throughout the week at Norris.

For more information contact Alyssa Petersel.

AMERICAN RED CROSS: General Meeting on Saturday! - Deanna Mei

2010-01-21T00:54:00.006-06:00

Hey guys,

The Red Cross will be holding a General Meeting this Saturday the 23rd, at 4:00 pm in Swift 107.

Details will be given regarding:
- Volunteer opportunities and events on behalf of the Red Cross for ASG's collaborative weeklong effort NU STANDS WITH HAITI,
- how to donate and volunteer at our quarterly blood drive, and
- many more upcoming events we have in store for the quarter.

Hope to see you there! (:

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Blood Drive: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171245634949&ref=ts

NU STANDS WITH HAITI: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=288350568486&ref=ts#/event.php?eid=288350568486&ref=ts

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Direct Donation to Haiti: http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_src=RSG000000000&s_subsrc=RCO_FrontPagePanel

Karma Yoga Class - Prof. Lane Fenrich

2010-01-20T23:55:00.003-06:00

Hi, everyone.

A fantastic group of NU students has organized a week of events they're calling "NU Stands with Haiti." As part of an effort to raise both consciousness and money, they asked me to teach a donation-only yoga class this Sunday, the proceeds of which will benefit the relief effort. Of course, I said yes!

The class is this Sunday, Jan. 24, at 3:00 in Parkes Hall (1870 Sheridan Road, adjacent to Alice Millar Chapel). Although the address is Sheridan Road, the entrance is actually on Chicago Avenue. It's donation-only, but we're suggesting that students pay at least $15 and non-students as much as they're able.

PLEASE help publicize the event! And PLEASE attend yourself! And bring/tell friends! This is yoga as yoga should be practiced. It would be fantastic if the room were so full our mats were literally right next to each other. (Please ask people to bring mats if they own them, otherwise we'll provide mats until we run out.)

Thanks, and namaste!

Lane

NU Cares at the Keg

2010-01-20T22:57:00.001-06:00

NU CARES AT THE KEG

Benefit for Disaster Relief in Haiti

Who: Everyone (including 18+ until midnight)

What: Live performances by NU's most talented student groups,

with drink specials, and a DJ to follow at midnight

Where: The Keg of Evanston

When: Saturday, January 23, 10:30 - Close

$5 at the door, all proceeds go to

www.clintonbushhaitifund.org

Please make sure to tell your friends - this is a unique opportunity to have a great time while also giving back!

Performances (11:00 - 11:45) by: Asterik, F15, Purple Haze, THUNK, and The Undertones

The Week In Haiti - CBS

2010-01-20T22:28:00.004-06:00

CBS News' Jeff Glor is in Haiti and provides a timeline of the events immediately after a devastating earthquake struck.

Haiti Week Kicks Off with NUCHR

2010-01-20T10:55:00.000-06:00

Please join us for the

7th Annual Northwestern University

Conference on Human Rights

"Urban Slums: The Shadow of the Humanitarian Generation"

www.nuchr.net

When: Jan. 21-24

What: Undergraduates, nonprofit workers, policy makers and academics will gather at the 2010 Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights to examine the problems slum dwellers face and, while focusing on the factors that maintain slum life, explore different motivations and approaches in addressing the human rights violations of slum dwellers.

First Event!!!: Thursday January 21 8pm: Opening Keynote: Empowering Hope: Cities, Slums, and Human Rights—Katherine Sierra, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank

**NU Stands with Haiti Fundraising Kick-Off**

Owen L. Coon Forum, Leverone Hall, Northwestern University

Please See the Schedule at www.nuchr.net

***Events are free and open to the public! Please contribute to our donation boxes to support Partners in Health in Haiti***

Images from Partners in Health Hospital

2010-01-20T10:54:00.000-06:00

Flickr: Haiti_0110_KNakashima_08, originally uploaded by Partners_In_Health.

Click here for recent images from the Partners In Health hospital in Cange that has been treating an endless stream of earthquake victims.

If Haiti is to `build back better' - Paul Farmer

2010-01-20T10:47:00.005-06:00

Paul Farmer is the Presley Professor of Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, the co-founder of Partners In Health, and the deputy to Bill Clinton, United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti.

A few months ago, I joined President Clinton as a volunteer to, in his words, help Haiti ``build back better'' after a series of storms in 2008 destroyed an estimated 15 percent of already beleaguered Haiti's GDP. We had just been meeting about these efforts and a series of upcoming forums to be held in Port-au-Prince, and I was then going to join colleagues from Partners In Health in central Haiti, where I have had the good fortune to work with remarkable Haitian medical colleagues for many years. The day before our New York meeting, Port-au-Prince was flattened by an earthquake. There is not a lot left to be said, but having just returned from Port-au-Prince, there are some points worth underlining.

If Haiti is to ``build back better,'' as President Clinton has been saying, there are lessons to be learned from our efforts, not always honorable or effective, to help Haiti over the past two centuries. This can change and must do so, if we are to be real partners in responding to this latest misfortune.

The scale of the disaster is coming into view. All of the clichés born of extremity came to mind as I saw the city of Port-au-Prince in the dark after this huge earthquake. Symbols of authority and some sort of civility were flattened or tottering. The National Palace looked like a meringue pie that had been sat on. A foul smell hung over the General Hospital, which had just run out of diesel fuel and was surrounded by the injured, the sick, and, of course, piles of those who did not make it. But contrary to rumors of looting and mayhem, the city of two million was quiet, which in itself was unusual. I had never experienced Port-au-Prince without the blaring of radios and car horns. And I expect it will remain this way -- calm, as long as people are offered dignity and respect and the necessities of daily survival: food, water, sanitation and shelter.

The public open spaces of the city (there are few of these) and many streets have been closed off by the citizenry seeking protection from both aftershocks and troublemakers (there have been more of the former than of the latter). What strikes me from Port-au-Prince, apart from the enormity of the disaster, has been the magnitude of the response among those unaffected, whether within Haiti or without -- the simple desire to help -- and the difficulty we will face in seeking to match that goodness with the surpassingly enormous need. So far the desire to help has not been matched to the need, and there are several things to keep in mind as the situation on the ground changes rapidly.

First, rescue and relief efforts are far from over. Although for some they are too late, for others they are just beginning. The head of the United Nations here, who stepped in to replace a fallen comrade, just told me that by digging through rubble they have found someone alive under the ruins of their headquarters. Throughout the city and in the debris of a number of public buildings, people can be heard calling for help. Some are texting on phones that they are alive. It must be no different in other devastated cities, such as Jacmel in the south.

Rescuing survivors will take heavy equipment and experts. These are being brought in now from around the world. But this enormous outpouring of concern and support will be hard to receive. The airport in Port-au-Prince is clogged with aircraft. Some are turned away. All day yesterday, I was with a group of surgeons and anesthesiologists who had brought their skills and supplies. They had to wait many hours before being cleared to land, not because the control tower was destroyed (it was), but because there simply were so many aircraft requesting clearance. A plane full of requested personnel and supplies circling overhead while people die is the right metaphor for the challenges facing us in the short term. Making sure this concern is translated into meaningful rescue and relief efforts is a significant challenge, and here are some basic points that experts in disaster relief make all the time.

Second, in-kind donations are not really what is needed now. I attended a meeting at the U.N. in which this was underlined to assembled ambassadors and donors. Send money, not in-kind donations. To my surprise, the only exception noted that day was Meals Ready to Eat, as there is no way to cook safely in Port-au-Prince at present.

To this I would add that some people do have in-kind services to offer. Trauma specialists are a good example, but in addition to the obvious supplies, surgeons need blood banks, water, and space in which to work. Fuel is needed for generators. All of these are in short supply. So even when a response is highly specific and of obvious utility, like the call for trauma specialists, anesthesiologists, orthopedists, and hospital supplies, coordination is king. But coordination also requires resources -- telecommunications equipment, vehicles, fuel, and cash, to say nothing of feeding and housing of staff. And so coordination can exist in principle and be visible on the ground, yet still be a key goal.

In other words, we cannot give up on improving coordination by dismissing important actors as unable to perform their function. The Haitian people, victims of yet another series of blows, are already helping one another, and many have built up informal networks to help their neighbors in need of food, water, or first aid. The Haitian attitude expressed in the saying, ``If there's enough for two, there's enough for three'' has no doubt saved many lives over the past 72 hours. Coordinating with the people of Haiti means getting messages out on the radio and cellphone, when these services have been restored, to direct people to places where basic needs can be met.

Third, the Haitian government has been dealt a severe blow and not just to its buildings. If at a quarter to five in the afternoon an earthquake takes down not only the National Palace but also the Ministry of the Interior, the State Department, the Tax Bureau, and the Ministries of Finance, Planning, Public Works and Public Health, as well as the parliament building, you can well imagine the gaps created in an already weak public sector. The situation at the United Nations mission is similar. Although the U.N. headquarters collapsed and most of its leadership remains unaccounted-for, the U.N. is rebuilding. Central to this effort is the U.N. arm responsible for bringing together humanitarian groups including nongovernmental organizations to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. The World Food Program, too, has expertise in responding to such disasters; it is already present in Haiti.

Fourth, aid should be coordinated and conceived in a way that shores up Haitian capacity to respond. The planeload of surgeons mentioned above were responding to a call from the Haitian National University hospital. It should be noted that the leadership of that hospital (also surgeons) and the director of nursing have been at their posts for days. They are showing up to work even without the coordination and cash and supplies they need. Identifying such priceless local partners is important for many reasons related to relief and rescue, but it is most important for reasons related to recovery.

Some of this emergency response can be done with longer-range views in mind. Schools must be rebuilt, but in the interim, children must be back in school soon, and rebuilding the city's housing stock will require a different kind of urban planning and a long-term commitment to respect for the Haitian people's wishes.

Finally, I was reminded last night that rescuers will get tired. I went to see my hardy colleagues -- Haitian, Americans from Boston and Miami, Irish, and Cuban. A couple of them had been in Port-au-Prince before the quake -- attending, ironically, a meeting on disaster preparedness -- and had spent every waking moment attempting to assuage suffering the scale of which most of us have never seen. Here again, coordination and cash are king. Just like everyone else, they will need food and a safe place to sleep. Two of my medical colleagues have been sleeping in a jeep. Another two have spent the past two nights without any sleep at all. One of my Haitian colleagues had a dressing on her hand but did not comment on it. She was looking for water and food for the rescuers and, of course, worrying about her own family, some of whom were still unaccounted for.

Like so many of my Haitian colleagues, she represents what is best about that country: an inextinguishable spirit of resistance that represents hope even in the darkest of times.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/v-fullstory/story/1429930.html

Northwestern student groups respond to damage of Haiti earthquake

2010-01-19T19:41:00.001-06:00

Daily Northwestern

By Lilia Hargis

A week has passed since the magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, and its impacts are still fresh in the minds of the Northwestern students who met Monday night to coordinate a campus-wide response to the tragedy.

Student group leaders made tentative plans for a week of events on campus beginning Thursday Jan. 21 to both raise money for relief and educate students about the politics, history and culture of Haiti. It remains undecided which relief organizations will benefit from the fundraising, but the Red Cross and Partners In Health were two popular choices.

Almost 20 students, representing more than 10 campus groups, attended the meeting and will be spending the next few days planning the events. Weinberg freshman David Chase, an ASG senator, and Weinberg senior Peter Luckow, who works with GlobeMed, organized and led the meeting.

Helen Wood from the Center for Student Involvement spoke about ways NU worked to raise $10,000 in six weeks for Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005.

Last week, Luckow coordinated NU students in pressuring administrators to respond to the devastation. Numerous students sent e-mails to University President Morton O. Schapiro requesting a response, Luckow said. On Friday, Schapiro posted a message on NU’s Web site regarding the earthquake.

“On behalf of Northwestern University, I offer our support and sympathy to everyone affected by the recent disaster in Haiti, both the people there and their many friends and relatives in the Chicago area,” Schapiro said in the message, which also contained links and information about organizations accepting donations for the relief effort.

The Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NU responded to the earthquake Thursday by compiling a list of organizations providing emergency relief and long-term development aid to Haiti. A link to this list can be found in Schapiro’s message on the NU home page.

Haiti needs money and resources most right now, and the purpose of the list is to cut out the intermediate step for potential donors of finding a place to give, said Brodwyn Fischer, director of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

“(The earthquake) is one more disaster on the back of a country that has every imaginable disaster in its recent history,” Fischer said. “And it is taking place in a context where there are no resources to deal with it.”

The Red Cross Club was also among the first groups on campus to raise awareness about the earthquake when its members sent e-mails to student listservs Wednesday afternoon describing the situation and instructing students how to make donations by texting “Haiti” to 90999.

It is important that people continue to be conscious of the issue in the long term, said Deanna Mei, the group’s co-president.

“There is a lot of hype right now, but people who care about this need to keep attention on the issue to sustain help beyond the first two weeks,” the Weinberg junior said.

Luckow: The natural response to an unnatural tragedy

2010-01-19T19:37:00.001-06:00

NORTHWESTERN / Jan. 18, 2010 at 11:26 pm

Letters

The immediate toll of the earthquake in Haiti is unfathomable. Fifty thousand dead (so far) with an additional three million homeless or injured. Horrifying images illustrate these statistics – a bulldozer scooping away piles of bodies, a dead child being tossed out the back door of a hospital, a foot poking out of a mountain of concrete. Tens of thousands of people gather at the central park in Port-au-Prince, searching for family, food, and water. And this is to say nothing of long-term cost of fallen schools, ruptured roads and ports, and the enormous gaps left in the Haitian government after many of their occupied buildings collapsed.

While the earthquake was a natural phenomenon, the impact was anything but. As demonstrated by the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and now the Haiti earthquake, natural disasters disproportionately affect the poor and the vulnerable. To understand why Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, we must look to its history of hundreds of years of ruthless occupation by the Spanish and French. The colonial rule stripped the land of its resources and wreaked havoc on the indigenous population by means of slavery and disease. The 1915-1934 United States occupation set the stage for future destruction, which was followed by US involvement in aiding dictators and undermining democratically elected leaders. It is no mere coincidence that Haiti is so poor. Nor, as some bozos would like us to believe, is it a matter of a “pact with a devil” or a “progress-resistant culture.”

Northwestern University’s campus has been shamefully quiet in its response to the Haiti earthquake. Many have questioned whether Northwestern should do anything at all.

We can and we must respond. First, it’s about us. The earthquake is much more connected to our community than many realize. I know of several Northwestern students and employees who have been desperately trying to get in touch with friends and family in Haiti, but to no avail.

Second, it is matter of social justice, a matter of righting past wrongs. For too long, we as individuals and as a nation have stood by silently as Haiti suffered as a direct result of the actions of our government. This time, we can stand on the right side of history. Lastly, it’s because we have the money to do it. Nearly all of us can afford to dig into our pockets and give $5, $10, or $20 to support the ongoing relief efforts.

So, as my now favorite actress Meryl Streep remarked at the Golden Globes, “Shoot some money to Partners In Health and be damn grateful you have the dollars to help.” To give to Partners In Health, one of the leading aid organizations in Haiti, visit the Northwestern University community fundraising page at http://bit.ly/NUhaiti

In solidarity,

Peter Luckow
Weinberg senior
Globemed National Office

NU Red Cross & ASG contribute to Haitian aid

2010-01-19T19:28:00.005-06:00

NORTH BY NORTHWESTERN / Jan. 17, 2010 at 9:02 pm

Kaitlyn Jahelka

The student chapter of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago at Northwestern University already has efforts underway to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday. As soon as the day after the quake, the club began rallying support from the Northwestern community.

In a statement released by the Red Cross of Northwestern on Wednesday, students were urged to go online to www.redcross.org, call in donations to 1-800-RED-CROSS, or simply text HAITI to the number 90999. The text message automatically donates ten dollars to the cause, which will be added to the donor’s phone bill.

“The text message service is a quick and easy way to give,” said Travis White-Schwoch of Northwestern’s Red Cross chapter, according to the released statement. “The donation goes straight to the Red Cross and is exclusively for use in Haiti. “

The club will continue to work in the coming weeks to further the national effort, which has become a priority for the American Red Cross, national government and various other organizations.

As the poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti does not have the resources to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake, which left the capital city of Port-au-Prince in a pile of rubble. In order to rebuild, the country will depend on donations from the Red Cross and other international aid agencies.

According to Red Cross Co-President, Jenny Yu, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago emailed members of Red Cross chapters at schools in the area urging students to raise awareness about the disaster in Haiti the morning after the earthquake struck. So far, the response has been very positive at Northwestern.

“We don’t really know how much has been raised because most people have been texting, and it’s hard to monitor,” Yu, a Weinberg sophomore, said. “But there have definitely been people texting in and donating their ten dollars, which is really wonderful.”

Yu added that in order to spread awareness, their group members have left messages on blank chalkboards throughout classrooms on campus, created a Facebook group, and sent messages over listservs to let people know how to donate.

Alongside the Red Cross efforts, ASG is working to organize a committee dedicated solely to the cause of Haitian aid. At Wednesday night’s meeting, new legislation was passed to create an emergency committee, which will raise funds and awareness on campus.

The Red Cross is hoping to team up with ASG to hold a larger event soon to raise greater awareness and gain more funds. Yu said it would potentially be a week-long activity to garner support on a larger scale.

“We haven’t planned anything concrete yet,” Yu said. “But we’re hoping that by working with ASG and having larger events more people will become aware and be willing to give money.”

Reaching Out to Haiti - President Morton Schapiro

2010-01-19T02:16:00.002-06:00

A message from President Morton Schapiro regarding the recent earthquake and its aftermath

On behalf of Northwestern University, I offer our support and sympathy to everyone affected by the recent disaster in Haiti, both the people there and their many friends and relatives in the Chicago area.

Many organizations have mobilized to assist the relief efforts in Haiti and I urge members of the Northwestern community to join in these efforts. Our Department of Latin and Caribbean Area Studies has compiled a list of organizations providing emergency relief there. I appreciate the leadership of the department in doing this. The list is available at: http://www.wcas.northwestern.edu/lacs/documents/Helping%20Haiti.pdf

In addition, Northwestern students who are members of GlobeMed, a network of university students who partner with grassroots organizations around the world to improve the health of the impoverished, are working with Partners In Health, which provides health care for the poor around the world. To support the Partners In Health efforts, go to: http://www.pih.org/home.html

As you may know, Evanston has a sizeable Haitian community, and relief efforts are also being coordinated by local community groups. A Haitian Crisis Relief Fund has been established and donations may be sent to that organization at 1227 Dodge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202. For more information, contact the Haitian Congress at 847-475-5856.

Other members of the Northwestern community undoubtedly will be organizing and participating in additional initiatives to aid Haiti in the days ahead. I urge all members of the community to engage and support these efforts. Our help is greatly needed.

Morton Schapiro
President and Professor

Source: http://www.northwestern.edu

ASG passes Haiti relief bill

2010-01-18T00:48:00.003-06:00

Daily Northwestern