As you know, last week Haiti was hit with a severe earthquake, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and in desperate need of medical attention, food and water.
What can our campus do to help? Experts agree that our best response is to donate money to organizations that are now in Haiti providing relief services. So we are asking the members of our university community to give wherever you can.
There are many organizations that are helping the Haitian people. Two helpful lists are available at http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/01/13/haiti.earthquake.how.to.help/index.html and http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti.
Many of our faculty, staff and students have asked how we can play a hands-on role in helping Haiti recover from this disaster. The university may look for other ways to be involved once the immediate needs have been addressed.
As we celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, we were reminded of his spirit and his challenge to each of us to work for the benefit of all of us. We appreciate that spirit and hope you will step up one more time to help our brothers and sisters as they deal with this disaster.
Jim Ramsey, president
Shirley Willihnganz, provost