Everything seemed to be covered in dust: the remnants of collapsed buildings, the fallen power lines, the bodies being dragged from underneath debris. On January 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti and left the nation in shambles. CNN testimonies indicated that plumes of smoke and dust shrouded the island nation for 20 minutes after the disaster struck. Yet, while Haiti was buried under the smog and rubble, the rest of the world began to truly see the country.
At Northwestern University, the news shook many students into action. From organized campus groups to individual undergraduates, everyone seems to be doing their part to help the devastated island-nation.
“We recognized an immediate need to respond,” says SESP senior Megha Agrawal about the Northwestern population. As the co-director of Global Engagement Summit, a five-day training conference for students committed to global change, Agrawal is used to talking about issues of global importance. She teamed up with several other students to plan a week of fundraisers to help Haiti recover.
“I haven’t seen such a strong collective push on campus since I’ve been here,” Agrawal says. “It’s really amazing that everyone is recognizing their niche and their skills and assets to give back.”
Over 30 Northwestern campus groups volunteered to collaborate and promote the effort “NU Stands with Haiti.” Organizers plan daily events and on-campus drives from January 21st through 28th. The Northwestern student body has organized theater productions, panel discussions, hot chocolate sales, trivia night at Buffalo Wild Wings and a yoga class with Lane Fenrich, assistant dean of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The goal is to raise $12,500. Proceeds will go to Partners in Health and the American Red Cross. So far, undergraduates have raised $9581.48.
Many other individuals chose to throw their own fundraising events by hosting apartment parties off-campus, bake sales or simply canned within the Evanston community. Jason Catanese, a Weinberg junior, along with good friend Joshua Brower, a Communications junior rallied friends to throw a benefit bar night this past Saturday.
The Keg agreed to allow $5 donations to be taken at the door and helped set up a stage area for Northwestern’s a cappella groups — Asterik, Freshmen 15, Purple Haze, THUNK and The Undertones — to perform limited sets from 11:00 to 11:45 p.m.
“I’m the kind of person who watches the news on a daily basis,” Brower says, “but I can’t say I’m in tune with everything that goes on, although I try to stay on board. But this was different. All it took was to see some of the images and to hear some of the stories to know this demands a collective response.”
And on Saturday night, the biggest party took place — just the kind of collective response Brower had only dreamed about.
“We were expecting a crowd of about 100 to 200 people,” Catanese remembers. But at least 1,200 people showed up; so many that some even had to be turned away at the door. “What made this night unique is that not too many events bring the entire campus together. Everyone knows what happened to Haiti and everyone wants to donate to the cause.”
“With such a big community at Northwestern, we knew we could make a difference,” Brower says sincerely. The night resulted in donations of $5,166 given to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Brower collected donations for a portion of the night and was touched by many. “There were a lot of people who gave to the cause. Kyle Rowley, on the basketball team, donated even more than the requested amount!”
The night before, many students found themselves at a house fundraiser party. Cleverly named (keg) Stand with Haiti, the event had quite a reception. An organizer of the event Rebecca Shapiro was moved by the tragedy in Haiti and felt the best way to contribute was to raise money.
“We knew that we weren’t alone in wanting to help the cause,” Shapiro says. “So we were pretty confident that we could raise lots of money quickly.”
Suggested donations were $5 for each guest. In total, (keg) Stand with Haiti raised over $1400 which was donated to Partners in Health.
In addition to money, The Residential College Board has placed cardboard boxes outside all the residential colleges, encouraging students to donate needed supplies. A list of useful supplies, according to the Haitian Congress, include items like cotton underwear, socks, towels, gauze, pain killers (Aleve, Tylenol, Advil, etc.), Band Aids, and non-perishable foods.
Whether its doing Yoga or showing up at a bar, it’s clear that the violent jolting that happened two weeks ago didn’t just affect the Haitians.
Agrawal appreciates the efforts from the student body but understands the earthquake is a time-sensitive issue. Now is a moment for progress. Thinking critically is very crucial at a time of such tragedy. There are big questions to be asked: Why is Haiti in the situation it is in? What is U.S. response going to be? How did a third of the Haitian population get wiped out? It’s more than just donating.
“We all need to get past the concept of philanthropy,” Agrawal says. “Even if you give a dollar, you can’t just pat yourself on the back. As a donor you have a responsibility to ask yourself the bigger questions. It’s really about responsible engagement.”