The quarter began Thursday with student groups of varied
backgrounds united under a common goal ““ soliciting
contributions for victims of the earthquake and tsunami that
ravaged South Asia during the holiday season.
The scope and urgency of the disaster forced campus
organizations into high gear during the normally relaxed winter
break.
Resonance, LLC, a student-run clothing company, unveiled a $20
t-shirt Thursday whose profits will go to relief efforts
coordinated by Operation USA, which has sponsored airlifts to about
20 countries in the past.
Tim Schulz, a fourth-year classics and philosophy student and
Resonance’s marketing and research director, said he was
celebrating Christmas with his wife when he heard about the events
in Asia.
He and Joshua To, a fourth-year communications and design/media
arts student and Resonance’s president, were in contact
immediately to discuss ways to help.
The next couple weeks were a whirlwind of activity, with company
leaders deciding on a design that included icons for items like
syringes and water that Operation USA will donate to areas damaged
or destroyed by the earthquake and in its aftermath.
The company hastened the t-shirt’s creation because the
disaster requires immediate attention, To said.
“There was definitely a sense of urgency,” he said.
“If we came out six months later with a design, people
unfortunately wouldn’t care as much.”
The t-shirt will also detail how profits from its sales will be
spent. Because Operation USA is able to purchase in bulk and enlist
inexpensive services, money goes a long way. Ten dollars can buy a
week’s supply of antibiotics for two, along with food, water
and other supplies.
“To students, it’s really empowering,” To
said. “We don’t need a million dollars to help
out.”
Like Resonance, members of UCLA’s California Public
Interest Research Group began discussing during winter break how to
help those harmed in the South Asian crisis.
The frantic e-mails and phone calls exchanged during the
holidays saw results Thursday, as students stopped by a CALPIRG
table on Bruin Walk to give money to Oxfam, an agency providing
relief to tsunami victims, or fill out forms volunteering their
time.
Passersby dropped dollar bills into a white plastic bucket, and
organizers said they wanted to give people an easy way to
contribute.
“Students cannot fly to Thailand to actually help,”
said Jolene Mitchell, a third-year microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics student. “Everyone has 50 cents in their
pocket.”
The table and bucket will be out for at least a week, and
CALPIRG also scheduled an afternoon meeting with representatives of
the Vietnamese Student Union to discuss collaborating their
efforts.
Hien Pham, a third-year psychobiology student and VSU member,
said her group is leaning toward setting up a clothing run. She
said that because the disaster hit home, affecting southeast Asian
communities that many students in her organization are connected
to, they had a strong desire to help.
Sami Hasan, a third-year international development studies
student and president of the Muslim Student Association, said that
while many Muslims died and are still living in regions hit hardest
by the quake and wave, the disaster’s power would have
compelled his organization to help regardless of where it
occurred.
MSA is selling tickets to a dinner that will feature speakers
and benefit Islamic Relief, which aids victims of disasters and
emergency situations worldwide.
Hasan said MSA also plans to hold early Monday morning what
Muslims call “qiyam,” standing and praying, during
which students will have a chance to talk about lessons they can
learn in the aftermath of the tragic natural disaster.
Other ways of helping are still in planning stages, Hasan said.
Though he and other student leaders reacted quickly after the
disaster that shook the world, they say they recognize this is only
the beginning.