The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 1/13/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Ari Joseph

In response to the tsunami tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people living along the Indian Ocean, and affected countless more, Middlebury College administrators and student leaders across campus convened during the first days of the term to discuss collaborative efforts to raise financial aid for relief organizations and educate the community in understanding the disaster.

"We cannot possibly contemplate the full magnitude of this tragedy, nor what its consequences will be for the peoples and their countries directly affected," wrote President Ronald D. Liebowitz in an e-mail to the community. "However, our community can join with others across the world with acts of hope and assistance."

Liebowitz outlined several immediate responses the College was making to the disaster: raising funds for relief organizations, organizing an event to discuss and understand the disaster and its aftermath and a memorial service, held Monday afternoon in Mead Chapel.

Efforts to raise money for relief organizations began with a meeting of College administrators before the term. "We agreed to call together a group of students on the first day of classes to allow them to work out their plans together," said Laurie Jordan, chaplain of the College. "Since we [had] already had e-mails from some of the students who wanted to do something - we invited them and other student leaders."

"The meeting was an opportunity for College administrators from the Center for Campus Activities and Leadership (CCAL), Alliance for Civic Engagement, Dean of Student Affairs and the Chaplain's office to meet with some of the College's student organization leaders to offer assistance in planning and organizing their relief efforts," said Douglas Adams, the director of CCAL.

"Primarily the discussion centered around what could be done on campus for relief aid and fundraising, but we also discussed long term development aid, a memorial service and educational efforts."

Fundraisers have now begun appearing across campus. In recent e-mails to students, Commons Resident Advisors kicked off an intercommons "Tsunami Change Challenge" - taking the opportunity of charity to advance commons spirit. According to the fundraiser rules, the goal is "to raise more Penny Points than any other Commons, thus making your Commons superior in every way to all the others." By donating pennies or paper bills to their Commons' office, students raise their commons' "penny points." By donating nickels, dimes or quarters through another commons', they lower that commons' "Penny Points."

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