Students mobilized this week in support of disaster relief efforts in Gujarat, India, holding fund raisers and encouraging classmates to open their hearts and wallets to people displaced by last Friday's massive earthquake.
Last night, undergraduate and graduate Indian culture groups held a vigil on the library roof to raise money. That event and a vigorous capital campaign come in response to the largest earthquake in 50 years to hit the cities of Bhuj, Anjar, and Bhachau in India.
The Tufts Associate of South Asians (TASA) has devoted a number of resources to securing money to send to India. Students have tabled in dining halls, contacted corporations seeking sponsorship, and donated money raised from their semi-formal last week to the cause, according to organizer Gautam Kitchlu.
The earthquake left over 32,000 injured and an estimated 30,000 dead. According to the United Nations, nearly one million people were left homeless or in need of aid.
"I don't think people realize how serious the situation is there," said undergraduate Arun Rambhia, who worked closely with Indian Students at Tufts (ISAT), a graduate student group. "If something like this happened here, you can't even imagine what it would be like... and India doesn't even have the tools it needs to rebuild the country."
ISAT channels all donations directly through the Indian prime minister's relief fund to reach those in need.
Outside organizers working with Tufts students have also contributed to the relief effort. A charitable organization called the Veda Vyasa Foundation, whose mission is to improve the standard of living of Indian villages by providing needed infrastructure such as adequate housing and hospitals, has launched its own fundraising campaign, according to junior Anoop Swaminath, a member of the Tufts pledge drive.
"We are getting people to sign up to raise a minimum of $100 each by the end of the year.... We are actively recruiting new members for the Veda Vyasa Foundation and are encouraging them to spread the word about this unique group," Swaminath said.
TASA requested that the Tufts Community Union Senate co-sponsor its relief efforts. The Senate voted to give $800.
Despite the unquestioned need in India, some senators expressed concern about how much - out of the original $1,200 requested - should have been given. The $800 came from the Senate's co-sponsorship budget, which, at the time, had a total of $1,400 left for the year.
"There've been mixed feelings," TCU President David Moon said. "The vote on the Senate was very close, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't some disagreement among the student body. But that's the nature of student government; there are always going to be different opinions."
Moon said that questions have been raised over the legality of giving money to charitable causes. "I think the one area where we might run into some trouble is if there are any specific policies involving such a move," he said. "It is rather ambiguous; it can depend on how it's written in the books."
Even if there are no constitutional problems with the actual co-sponsorship, Moon said that the vote should not be seen as a precedent.
"Clearly, I don't think anyone wants to start a precedent of making large charitable donations out of the Students Activity Fee," he said.
The Red Cross plans to keep the relief effort going for the next three months to help those displaced by the initial earthquake, which reached 7.9 on the Richter scale, and the almost 300 aftershocks that left cities infrastructures in ruins.
Officials fear an epidemic could sweep across those now homeless. Recovery agencies, however, believe that they took action quickly enough to hinder the spread of disease. But, as the country rebuilds, sickness remains a potential threat.
"I feel like just asking from donations isn't enough. I think we need some type of a greater fundraiser," said freshman Dhruv Amin, whose mother grew up in Bhuj - the epicenter of the earthquake.
