Update on FIU’s Haiti efforts

Dear members of the university community:

At our institution we feel the immense grief caused by the suffering of our neighbors in Haiti and families and friends here in Miami.  No doubt, we have the obligation to respond to this suffering and provide as much help as possible.

I have been impressed with our community’s instinct to help: The many financial contributions that have been directed to the relief efforts, the formation of a medical relief team in collaboration with SUS institutions, the spontaneous student effort in collecting donations, and the immediate willingness of so many FIU colleagues to address recovery issues in tomorrow’s “Crisis in Haiti: an FIU Teach-In”.

The teach-in will be held from 1-3:30 p.m. in the Graham Center Ballrooms at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, 11200 SW 8^th St. Refreshments and parking will be available.

This event will bring together FIU experts on the region and other specialists on Haiti and disaster recovery who will discuss a variety of issues critical to Haiti. This discussion is free and open to the public and we are encouraging students, faculty, staff and all members of our community, particularly the Haitian community, to participate.

For more information on this teach-in, please call SIPA at 305-348-7266. The teach-in will be webcast live.

It is clear that much more needs to be done.

As you know, we are encouraging members of our university community who want to contribute to make cash donations through relief agencies. For a list of agencies that are accepting donations, please click here.

I know many of you want to provide relief supplies that can be transported to Haiti. We are committed to working with Miami-Dade County in the collection of supplies. We will be calling upon you in the near future to pour your energies and efforts into collecting these needed supplies. Until then, please work with community-based organizations that are accepting donations.

Haiti’s recovery has many phases. The immediate task is to rescue survivors, provide shelter and food for the living, and then provide assistance in recovery and rebuilding the country.

This is the work of years, not just weeks. Our challenge is to provide a sustained base of support for the country that transcends the sense of immediacy that drives our need to do something now.  Our hope is that your sense of urgency in responding will be as acute in a few months as it is now.  Nothing less will be sufficient to ensure a recovery that improves the lives of our hard-working neighbors.

An FIU community benefit event is under discussion to be scheduled at a later date. More information will be forthcoming.

For more on how FIU is helping Haiti, please visit our FIU for Haiti website.

Thank you, once again, for reaching out to our Haitian brothers and sisters in this time of need.

Mark B. Rosenberg

President