Last week, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) announced its plans to send aid to victims of this year’s worst natural disaster.
At the CUSA council meeting Jan. 14, president Erik Halliwell introduced an emergency motion to initiate fundraising efforts for the 3 million Haitians affected by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake Jan. 12. These efforts involve larger joint events with the university, as well as events with other Carleton clubs. Included in Halliwell’s motion was a proposal to give half of the door money from Oliver’s that night to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.
The motion passed unanimously by all voting members.
“We’re co-ordinating our work with the Carleton University administration,” Halliwell said. “We’re helping them out with finding volunteers for the garage sale they’re doing this weekend to raise funds. We’re also working with HOLAS [the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students] and we’re giving them any help that they need. . . . We’re basically just trying to co-ordinate efforts at this point.”
Laura Lievano, vice-president (culture) for HOLAS explained the joint efforts with CUSA are a smaller reflection of the larger efforts of the Carleton community.
“We’re working with all the clubs in the university, who have all formed a coalition called Carleton Cares for Haiti. All the clubs are working together. . . . It’s a big deal that everyone is joining together,” Lievano said.
Lievano said there are a large number of club efforts that are forming a collective campaign.
“Every club is doing independent events, but we are all promoting all the events. In general, we’re creating awareness all around.”
Halliwell said the outpouring of students at Carleton volunteering to help has impressed him.
“We get so many e-mails with students just asking, ‘How can I help?’ It means a lot to CUSA, to the university and to the Haitian people,” Halliwell said.