Bad Vibes Felt Around the World

Written by Sylvain Rey

Tuesday, 27 May 2008 08:37 PM

Information The Chinese Earthquake fundraiser will take place 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Friday on the University Center and Central Library malls The earthquake that hit China on May 12 not only affected those near the epicenter — part of the campus community felt the proverbial aftershock. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake rocked the Sichuan province and left more than 80,000 people dead. On the home front, local relief efforts include a fundraiser by the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars. Jiwei He, Psychology graduate student and organization member, said he’s participating in the fundraiser out of sympathy and spontaneity. “My cousin died in the earthquake,” He said. “When we got the news, we had concerns about the rescue because we have friends and relatives, and there was no way to contact them by phone. We had to wait two to three days.” Associate psychology professor Yuan B. Peng said that many of the destroyed buildings were schools and other public buildings and that thousands of students were buried under the rubble. He said the latest figures put the number of destroyed classrooms at 6,898. “It was destructive,” Peng said. “In the county, 80 to 90 percent of buildings were wiped out by landslides.” Some students blamed corruption of authorities for the extensive damage. “Most are public buildings,” Alumna Stephanie Au said. “Because of corruption, they are weak. They have no iron bars, but use lower quality material instead.” Au spoke of a tragedy in the wake of the natural disaster. “My sister told me of a story in which a child could only have his leg cut off to be saved,” Au said. “But the doctor had no medicine, no pain killer, so the child died afterwards.” Peng and He, for their part, acknowledge the Chinese government’s response to the catastrophe. “[The government] did a good job,” He said. “Three to four hours after, the Prime Minister flew there to organize rescue.” Locally, the Arlington Chinese Church at 805 Oakwood Ln. has set up a donation account to aid the victims. On campus, the Chinese student and scholars association’s fundraiser will primarily consist of monetary donations. “We hope the money will be used for repairing roads and providing food, support and child care,” He said. Generated funds will be transferred via money order to the Chinese embassy in Houston where it will be sent to the Chinese government. “The priority is to spread out the information that those people need help, and students can spread it to their families and friends as well,” He said. Views: 6720 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Monday, 01 December 2008 02:09 PM )

 

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