The Turkish-American Scholar Affiliation takes steps to alleviate earthquake survivors

BY TABITHA REEVES
Affiliate Information Editor

Within the early hours of Feb. 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, collapsing buildings and burying residents below the rubble. The Turkish-American Scholar Affiliation (TASA) jumped to motion, organizing a donation drive amongst the college neighborhood in assist of survivors.

When TASA publicized the drive, there have been 12,000 reported casualties, already the best earthquake-induced loss of life toll that the area has seen in over a century. Since then, the accounted-for deaths have risen to 35,000 civilians, and proceed upward.

“Although we’re not [physically] affected, we’re feeling deeply what our buddies are going via as a result of it’s a extremely devastating state of affairs,” TASA secretary Ali Cicek mentioned.

Based on Cicek, one college pupil who stopped by the drive shared that he had misplaced his girlfriend and her household who stay in Turkey. Because the pupil’s family managed to make it out safely, he was planning to journey residence as quickly as attainable to reunite with family members and supply assist.

“There are nonetheless plenty of folks below the collapsed buildings, so we have no idea what’s going to be the loss of life toll,” TASA president Yasemin Akcin mentioned. “We don’t know the way many individuals are going to have the ability to make it.”

Betul Celik, a TASA govt board member, defined that her household in Turkey was asleep when the tremors started. Within the household’s escape from their residence, Celik’s sister was caught below the particles, however later rescued. Whereas her instant household is now protected, shut buddies and kinfolk had been misplaced within the catastrophe.

Many survivors of the earthquake are left with out shelter, given the newfound lack of housing. In the midst of winter, they flip to shared tents and even vehicles, however some have neither. 

College of Delaware Scholar Life despatched out an e-mail on Feb. 8 to share TASA’s donation drive with the entire pupil physique. This was adopted shortly thereafter by an e-mail from President Assanis, expressing that his ideas had been with those that had been struggling.

“Quickly after the earthquake hit, UD’s Heart for World Packages and Providers reached out to our affected worldwide college students and students to supply assist and assets to assist them address this tragedy,” the e-mail said.

Vina Titaley, assistant director of Particular Packages and Scholar Engagement on the college’s Heart for World Packages and Providers (CGPS), mentioned that sending check-in emails to worldwide pupil populations is CGPS protocol when main crises considerably influence their residence nation, like on this case with Turkish college students.

Stephanie Ferrell, communications specialist at CGPS, emphasised the significance of reaching out to these whose residence nation has been drastically impacted. She identified that worldwide college students have all of the challenges that home college students face, in addition to being a good distance from residence when dangerous issues occur.

“Simply on the whole, that is changing into an increasing number of of an internationalized campus, which is fantastic and what we’re working in direction of,” Ferrell mentioned. “And so I believe a part of that’s simply that sense of neighborhood amongst all of us and assist, understanding that everyone’s bought their very own challenges and issues which might be happening of their lives that we might not be conscious of.”

CGPS has additionally been working carefully with TASA and aiding their donation drive efforts, in accordance with Titaley.

“In assist of that effort, we amplify their social media posts to get the phrase out,” Titaley mentioned. “By way of social media, we’ve paused all other forms of posts to ensure that the TASA assortment message will get amplified and will get extra consideration moderately than get drowned out by different posts.”

Based on Akcin, the drive acquired a considerable quantity of donations from college college, in addition to buddies of the Turkish neighborhood. The workplace within the basement of Perkins the place TASA is headquartered was full of transferring containers containing aid objects resembling new or gently used clothes, medication and child merchandise.

On Feb. 10, the donations had been despatched to the Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C., after which flown throughout the Atlantic to achieve survivors.

Although TASA’s drive is over, there are nonetheless numerous methods college college students can present assist, resembling financial donations to Turkish Philanthropy Funds. Akcin defined that there are lots of fundraising hyperlinks circulating proper now, however that this one is reputable, because it goes via the American-Turkish Affiliation of Washington D.C.

Based on Akcin, TASA’s subsequent steps can be a fundraising occasion and to doubtlessly plan memorials for individuals who misplaced their lives within the earthquake. Akcin emphasised that the college neighborhood can be knowledgeable by TASA of any future motion, in order that college students have the chance to supply help and specific solidarity.

“I believe empathy does go a good distance, and simply serving to to make all of our worldwide neighborhood members really feel welcome on campus and understanding that there’s quite a bit to handle whenever you’re dwelling and learning in a special place,” Ferrell mentioned.