Ways to help

The gently flickering candles and uplifting hymns were a way to ease feelings of powerlessness for those watching the devastation from hundreds of miles away.

The 16 students at the prayer vigil in the intimate West Chapel Sunday night were responding to the disaster in one of the best ways they knew.

“It makes me feel like I’ve done something even though I can’t get out to Louisiana,” said freshman biology major Maya Green.

“I’m pretty religious and I believe prayer is really effective,” said freshman letters and sciences major Victoria Easthope.

Despite students’ settling into their residence halls Monday as the storm hit the Gulf Coast and many leaving the campus for home over the extended Labor Day weekend, the response to calls for aid has been enthusiastic, campus leaders said.

“The office had lots of calls for individual students looking for ways to get involved and groups asking what they could do,” said Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, director of activities at Stamp Student Union. “I had my first conversation with a student last week on Monday. People responded shortly after the storm hit.”

She said she directed students to the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We know the Red Cross is in there doing relief work in the trenches,” she said. 

The Revs. Peter Antoci and Holly Ulmer, of the Episcopal/Anglican and United Campus Ministry ministries, decided before the storm to host a prayer vigil every Sunday night this semester at the chapel to pray for peace.

“We had the time scheduled, so on Thursday we decided to dedicate it to the victims of the hurricane,” Antoci said. 

The two ministries host a nondenominational service and dinner every Sunday evening as well. The 25 students who attended this week decided to dedicate this semester’s collection basket offerings to hurricane relief efforts.

“We want the students to designate the destination for the funds,” Ulmer said. “There are so many places to donate — the ASPCA, library funds to restore the libraries. I think right now everybody is thinking about loss of life and helping people in that situation.”  

The 14 campus chaplains will meet with Guenzler-Stevens this week to kick off the semester and solidify plans for aid and fundraising. Hillel has already raised $1,000 and the Catholic Student Center began fundraising at Sunday’s Mass series, she said. The College Democrats held a car wash at the College Park Volunteer Fire Department Sunday, raising about $500.  

“We’ll continue to query groups to tally dollars so we can say, ‘This is what the University of Maryland can do,’” she said. 

Plans are also in the works on an alternative spring break trip and winter term credited course to bring students to affected areas to lend a hand in the restoration effort, Guenzler-Stevens said. The student activities office has sponsored previous service trips to Boston, Orlando, Fla., and Washington.

For the winter term course, the office would need to find a faculty sponsor, an agency to work with and a curriculum. The details will probably be available in three or four weeks, Guenzler-Stevens said. 

Hillel is also starting to investigate sending a community service spring break trip to the Gulf Coast.

Meanwhile, Red Terrapins, a campus group partnered with the Red Cross, will conduct blood drives in the Union and La Plata Hall today, Wednesday and Thursday. Students can schedule an appointment to donate at www.donorsforlife.net.

Service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega began fundraising efforts for the Red Cross at the semester’s first meeting on Thursday. Adam Otsuka, a senior logistics and operations and quality management major, is heading up the fraternity’s effort and set the goal at $1,000. As of yesterday, he has collected $622, mostly from fraternity members and their families.

“A girl who works at Plato’s [Diner] gave all her tip money,” said Rachel Lobel, a senior elementary education major and fraternity member.

The fraternity will collect money at The Diner and the Union this week in conjunction with their rush events.

Lobel said hearing the story Thursday of an Alpha Phi Omega member with family in New Orleans made her want to donate even more.

“It hit closer to home,” she said. “Someone in this room has a family that doesn’t know where their home is.”

She also said students looking to help need not be focused solely on giving money.

“As college students, we can give our time and effort more than we can give our money, and that’s what a lot of our service projects are based on,” Lobel said.

Contact reporter Kate Campbell at campbelldbk@gmail.com.