Tom Yeung '08's first trip home since starting Princeton was like few others. Though he encountered nothing unusual when he first arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, he was home when tsunamis demolished parts of Asia and claimed thousands of lives on Dec. 26.
"We got a call from a friend in Phuket that a tidal wave had hit the island," he said. "The friend didn't tell us specifics, except that the wave was huge and killed some people."
Yeung soon learned it was a tsunami and earthquake that had hit Thailand and 10 other countries throughout the region.
So far, it seems that Yeung's experience, as anxiety-creating as it was, was one of the closest Princetonians came to the destruction. The University said that it did not know of any undergraduate or graduate student affected by the tsunamis. Still, on email last week and in person this week, students have been working and planning to raise money for the victims.
Eleven campus organizations have joined together to coordinate tsunami-related activities.
Princeton Tsunami Relief will begin to solicit donations on the first floor of Frist Campus Center today. Students will also be able to donate money in residential college dining halls and in eating clubs.
The group is also planning a Jan. 8 benefit for victims at Frist. The event is meant to raise awareness about the tsunami's effects and will include lectures and student performances.
All funds collected will be divided between the International Rescue Committee and CARE USA, Akanksha Hazari '05 said. The charities are headed by George Rupp '64 and Peter Bell GS '64, respectively.
Other students and alumni are intensifying their interest in the region after the disaster.
Princeton-in-Asia executive director Anastasia Vrachnos said the program's 65 fellows currently in Asia are safe and "even more committed to serving the needs of Asia, now that the needs have become even more pressing."
Evelyn Rusli '06, a Daily Princetonian senior writer, left the United States to help cover the aftermath for the New York Times Jakarta bureau, where she worked last summer.
The groups involved in the University fundraising effort include the South Asian Students Association, the Global Issues Forum, USG, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, the Consortium of the International Center, the Inter-Club Council, Outdoor Action, the Student Volunteers Council, Princeton UNICEF and the Princeton Humanity Project.
"The fact that [this effort] is student-initiated is very important," Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne said. "It's very encouraging that they're all working for a common purpose."
He also said the University is considering how best to contribute to the relief and rebuilding process.
"As a tax-exempt organization the University has certain regulations about giving to other tax-exempt organizations," Dunne said.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the University donated funds to arts and educational organizations in New York. Dunne suggested that the University might contribute similarly in this situation.
At a discussion Monday night about the disaster, Ranjani Krishnan '06 recalled her harrowing experience in the region during break.
She visited family in Madras, India, until Dec. 25.
"A few hundred people died [in Madras], but luckily none of my family was hurt," she said.
"I was actually on Marina Beach two days before the tsunami hit there, which is really scary to think about."
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