Spring Break
OSU STAND brings Darfur awareness to MU Quad
Students do part to help fight African humanitarian crisis
Tim Pfarr
Issue date: 5/14/07 Section: News
Members of OSU's chapter of Students Taking Action Now for Darfur set up tables in the Memorial Union quad Friday in an effort to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan.
STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition, is part of standnow.org, an umbrella organization which contains chapters at over 600 high schools and universities nationwide.
Genocide in Darfur began in February 2003 and has since claimed the lives of 400,000 people and displaced over 2.5 million. The Sudanese government has turned a blind eye to the suffering and has provided money and assistance to the Janjaweed militia. The militia group has systematically targeted the Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit ethnic groups in the Darfur region.
Jankaweed are responsible for the rape, forced displacement, organized starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder that has taken place since then. Atrocities continue to take place in the region, due mainly to a lack of international support and attention.
"It's the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century," said Marisa Martin, a senior in human development and family sciences and cofounder of OSU's chapter of STAND. "I couldn't just stand by and just be silent."
To help raise money, the club sold T-shirts and hand-made pottery for $15 each.
"I didn't know how I could hear about it and not do something," said Laura Owens, who was helping sell pottery. She has been with the group since March.
Dani Wilson, another member of the group who helped on Friday, shared her opinion on the subject.
"I'm a political science major, and I hear about this kind of thing all the time," Wilson said.
The OSU chapter of STAND started in February of this year and since has quickly picked up new members.
Those passing by the table on Friday at the MU were free to join the student organization. Local resident Kristen Leber was one of the many who decided to lend her support and sign up.
"I really love the Sudanese people," Leber said, who takes students to Cairo each summer to help refugees.
There are several ways for those interested in helping out to make a difference. Donations are always accepted by the World Food Program, Save Darfur Coalition, the Genocide Intervention Network, the African Union or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Anyone is welcome to join the OSU chapter or sign the urgent petition on savedarfur.org.
Meetings for STAND take place every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Peavy Hall, Room 242.
STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition, is part of standnow.org, an umbrella organization which contains chapters at over 600 high schools and universities nationwide.
Genocide in Darfur began in February 2003 and has since claimed the lives of 400,000 people and displaced over 2.5 million. The Sudanese government has turned a blind eye to the suffering and has provided money and assistance to the Janjaweed militia. The militia group has systematically targeted the Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit ethnic groups in the Darfur region.
Jankaweed are responsible for the rape, forced displacement, organized starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder that has taken place since then. Atrocities continue to take place in the region, due mainly to a lack of international support and attention.
"It's the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century," said Marisa Martin, a senior in human development and family sciences and cofounder of OSU's chapter of STAND. "I couldn't just stand by and just be silent."
To help raise money, the club sold T-shirts and hand-made pottery for $15 each.
"I didn't know how I could hear about it and not do something," said Laura Owens, who was helping sell pottery. She has been with the group since March.
Dani Wilson, another member of the group who helped on Friday, shared her opinion on the subject.
"I'm a political science major, and I hear about this kind of thing all the time," Wilson said.
The OSU chapter of STAND started in February of this year and since has quickly picked up new members.
Those passing by the table on Friday at the MU were free to join the student organization. Local resident Kristen Leber was one of the many who decided to lend her support and sign up.
"I really love the Sudanese people," Leber said, who takes students to Cairo each summer to help refugees.
There are several ways for those interested in helping out to make a difference. Donations are always accepted by the World Food Program, Save Darfur Coalition, the Genocide Intervention Network, the African Union or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Anyone is welcome to join the OSU chapter or sign the urgent petition on savedarfur.org.
Meetings for STAND take place every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Peavy Hall, Room 242.
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