News

Gaw named head of anti-genocide STAND

In print | April 3, 2008

Nick Gaw ’09 has been appointed the new executive director of the national organization of STAND, A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, and will take on this new role beginning May 1. Gaw, who has been serving the organization as the Mid-Atlantic Outreach Coordinator this past year, will be replacing the outgoing head, Scott Warren, a junior at Brown University.

STAND, founded in 2004 at Georgetown University, is the umbrella organization for over 700 chapters at high schools, colleges and universities worldwide. In May 2006, STAND merged with the Genocide Intervention Network, founded at Swarthmore in 2004 by a group of Swarthmore students, “under a shared vision of creating a permanent anti-genocide constituency,” according to the STAND Web site.

STAND conducts regional conferences at schools all over the nation and raises money to protect civilians in Darfur, carry out divestiture campaigns and raise awareness of genocides. The organization is led entirely by students, with executive director being the highest leadership position available.

Gaw applied for the position of executive director around spring break, a process that involved an extensive written application as well as two rounds of interviews.

Warren was part of the selection committee. “There was a committee of myself and the outgoing seniors from our leadership team and we all conducted interviews with the applicants and made the final decision,” Warren said.

According to Warren, the job of executive director is three-fold. First, the executive director is the face of the movement, representing students throughout the country by giving speeches at conferences and writing newsletters, and by serving on the board of the Save Darfur coalition.

Furthermore, the executive director “presides over a managing committee and is in charge of empowering the committee … and its various coordinators.”

Finally, the director provides “a long-term vision for the organization to move forward,” emphasizing the persisting nature of the movement against genocide. “It’s a powerful position of a powerful movement,” Warren said.

Gaw was among several candidates who applied, and was notified of his acceptance last Friday. “I think we thought that Nick exhibited a lot of the traits that we want to see in a student leader,” Warren said. “I think he’s someone who demonstrated a lot of initiative and leadership and passion for the cause, and he’s someone that I think will bring a lot to the table next year.”

While much of Gaw’s experience comes from his work in the Genocide Intervention Network and Swat STAND, his interest in Darfur stretches back to high school.

“I first got involved in 2004, in high school, when I used to do policy debate and the resolution that year was something about the United Nations taking action in a peacekeeping effort and our case was about Darfur, and so that was something that first sparked my interest,” Gaw said.

Gaw was impressed by the group of then-sophomores who were running Swat Sudan (Swat STAND as of this year), and soon became involved in advocacy and, as he calls it, “making noise” by sending letters and petitions. “This past year I learned a whole lot about how the organization works and I think I’ve stepped into a place where I can really start to make it better,” he said.

Up until May 1, Gaw will be transitioning into his new position. Apparently, STAND itself is also going through a process of transition and turnover, as it will be hiring an entirely new management committee, according to Gaw.

Meanwhile, STAND is involved in a campaign to influence the presidential candidates and keep Darfur on the table. According to Gaw, the purpose of the campaign, called Ask the Candidates, is to “make sure that all the candidates have a strong position on Darfur,” and once the next president is elected, to hold them to those promises.

In addition, STAND is looking to broaden its scope to include conflicts in Burma and East Congo. “We’re broadening out from just Darfur to make sure that when we see something that looks like genocide happening, we don’t stand complicit by being silent,” Gaw said.

Swarthmore’s chapter of STAND, formerly known as Swat Sudan, runs under the general program of the national STAND organization. With roughly 20 active students, the group is hosting a Darfur cultural event on Sunday, and is also planning for a conference in two weeks.

While Gaw’s primary role will be acting as executive director of the national branch, his presence is still felt by members of Swat STAND.

“We think of [him] as kind of a mentor,” member Elizabeth Calvert-Kilbane ‘10 said. "He’s at effectively every meeting, and remains really involved with Swat STAND."