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BY MENGHAN JIN

In print | Published March 18, 2010

On Feb. 27, just a month after the Swarthmore community gathered in support of those affected by the earthquake in Haiti, another earthquake — recorded as the fifth largest in history according to USA Today — devastated Chile, leaving hundreds of people dead and displacing 1.5 million more.

Through the efforts of Deivid Rojas ’11, Associate Professor of Spanish Aurora Camacho de Schmidt and the Dean’s Office, a gathering and moment of silence was organized for the following Thursday afternoon, March 4 in the Scheuer Room.

Garikai Campbell ’90, acting dean of students, opened the event. “We hope that our gathering today can serve as a first moment to come together in reflection, in remembrance, in honor and in service to those who have suffered loss,” he said.

The event was the first effort taken in mobilizing the college in support of Chile. This week, various student organizations, such as Enlace, I-20 and Coalition for a Free Haiti, plan to jumpstart their efforts to support those people in Chile who have been displaced.

During the first days after the earthquake, however, Rojas and Camacho de Schmidt found the response of the student body to the earthquake surprising. Nothing was actually being planned on campus a couple days after the earthquake struck, Rojas said. Jennifer Marks-Gold, International Students and Scholars Advisor, also didn’t “get the sense of urgency in the same way [as with Haiti].”

“It’s hard to bring Chile as much into the spotlight, because the damages weren’t as bad as Haiti, the death toll wasn’t as high. It’s a country that has the capability of helping itself,” said Tanya Rosenblut ’12, a member of ENLACE who has family in Chile and used to live there.

Known as the most earthquake-prone country in the region, Chile is also considered the most earthquake-prepared country in Latin America. Buildings were built to sustain large shocks and children were exposed to quake drills at young ages. But this particular earthquake — with a terrifying magnitude of 8.8 — tore Chile apart and led to further aftershocks and tsunamis, destroying more buildings and homes. On March 1, Chile’s President, Michelle Bachelet, estimated the death toll to be around 711.

Even though this quake took significantly fewer lives than the one that devastated Haiti, it did not stop the Dean’s Office from taking immediate action, Campbell said. The Sunday after the earthquake struck, the deans put together a short list of students who could have been directly or indirectly affected by the natural disaster.

“We knew that we wanted to act quickly to recognize what people were going through and to acknowledge that we wanted to do something,” Campbell said.

Marks-Gold noted that there are no international students from Chile currently attending Swarthmore. There were, however, several students who had family and friends in the region. The Dean’s Office checked in with those students right away. All students’ families were safe.

Rojas was particularly concerned about his uncle, who had moved to Chile from Columbia last summer with his wife. Connecting with his uncle as soon as he could, Rojas discovered that his uncle’s house on the coast of Chile was completely flooded, but that he and his family were safe.

“I’ve never heard my uncle cry,” Rojas said at the gathering. “He was crying on the phone saying how his new home had been completely destroyed. And I asked him, ‘So what are your plans now? Do you plan to move back to Columbia? What are you going to do?’ And before the conversation got cut off, he said, … ‘The people of Chile, they’re very resistant, they’re very resistant, they have a lot of strength.’”

Camacho de Schmidt, though not of Chilean descent, has always felt a particular connection with Chile, she said. Immediately after news of the earthquake reached her, she got in touch with her Chilean friends and colleagues to make sure their family and friends were safe. “We are in solidarity with the people of Chile,” she said at the moment of silence event on March 4.

For the past two weeks, Camacho de Schmidt has taken an active role in promoting awareness of the earthquake as well as of Chilean history and culture. “What is important for me as a professor is that we continue to know Chile to the best of our abilities,” she said.

She encourages students and faculty to attend Villanova University’s Festival de Poesía from March 25 to 27, which just recently turned into a fundraiser for Chile.

Thus far, in part due to the recent break, no future fundraising events have been planned on campus specifically to support relief efforts in Chile. Student-run clubs are still in the beginning stages of brainstorming events. The Dean’s Office is also willing to support any efforts that are in the works.

“I think because there wasn’t a Chile organization beforehand, it’s just very overwhelming to bring together efforts,” Rosenblut said. “It’s going to take awhile, but I think it will work out.”

ENLACE is planning to circulate collection boxes around campus this week and next, Rosenblut said. They hope to have one at Pub Nite tonight and one at an upcoming ENLACE party.

Rojas also hopes to organize some type of auction to raise money and awareness or an event similar to the Haiti Charity Ball that was held on Jan. 26. The Coalition for a Free Haiti plans to incorporate Chile into their future events and awareness campaign, Jacqueline Bailey-Ross ’12, co-founder of the group, said in an e-mail.

“Everybody is looking to collaborate, because everybody understands that that’s one of the ways we can get the best work done,” Campbell said.

While he has not had the chance to touch base yet with student organization leaders, he is confident that the student community will “find ways of being supportive and find ways of repairing.”

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