January 7, 2005

Purdue students to collect funds to aid tsunami victims

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Student volunteers from about a dozen groups at Purdue University will be asking for contributions throughout campus from Monday (Jan. 10) to Friday (Jan. 14) to help casualties of the tsunami in Asia.

The fund-raising event is being organized through Purdue Student Government in collaboration with groups that include Interfraternity Council, Purdue Panhellenic Association, Mortar Board and Purdue Student Union Board. Pablo Malavenda, student government adviser and associate dean of student activities and organizations within the Office of the Dean of Students, said the money would be sent to the American Red Cross.

"Students have been e-mailing each other throughout the holiday break, and they came up with this idea to combine efforts to pool resources in order to have a greater impact," Malavenda said. "Any other group that wants to participate is encouraged to volunteer or to set up its own event."

Students will be collecting donations all over campus, including the Electrical Engineering Building, Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, Krannert and Stewart Center, said Timothy Jones, a senior majoring in industrial engineering from Evansville, Ind., and coordinator of the fund-raising effort.

"We are confident that the students at Purdue will respond to this disaster by giving as generously as they have in the past," Jones said.

In addition, fraternities, sororities and cooperative houses will collect money, and there will be an outreach to residence halls.

Anyone who wants to make a donation can visit any of the tables on campus or send a donation directly to Purdue Student Government, STEW Box 640.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Sources: Pablo Malavenda, (765) 494-1231, Pablo@purdue.edu

Tim Jones, (765) 532-8331, tcjones@purdue.edu

Aaron Schnur, Purdue Student Government president, (765) 494-7914 or (765) 714-1489, aschnur@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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