UWG
News Item
Contact: University Communications & Marketing
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
Tsunami relief efforts continue at UWG
February 28, 2005
CARROLLTON, GA - Even though the December 26th tsunami devastated the coastlines of countries thousands of miles from the campus of the University of West Georgia, the impact of this horrific natural disaster has been felt by many on campus.
Two
such individuals are Visharad Chokshi and Naveen Bopearatchy. Chokshi,
a graduate student pursuing a MBA in business and finance and CPA, says
that he grew up in Ahmedabad, India, which is about 500 miles from where
the tsunami hit.
“The economy of the region is based on agriculture and the pollution from the water has contaminated the land. Their whole living is gone,” stated Chokshi.
He went on to say that, even though relief efforts were organized quickly, it will take two to three years for the effected areas to fully recover.
Naveen Bopearatchy, a resident director at the University Suites, tells a compelling story of his experience. Bopearatchy, a native of Sri Lanka, says that he was at home about a mile from the coast watching a cricket game between Sri Lanka and New Zealand when the tsunami hit at 7:35 a.m., a time when many people were either at the beach or sleeping.
According to Bopearatchy, flooding is almost commonplace in Sri Lanka, with people expecting a few homes to be destroyed and casualty counts in the mid-teens. It wasn’t until a friend in the Sri Lankan media called him that Bopearatchy realized the extent of the devastation.
“He said that there was something really serious going on with casualty numbers possibly being 250 to 500,” Bopearatchy said, “By that afternoon the numbers were estimated to be 1,000.”
Bopearatchy and Chokshi’s fellow UWG students and professors have taken it upon themselves to contribute to the relief efforts. Various student organizations, individuals, and faculty and staff, led by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Student Development Center, are working together to raise money to benefit the victims of the tsunami.
Chokshi was pleased to hear about the efforts of the UWG community saying, “We have about 11,000 students, faculty and staff. Imagine how much money could be raised if every person on campus gave just one dollar.”
According to Sylvia Shortt of the Student Development Center, more than $5,000 has already been raised.
For more information on the tsunami relief efforts at UWG or to donate to the tsunami relief drive, visit the Student Development Center or call 678-839-6428.
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