Thinking About Those in Peril

Today Mike Whaley, VP for Student Affairs, sent the following message to students.

As you complete your first week of classes here in Middletown, many of us are thinking about those impacted by what seems like an endless stream of natural disasters around the country and the world.  Our goal in Student Affairs is to reach out to students whose family and friends may be impacted by these events (as the class deans have already done with those students who we know are from south Texas, Louisiana, the Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Florida) and/or who may be studying abroad in these areas. Today we will add those who may be impacted by last night’s earthquake in Mexico to our outreach.

As we try to keep track of all of these global events, we are mindful that media outlets in the US may not sufficiently (or at all!) cover disasters abroad and also that we cannot anticipate the possible connections that members of our community may have in areas affected by such events.  In short, we may not be aware that these or future events may impact you.  Still, we hope to provide support and referrals if you or someone you know is struggling with these or other issues.  Please be in touch with your class dean when we can be helpful to you and your friends.

Recovery from these disasters will likely take a long time and will be most difficult for the poor and marginalized in the affected areas.  The entire Student Affairs team looks forward to working with our caring student body to find ways that all of us can together help the many communities who will need our support in the coming months.  Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers are with the many who have lost so much and who are in harm’s way.

We have been reaching out to students from various affected areas. Our thoughts are with all members of the Wesleyan community impacted by the earthquake in Mexico and in the path of this horrendous storm.