NEWS & ANALYSIS

Concordia alumnus tells horror story, straight from Port au Prince

University pledges help to Haitian students

By Dan Delmar The Suburban Concordia University?s leaders met with Haitian student groups on Friday evening and all listened in horror as a Haitan professor described the hell on earth that is his homeland. ?I?m touched by the solidarity in this community,? said Concordia president Judith Woodsworth. ?You can be sure that we can offer some relief for you. Do not drop out of school. Keep on. That is our first objective.? In the crowd of roughly 200, a handful were Haitian students visiting Montreal to study; most were immigrants or of Haitian descent. The gathering was organized by the school?s Haitian group, Ralliement Étudiant Haiti-Canada, and the African and Caribbean Students? Network of Montreal (ACSioN). Student leaders from both groups exchanged thoughts with worried students on how best to help the devastated country. ?We?re here to organize an action plan,? said Randolph Pierre, president ANGRIGNON Students listen to a Haitian professor who had just left the disaster zone. of the Ralliement, whose mandate is to liaise with the Concordia community and the rest of Montreal on issues relating to Haiti. ?We have the power to do some things, but just by coming together, we can make a difference.? Conspicuously absent from the gathering were representatives of the Concordia Student Union (CSU), who had dean of students Elizabeth Morey read a prepared statement. The groups chose Oxfam Quebec to be the recipient of donations collected. The campaign began in earnest on Monday at Concordia. Woodsworth told students that the university has made funds available for students affected by the earthquake. Students with money tied up in Haiti will get help with tuition or rent, those with family there can make long-distance calls on Concordia?s dime and counselling services will also be offered. ?We?ll find ways to help you,? she said. ?There is so much devastation in your country. So much has been lost, but there is hope.? Hours after flying in from Port au Prince, Concordia alumnus Patrick Tardien spoke briefly to the crowd. A professor at Haiti?s Université Quisqueya, Tardien was visibly shaken

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DAN DELMAR / THE SUBURBAN and described a chaotic situation, where much of the country?s infrastructure was simply wiped out. ?I?m tired. I haven?t slept in a bed since Monday (Jan. 11). I have travelled here to give my testimony,? Tardien said. ?I have a son at Concordia. I was supposed to send money today so he could complete his semester. But the money is at the bank?? After hearing Woodsworth speak, he said the dean of his university was beside himself after learning of all the students trapped or buried under the rubble that was once a school. ?I walked by a university; six stories, completely on the ground,? he said. ?We couldn?t breathe. There were bodies everywhere: A class of nurses all under the rubble.? He encouraged Haitian students to ?roll up your sleeves,? and even consider travelling to Haiti to help once their semester was over and the country became somewhat more stable. ?The national library is gone. None of the schools in Port au Prince exist today. They?ve all been destroyed.? n ANCHOR STORES: SEARS ? ZELLERS ? SPORTS EXPERTS ? ATMOSPHÈRE ? GAP ? BEST BUY Maxi ? HMV ? Dynamite ? Jacob Connexion ? Le Garage ? Axara ? Reitmans ? San Francisco ? Le Château Stitches ? Ecko ? The Children?s Place ? La Senza ? Addition-Elle ? Claire France ? Ernest ? U.S.A. Smart Set ? Manteaux Manteaux ? Coles ? Renaud-Bray ? La Source ? Aldo ? Feet First ? Tristan ? RW&CO. Autoroute 20, Exit Boulevard Angrignon THE SUBURBAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010 ? 7

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