UC Symposium to Explore UC Help for Haiti

The following message is from Thomas Hadley, associate vice president for Student Services.

Challenges and Issues: Helping the Haitians Rebuild Their Country

A Campus-Wide Symposium, noon-1:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4, in Tangeman University Center, MainStreet Cinema

All faculty, students and staff are invited to a panel discussion to explore ways UC may assist the Haitian people in the long-term reconstruction of their country. The symposium will provide important background information about the history and culture of Haiti and the United State¹s special relationship with its people. Invited speakers will address topics including

• The physical reconstruction of the capital, Port-au-Prince, that has left nearly 50 percent of all buildings demolished or damaged.
• The varied and complex public health challenges resulting from over 150,000 deaths and the displacement of over one million Haitian citizens.
  

Click here for Webcasting information.

The event will be facilitated by Kurt Olausen, director, UC International Programs. Speakers include

• Jana Braziel, associate professor and Taft Faculty Chair of the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center
• Chris Lewis, director, Village Life Project
• Jeffrey Jacobson, assistant professor, anthropology
• Michael Zaretsky, assistant professor, School of Architecture and Interior Design

Please join us on Feb. 4 to learn more about the people and culture of Haiti and examine ways that we may partner with the Haitian people to provide the kind of long-term sustainable support that will rebuild their country.

This is the first of many programs/discussions focused on learning  more about the challenges of rebuilding Haiti. A UC "Rebuilding Haiti" Blackboard Community can now be accessed by the UC community. UC faculty, staff and students can join the BlackBoard community by logging into BlackBoard, clicking on the "Community" tab, typing the words, "rebuilding Haiti" into the search feature, and then clicking the "enroll" button.

The symposium is sponsored by UC International, the Center for Community Engagement, McNair Scholars Program, and the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.