Santa Monica College Professors Donate $1,000 to Japan Relief

Over the course of the past few weeks, the Santa Monica College community has been coming together in the wake of the Japan tsunami and earthquake. The school has sprung into action, providing counseling sessions and solace to its Japanese students and faculty in need. With 352 Japanese students, the contingent is SMC’s third-largest in its international student body, behind only South Korea and China.

Moreover, students have been staging fundraisers, drumming up financial support for disaster-relief efforts. 

While the students' most prominent push, “Love to Japan,” ended Friday, the college has announced that another effort was recently staged. At the recent SMC Faculty Association meeting, teachers pledged $1,000 to support the people of Japan. The association is donating $500 to Mercy Corps, which has workers helping with relief and cleanup efforts in Japan, and $500 to Disabled Persons International, an organization that provides support to disabled individuals who need respirators and other life-saving aids.

“These organizations come highly recommended by organizations that track relief groups," said teacher Sandi Burnett, whose daughter has studied international development. "Over 90 percent of the money donated ends up in the target community within days, not months.”

Faculty Association President Mitra Moassessi said, “Helping others is what teachers do. We give to our communities, we spread our knowledge. And donating to the relief effort is just another way for us to give.”

Following the disaster, SMC's president weighed in on the effect the disasters have had on the student body.

"With the rest of the world, our hearts and prayers here at Santa Monica College are with the people of Japan," Dr. Chui Tsang said. "We are especially concerned about the many Japanese students we have here at the college, along with our large group of Japanese alumni and anyone in our college community who has relatives and friends there."