Safety of most students confirmed

The process of confirming the status of more than 850 U-M students and exchange scholars from tsunami-ravaged areas is nearly finished, says Dean of Students Susan Eklund. As of the Record's press deadline on Friday, the safety of one student and one exchange scholar had not yet been determined through efforts that began shortly after the Dec. 26 disaster.

The Division of Student Affairs, with help from faculty members, peers, unit advisors and campus departments such as the Registrar's Office and University Housing, systematically identified the whereabouts of the students. They used e-mail messages, phone calls and outreach efforts within departments and to Ann Arbor-area residences to find the individuals.

"It has been important to directly reach as many of the students and scholars as possible so that they know of the University's interest and flexibility in helping them to meet their educational goals even in light of such a devastating and disruptive event," Eklund says. She is optimistic that the final student and scholar's safety will be determined in the next week.

Eklund says the process of finding students was complicated by the fact that the disaster occurred during the University's holiday break, so beyond the initial e-mail inquiries, little could be done to determine the students' status until they returned to campus. For exchange scholars, the return time is variable, and some have yet to report to campus from their holiday travels.

Early records listing the number of U-M students and scholars from the 11 countries impacted by the tsunami included recent graduates, because it takes a while to clear them from the rolls, she says. It also took a bit longer to find everyone simply because students at a large university tend to change their living arrangements frequently, she says.

Most of the students have been found on campus, Eklund says. Only a few have indicated that they are deferring their educations to stay at home to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

Eklund says only one person from the community-at-large contacted her office to say he was concerned because he hadn't seen a friend. "We found that person and were very glad to report a happy ending," she says.

"The concern expressed by that individual paralleled the feelings around campus,'' Eklund says. "It was gratifying to experience the true concern about the welfare of each student and to witness the tremendous efforts of our students as they began collaborative fundraising efforts to support the stricken region."

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