Students, Sri Lankan Officials Exhange Idea Via Video Link

Students, Sri Lankan Officials Exhange Idea Via Video Link

by Kellie Schmitt
San Jose Mercury News
April 6, 2005

Dozens of college students made plans to gather at campuses across the United States and Australia on Monday night to strengthen public awareness of South Asian tsunami victims as reports on the disaster were leaving the public eye. But on the same day they participated in the video conference, another earthquake rocked Indonesia and brought attention back to the region.

``It was really weird timing,'' said Quincy Tanner, a Stanford University freshman who attended the conference at Stanford. ``I just heard about the earthquake this morning.''

Stanford University, the University of California-Berkley and San Francisco State University were among six schools that participated in the two-hour conference with Sri Lankan officials including the chairman of a disaster-relief monitoring unit and a chairman of an environmental foundation.

Although Monday's earthquake was mentioned, the dialogue focused on the country's progress, needs and upcoming obstacles. In Sri Lanka, relief efforts are moving into the second phase, focusing on recovering land titles, documenting identity, and figuring out where to build permanent housing. The problem is not obtaining more money, it's figuring out how to manage the money the country has, officials said.

Members of the panel in Sri Lanka sounded an optimistic note Monday, speaking of the opportunity to rebuild costal slums and strengthen the country's infrastructure.

Monday's quake also demonstrated that their early warning system was able to transmit information quickly, they said.

Students said they were surprised that a primary need in Sri Lanka was human capital. They learned the need for skilled volunteers in areas such as creating donor proposals, managing the rebuilding projects and using information technology.

Palo Alto resident Yuen Lin, 22, said he's interested in putting to use his software skills in the region, but pointed out it's hard to take leave from work. That's not a problem for many of the college viewers, one of whom pointedly asked the officials how he could get a volunteer job.

Various groups are working to centralize volunteer efforts and link non-governmental organizations with volunteers, panel members said. Stanford freshman Bonnie Swift said she's interested in working in the tsunami-devastated regions and said it was helpful to learn exactly how she might channel her efforts.

Veronica Canton, one of the event organizers from San Francisco State University, said the video conference was a success.

``It was especially timely given the situation of the earthquake today,'' she said. ``We were able to communicate our inquiries and get feedback about the needs that need to be met.'' ________________________________________ Mercury News Staff Writer Lisa M. Krieger contributed to this report. Contact Kellie Schmitt at kschmitt@mercurynews.com or (650) 688-7558.