ED H. MOORE, PhD I C U F P R E S I D E N T (850) 681-3188 emoore@icuf .org

& of

INDEPENDENT COLLEGES

UNIVERSITIES FLORIDA

ICUF SPECIAL REPORT EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

January 2010

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From the tragedy of the loss of six Lynn University students and professors to a 300-bed field hospital set up by doctors from the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida members were deeply involved in the earth-quake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12 and its aftermath. Participation in relief efforts by faculty and students from ICUF institutions built on a long record of service to the people of Haiti. A number of ICUF institutions have participated for years in medical care, service projects and mission trips in Haiti and have close connec-tions with agencies there. The four Lynn students and two faculty members who were buried in the rubble when the four-star Hotel Montana collapsed arrived in Haiti the day before as part of a larger team that went to Haiti to feed the poor. Eight other students, including one who was in her room but got out when the hotel collapsed, survived the earthquake without injuries and were re-turned to Florida within two days. The missing students are: Courtney Hayes of Boca Raton; Britney Gengel of Rutland, Massachusetts; Stephanie Crispinelli of Katonah, New York; and Christine Gianacaci of Hopewell, New Jersey. Also missing are: Patrick Hartwick, Dean of the Ross College of Education; and Richard Bruno, Assistant Professor in the College of Liberal Education. “Religious traditions around the world reserve a special reverence for those that serve others, and especially those that perish in that service,” said Lynn President Kevin Ross. “Our six missing, will always be counted among those ranks. “Theirs was a journey of hope. Theirs – a selfless commitment to serving others. They were on the ground in Haiti to find, feed, and focus on the poor of that nation. In the day and a half before the quake, they did just that – doling out rice at a distribution center and holding the hands of sick children in a dilapidated orphanage. They intended to do much more. In their absence, it is incumbent upon the rest of us to follow in their stead.” ICUF President Ed Moore said, “The Lynn University community and the families of the students and faculty members who lost their lives in Haiti are in the thoughts and prayers of all of us. They set an inspiring example of service for all of us, and I urge members of the ICUF community to rededicate themselves to serving the poor and needy in Haiti and else-where in honor of the Lynn students and faculty members who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy.”

ICUF Members Suffer Losses, Provide Medical Care, Have Long History of Service to People of Haiti

Lynn sent groups of students to Haiti and Jamaica for the past two years to partici-pate in community service projects there. UM, which already had a large health care pres-ence in Haiti, responded to the disaster by sending more than 100 medical personnel to treat victims of the earthquake. The UM team set up a 300-bed field hospital, with the Chronicle of Higher Education reporting “the largest effort to put teams of university doc-tors on the ground has come from the University of Miami, which began sending medical professionals to Haiti the day after the earthquake.” Former Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning helped arrange for the donation of four large party tents that were flown to Port-au-Prince to create the field hospital. “This is the most inspiring effort I’ve ever participated in,” said Dr. Eduardo de Mar-cena, Associate Dean for International Medicine at UM. “I don’t really think there’s ever been a university that put together a working field hospital in an emergency situation like this.” The UM team sent several daily flights back and forth to Haiti to bring in doctors and other medical workers and bring out severely injured Haitians who were treated in Miami area hospitals. For more than 20 years, UM has sent doctors, scientists and medical students to Haiti as part of its ongoing Project Medishare medical mission in cooperation with Haitian government agencies. Medishare projects in the poverty-stricken Central Plateau region of Haiti include: • A community health program in the town of Thomonde staffed by more than 95 Haitian doctors, nurses and other health care providers. Services provided there include vaccina-tions, pre-natal care, nutrition, oral rehydration, and anti-worm medication. • An integrated community development program in Marmont that includes medical ser-vices and agricultural development and training in conjunction with the University of Flor-ida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. • A program training Haitian doctors to perform pediatric neurosurgery along with plastic,

urology, and general surgery at clinics in Port-au-Prince and Hinche. This includes surgery on hydrocephalus, cleft lips and palates, burns and breast cancer reconstruction. Project Medishare is completing construction of a plant that will produce akamil, a mix of corn, rice, millet, wheat and beans that is a staple of the Haitian diet. The product will be pre-cooked and dried, reducing the amount of time and fuel needed to prepare it. “ICUF members have a rich history of working selflessly to improve living conditions in Haiti, and deserve credit for their efforts to help the Haitian people overcome extreme poverty,” said ICUF President Ed Moore. “A number of our members, especially those lo-cated in South Florida, have an immediate and intimate connection to Haiti as they enroll many students from Haitian-American families that have migrated to Florida seeking a bet-ter life here,” Moore said. Barry University reported that it enrolls hundreds of Haitian-American students and more than 100 Haitian nationals. Earthquake relief efforts at Barry were coordinated by the university’s Haitian Inter-Cultural Association.

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ICUF institutions located outside of South Florida also have a long history of service in Haiti. Warner University in Lake Wales has been involved in Haiti since 1983. The univer-sity sends students to Haiti on mission trips that involve projects such as construction of medical clinics, churches, and schools. For the past 23 years, members of the Warner community have been volunteering at the House of Blessings orphanage founded by alumni Phil and Lonnie Murphy. Students also teach at summer camp run by Lonnie Murphy, a Polk County teacher. Southeastern University, located in Lakeland, also sends students to Haiti on mission trips. Dr. Robert Houlihan, Dean of Southeastern’s College of Christian Ministries and Relig-ion, is President of Compassionate Alliance, which is sending 25 truckloads of food, water and other supplies to Port-au-Prince. Southeastern and Palm Beach Atlantic University are proceeding with plans to send students to Haiti on mission trips during spring break in March. On PBA’s first mission trip to Haiti last year, students worked on the House of Blessings. PBA students Fritz Van der Grift, a lacrosse player, and recent graduate Brett Womack recently delivered to Haiti medical supplies, 13,000 bottles of water and other sup-plies collected by the Bethesda Medical Center in Boynton Beach. “There was a very welcoming community of Haitians who helped us unload all of the supplies,” Van der Grift said. A group of 22 PBA students delivered a truckload of relief supplies to Missionary Flights International to be delivered to the hardest-hit areas in Haiti. St. Thomas University in Miami has a long history of sustaintability projects in Haiti, working on a fair trade artisan project with Haitian women, a solar energy program in Baie-de-Henne and a fair trade coffee collaboration with farmers in Port-de-Paix. STU previewed the documentary film “Blooming Hope,” featuring the three projects, on campus two days after the earthquake devastated large parts of Haiti. The event in-cluded work created by the women artisans.

Missing Lynn Students

Britney Gengel

Stephanie Crispinelli

Christine Gianacaci

Courtney Hayes 3

Missing Lynn Faculty

Patrick Hartwick Richard Bruno

PBA Students Fritz Van der Grift (rt) & Recent Graduate Brett Womack (lft)

Dr. Arturo Brito Treats Haitian Child in UM’s Project Medishare Clinic

Warner University Students with Haitian Orphan

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Dr. Barth Green, Professor and Chair of Neurological Surgery, Treats an Injured Child at UM’s Field Hospital in Haiti.

Barry University’s Haiti Relief Rally

ICUF Presidents Adopt Resolution Supporting Lynn At their meeting in January, members of the ICUF Presidents Council adopted a resolution drafted by PBA University President Lu Hardin, expressing their support for Lynn University and condolences for the likely loss of four Lynn students and two faculty members in the earthquake that devastated Haiti. “The Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida ex-tend their heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Lynn University and to the families of the students and faculty members who are yet to be reunited with their loved ones,” the resolution said. “The members of ICUF offer any and all support to the Lynn University faculty, staff and students in this time of need.”

Barry University· Beacon College· Bethune-Cookman University Clearwater Christian College · Eckerd College · Edward Waters College Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University · Flagler College · ·Florida College

Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences · Florida Institute of Technology Florida Memorial University · Florida Southern College · Hodges University

Jacksonville University· Lynn University · ·Nova Southeastern University Palm Beach Atlantic University · Ringling College of Art and Design · Rollins College

Saint Leo University · St. Thomas University · Southeastern University · Stetson University The University of Tampa · University of Miami · Warner University

Webber International University

ICUF Report is written by John C. Van Gieson, 850-681-6505. Edits, layout and visual formatting by Melissa Armstrong. Please email comments and suggested news items to johnvg@comcast.net.

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