A Sudanese delegation is in London this week because British Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered to host Darfur peace talks, said a Reuters news report.
The group of students who make up Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, want to teach everyone at the University that the world is bigger than campus.
They created this campus’s chapter of STAND to learn more about Darfur, a western region in Sudan, a country in eastern Africa, just south of Egypt, and to create more publicity about the genocide occurring there.
‘We were rather outraged with the lack of media attention,’ said Nick Subtirelu, senior and outgoing president and founder.
Now the members are expanding the group’s focus to more than Darfur and are branching out to all acts of genocide.
Subtirelu said the conflict in Darfur arose from a corrupt, uninvolved government and bands of rebels wanting land and oil.
Conflict began when the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice and Equality Movement accused the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arabs in early 2003.
Ethnic African rebels participating in the JEM or the SLM began defending themselves from Sudan’s mainly-Arab central government, which they claim discriminates and neglects them.
Since then, around 2.5 million have been displaced and aid organizations estimate between 200,000 and 400,000 have been killed while the government believes the total number killed doesn’t exceed 10,000.
STAND recently hosted a conference to increase awareness about Darfur and other conflicts in Africa.
STAND members said people need to care about things other than what affects them personally.
Subtirelu compared the conflict in Darfur to the end of meal plan rollover. He said students on campus care about rollover because it affects them personally. But when that is compared to millions of people not having meals, the importance of rollover shrinks.
He said students say, ‘This affects me. It’s an injustice. What type of action can I take?’ But Subtirelu and the other members wish students would say that about Darfur and other conflicts because Darfur ‘is an issue of life and death,’ said Tom Hurst, senior and membership chair.
Natalie Coulianos, junior and next year’s president, said she thinks people are wary of helping a cause like this because they don’t think a small donation will help or wonder what difference one person can make.
She said anything makes a difference because there are so many organizations raising money and trying to help.
Joanne Stein, senior, said many students say they care about this cause, but wonders why they don’t participate. Sarah Stephenson, senior and vice president, said she thinks some students may care more about participating in social activities, but there’s a social aspect to STAND, too, she said.
Subtirelu also thinks that there is an information overload and too many activities and causes to chose from, which leaves some organizations with fewer participants and limited resources.
Ways to be involved off campus
How you can make your own impact on the world outside Bowling Green
Call state representatives to say you are concerned about Darfur
Visit Web sites like http://www.freerice.com to make free donations
Use http://www.goodsearch.com instead of other search engines to earn money for a charity during each search
Buy sweatshop-free clothing
Instead of giving a present to someone, donate money in his or her name to an organization like Doctors Without Borders
Lend money to entrepreneurs in developing countries through Kiva to help get them out of poverty
Invest in companies that keep labor fair and are environmentally aware
Donate money for mosquito nets through http://www.nothingbutnets.net or http://www.projectmosquitonet.org/
