The damage created by Typhoon Haiyan has prompted some Syracuse University students to take action.

“Ultimately, they’re going to need money a month from now,” said Bea Tiu-Laurel, the president and founder of the Filipino Student Organization. Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on Nov. 8, with winds that reached the same strength as a Category Five hurricane — making it one of the strongest storms in recorded history.

Tiu-Laurel is a part of a large-scale initiative titled “SUnited,” which is a series of events planned by the Filipino Student Organization to raise money for those affected by the typhoon. Tiu-Laurel has a personal connection to the typhoon — being raised in the Philippines, she said she searched for a support system on campus and eventually met other students who were Filipino.

Students and clubs across Syracuse University are planning and organizing fundraisers to help Typhoon Haiyan victims. But with Thanksgiving Break, finals and the end of the semester coming up, members of the SU community face several obstacles due to the inconvenient timing.

The Filipino Student Organization planned a benefit concert to raise money for those affected by the typhoon, Tiu-Laurel said. The organization arranged for several musical and dance groups to perform at the concert, she said.

But Tiu-Laurel said she and her organization had to cancel the concert, which would have been held on Wednesday, because they could not find a venue on such short notice. For now, Tiu-Laurel said they will raise money for their campaign on Indiegogo, a crowd-funding website.

Joyce LaLonde, a member of the Filipino Student Organization and the public relations head for the “SUnited” project, said they hope to utilize the typhoon’s relevance.

“The excitement around the typhoon is right now, so we need this big push initiative,” she said.

Other student groups also altered their upcoming events. The SU chapter of Asian Students in America hosted a concert called “Elements of Hip Hop with Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity Inc.” on Nov. 16.

Sharon Lee, the president of ASIA, said the club usually donates some money to a nonprofit, but due to the nature of the typhoon, it decided to donate 50 percent of the proceeds to the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, a collective of Filipino groups and individuals, which would give those funds to grassroots organizations in the Philippines.

Lee said ASIA will have other events to support the Philippines, but nothing is set for next semester. She said there hasn’t been as much student participation in relief efforts because of how the academic calendar was set for the year.

“As finals come up, people may not be as engaged and they’re worried about their academic work,” she said. “We want to make the best of what we can and give the most help we can as possible.”

Although time may not be working in their favor, others are working around the setback. Mary Rose Go, the program assistant for the Democratizing Knowledge Project, set up donation boxes for NAFCON on campus and in local businesses such as Café Kubal and Boba Suite.

Go said she researched a lot and chose NAFCON because it works directly with the local community and seemed legitimate. She said there have been many reports of the Filipino government and the Philippine Red Cross pocketing and mishandling money.

“That’s why a lot of us are trying to figure out what organizations that we can go to that will go directly to disaster relief,” Go said.

She added that when people donate money to huge groups like Red Cross, they cannot trace where the money is going to. She said funds raised through SUnited will go to Ramon Aboitz Foundation Inc., which gives the money to charities based in the areas that were hit the hardest.

Although not everyone has a connection to the Philippines, Lee said SU students should recognize other cultures and support them in tough times.

“A lot of people lost family and friends and loved ones,” Lee said. “In order for them to pick them back up, it’s important to give them hope again and help bring them back to where they can survive and live again.”

Published on November 20, 2013 at 12:34 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers