Dear Colleagues,

Our entire Colorado State University community joins with people worldwide in offering our deepest sympathies and support for the people of Nepal as they confront the devastation of this weekend’s earthquake. This crisis hits very close to home for our students from Nepal, and I ask that we all join in lending them whatever comfort and assistance we can during this terrible time. We also know that there are members of our local Fort Collins community who were involved in climbing expeditions on Mount Everest who have been impacted, and they, too, are in our thoughts.

When our CSU staff met with members of our Nepali Student Association yesterday, the students expressed their desire to encourage people to contribute in whatever ways we can to the recovery effort. At this time, the best way to help the people of Nepal is with a financial contribution to the international aid agencies that are actively engaged on the ground in rescuing, housing and feeding people in distress.

The USAID has published a list of agencies actively working in Nepal that are in need of support at www.usaid.gov/nepal-earthquake, and our Nepali students are focusing fundraising efforts on the Red Cross, the United Nations World Food Program, and Handicap International.

The Nepali Student Association also has organized a candlelight vigil tonight in memory of the earthquake victims at 7:30 p.m. on the Lory Student Center Plaza, and all members of our community are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Ours is a caring and compassionate community, and we are privileged to have strong international academic partners around the world, including Nepal. Our hearts and spirits are with them now, and in the difficult days to come.

-tony

Dr. Tony Frank
President