Professor McHugh and her colleagues, who returned from Haiti March 13, concentrated on the area along the Baie de Port au Prince and along the southern coast of the Canal de Sud. They examined faults and related structures in the vicinity of the earthquake and aftershocks where a tsunami was generated. On the last day of the trip, the team helped to conduct a geological survey of an area that was being considered as the site for rebuilding a new Port-au-Prince. They found there had been extensive faulting in that area—perhaps saving hundreds of lives from future disaster.

In late March, Professor McHugh participated in an invitation-only workshop to identify and refine key science and engineering information to guide and support rebuilding efforts in Haiti. Organized by the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction (SDR), it was hosted at the University of Miami from March 22-23, 2010.

The Haiti research trip was sponsored as part of a RAPID response by the NSF. Involving young talent from Haiti or Haitian-American earth scientists in collaborations is key. Joining McHugh onboard the research vessel Endeavor were colleagues from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and University of Missouri at Columbia, and the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics at Austin.

The Graduate Center’s Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, Ph.D. Program in French, and Henri Peyre French Institute have invited four playwrights to travel from Haiti to New York for readings of excerpts from their plays in new translations, to be followed by a discussion on how New Yorkers can support the rebuilding of Haiti’s theatre. With Guy Junior Régis, Duckens Charitable Duccha, Dominique Batraville, Coutechève Aupont and Michèle Voltaire Marcelin (from New York). 6:30 PM, Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue. Free, for information call 212-817-1863 or visit http://web.gc.cuny.edu/mestc/events/s10/haitian-playwrights.html

• Gitika Ahuja, co-ordinating producer of ABC News on health and Medical coverage, who was working in Haiti

• Gary Pierre-Pierre, host of the CUNY television program Independent Sources and editor and publisher of the Haiti Times. Pierre-Pierre has just returned from a reporting trip to Haiti.–Ray Rivera, New York Times reporter, who covered the aftermath of the quake

• Ozier Muhammad, an award winning New York Times photojournalist, who also covered the quake

Brooklyn College Journalism Prof. Ron Howell, a former Caribbean correspondent for Newsday, is the moderator.

Please RSVP with Yahaira Castro, yahaira.castro@journalism.cuny.edu, Associate Director of Admissions and Student Affairs at the Graduate School of Journalism.

Volunteers at the clinic will assist Haitian immigrants in navigating through the basic eligibility requirements and the documents needed to apply for Temporary Protected Status.

On Friday, January 15^th, President Obama’s administration announced an 18-month designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all Haitians present in the United States on or before January 12, 2010.  TPS is granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to individuals who cannot safely return to their countries of origin due to grave disturbances, such as natural disasters. TPS grants individuals in the United States the right to live and work legally in the United States for as long as Haiti is designated a TPS country. Attorneys and other legal professionals will help applicants fill out forms, advise them on legal issues, provide them with fee information, mailing envelopes pre-addressed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, and pre-addressed Certified Mail/Return Receipt forms.

Assistance clinics and all services, including photos, are free to the public.

The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847 as The Free Academy, the University’s 23 institutions include 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves 260,000 credit students and 269,808 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University’s academic enrichment program for 32,500 high school students, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. More than 1 million visitors and 2 million page views are served each month by www.cuny.edu, the University’s website.

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is working in partnership with CUNY Citizenship Now!, the CUNY School of Professional Studies, the Legal Aid Society, Medgar Evers College and the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance to provide free legal and administrative support for Haitian immigrants eligible for Temporary Protected Status by providing a series of three immigration clinics in Brooklyn and Queens.  Saturday’s clinic in Brooklyn is the second clinic; the first was held last week at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and the third will be on February 20^th at York College in Queens.

Volunteers at the Brooklyn application clinic will assist Haitian immigrants in navigating through the basic eligibility requirements and the documents needed to apply for Temporary Protected Status.

On Friday, January 15^th, President Obama’s administration announced an 18-month designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all Haitians present in the United States on or before January 12, 2010.  TPS is granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to individuals who cannot safely return to their countries of origin due to grave disturbances, such as natural disasters. TPS grants individuals in the United States the right to live and work legally in the United States for as long as Haiti is designated a TPS country. Attorneys and other legal professionals will help applicants fill out forms, advise them on legal issues, provide them with fee information, mailing envelopes pre-addressed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, and pre-addressed Certified Mail/Return Receipt forms.

Assistance clinics and all services, including photos, are free to the public.

The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847 as The Free Academy, the University’s 23 institutions include 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves 260,000 credit students and 269,808 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University’s academic enrichment program for 32,500 high school students, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. More than 1 million visitors and 2 million page views are served each month by www.cuny.edu, the University’s website.

Medgar Evers College will host hands-on help for immigrants who are seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on Saturday, January 30, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the first floor of the Bedford Building (1650 Bedford Avenue, between Montgomery and Crown Streets). Doors will close at 4:00 p.m. TPS will allow illegal immigrants to stay and work in the United States for 18 months. After the earthquake, President Obama offered this special status to at least 100,000 Haitian immigrants and some 30,000 Haitians who had been ordered deported. The event is open to the public. For more information about filing for TPS filing or the January 30 event, please call 212-568-4679, or go to www.cuny.edu/citizenshipnow .

The event is sponsored by the CUNY Citizenship Now Program, the CUNY School for Professional Studies, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Legal Aid Society, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, and Medgar Evers College, CUNY. Last week, the CUNY Citizenship Now Program and the CUNY School of Professional Studies hosted Web-based training for some 700 volunteers who will be at the Medgar Evers and other events.

The City College is holding a Hope for Haiti event 12 noon – 2 p.m. Thursday, January 28, in the rotunda of the North Academic Center.  CCNY students will staff tables to discuss fundraising efforts, volunteer opportunities, and information sharing.

The Wellness and Counseling Center is offering group counseling sessions to students impacted by the Haitian earthquake beginning Tuesday, February 2, and every Tuesday for as long as necessary.  Sessions run from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., and are held in Room 1/217A of the North Academic Center.  All are welcome; please call 212-650-8222 to indicate your interest.

The Office of Student Life at Baruch College will host “Baruch Unites for Haiti” on Thursday, January 28, in the Newman Vertical Campus multipurpose room (1-107) from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. There, Baruch’s Undergraduate Student Government, Caribbean Student Association, SOCA (Student Organization for Caribbean Appreciation), West Indian Culture Club, and Hillel will raise both funds and awareness. From 5-7 p.m. the Undergraduate Student Government will host a Haiti Relief Concert with live bands, free food and ongoing fundraising. The Office of Student Life will maintain a Wall of Hope in the main lobby of the Newman Vertical Campus, where students can write messages of hope, with a requested $1 per message.

On a more personal level, Baruch’s Office of Human Resources offers its support to Baruch employees via CUNY’s Work/Life Program. It offers counseling for employees and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Counselors can be reached directly at 1-800-833-8707. The program, administered by Corporate Counseling Associates, Inc, has published a list of resources to help employees locate missing persons in Haiti, agencies and organizations for volunteering and donating to the relief efforts, and tips for coping with traumatic events. All information is available via the Baruch Human Resources website: www.baruch.cuny.edu/hr and clicking on CUNY Work/Life Program. Baruch’s Counseling Center is also available to meet with students who have personal concerns related to the crisis in Haiti. The Center is at 137 E. 25th Street (the Annex Building) on the 9th floor, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and later by appointment. Make an appointment by calling 646-312-2155 or e-mailing counseling@baruch.cuny.edu.

LaGuardia Community College is collecting funds to help the people of Haiti through its LaGuardia Disaster Relief Fund, in partnership with two local organizations with a history of relief work in Haiti. A three-day campus fundraising drive began Jan. 19.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice has begun its “Help Rebuild Haiti” fundraising campaign, coordinated by the Division of Student Development. There are collection locations at key campus locations. Donations will be forwarded to a variety of relief organizations to support Haitian relief efforts. A Help Rebuild Haiti website has been set up at http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/rebuildhaiti/ and plans are under way to hold several special programs during the spring semester.

Counseling, fundraising, and food and clothing drives are among the activities reported today from the colleges of the City University of New York in support of earthquake-devastated Haiti. Here are some of the ways students and staff are reaching out to Haiti and the Haitian community in New York City.

Student leaders from the Model United Nations program at Queens College are organizing a canned food and clothing donation drive and will be setting up collection boxes in key locations around the campus.  Arrangements are being made with the Haitian Consulate of New York City to accept these donations.   Emanuel Avila,  the college’s Coordinator of Judicial Affairs and Service Learning, is working with students to prepare and circulate flyers, e-mails and website postings with information on how the college community can help with disaster relief.

Kingsborough Community College has mobilized its Student Services Personal Counseling Office to serve the approximately 1,000 Kingsborough students who are Haitian or of Haitian descent as well as faculty and staff who have family and friends in Haiti. Those services include: an increased number of counselors on staff in coming days who will be available to meet with students, faculty and staff; a continued presence near the college cafeteria to provide relevant literature on coping with tragedy and to direct students and staff to counseling services; information posted on the college website related to grief, trauma, and coping with tragedy; group support sessions; and consultant services to staff and faculty for assistance in talking to students about this situation.  College student groups are also preparing to conduct drives for contributions of food and clothing.

The Office of Diversity and Equity Programs at Brooklyn College is collecting supplies to be donated to the doctors and health workers of  Nova Hope for Haiti which is  scheduled to fly down to the stricken island this weekend.  To help survivors, cash donations may be deposited to the Brooklyn College Disaster Relief Fund, located in Central Depository, Room 302, Student Center. Funds will be remitted to the American Red Cross for Haiti.

Counseling at Medgar Evers College is being provided by staff counselors and local clergy. Room S-307 remains dedicated to serving as the campus’ information hub for the events in Haiti. The  college’s “18 Mai Committee,” an organization whose mission is to support and strengthen Haitian immigrant lives in America, is working with the Office of the President, the Student Affairs, and Development offices to help collect donations.

The committee, a member of the Consortium of Haitian Empowerment, is collecting donations for on-the-ground organizations such as Red Cross Haiti, The Rotary Club, and Food for the Poor.

York College’s homepage has a banner as well as a link directing visitors to the website’s page dedicated to Haiti, http://www.york.cuny.edu/news/haiti. The page will keep visitors updated with information about support services from the College and CUNY, listings of charitable organizations accepting donations, the latest news as well as links to friends and fans on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The College’s Haitian Club is also engaged in this ongoing effort.

To address the need for legal assistance for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States, CUNY Citizenship Now!, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Legal Aid Society, the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association and other advocacy groups will hold TPS application assistance events in Brooklyn on January 30 and February 6. The January 30 event will be held at Medgar Evers College.

TPS grants individuals the right to remain legally in the United States and work for up to 18 months.  Congress has authorized Department of Homeland Security to grant TPS to individuals from countries who cannot safely return yo their countries due to grave disturbances, including natural disasters. Immigrant advocates, including the Mayor’s immigrant affairs office and Legal Aid, have reached out to CUNY Citizenship Now!, which has extensive experience in providing free legal assistance to immigrants. It will use the NYC/Citizenship Corps’ (a joint project of the Mayor’s office and CUNY) volunteer list of more than 1,300 individuals to staff the event along with its own attorneys and paralegal staff. For more information, go to www.cuny.edu/citizenshipnow.

New York City College of Technology has begun a “Dollars for Disaster” fundraising project coordinated by the Office of Student Life and Development. Collection locations at a variety of key spots on campus, encourage individuals to make cash donations that will be forwarded the Red Cross Haitian relief efforts. Plans are also in the works by the Dental Hygiene department and its student club, SHADA, to host a toothbrush sale with proceeds being donated to the relief efforts. Additionally a group of students, staff, and faculty met today to discuss plans for a campaign to collect items needed in Haiti. Group members are researching what type of goods will be needed and the organizations that may be accepting these donations. Subcommittees are meeting later this week to work out details.

Ricot Dupuy, Brooklyn College class of 1981, the general manager at Radio Soleil D’Haiti, which broadcasts from Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, said Radio Soleil was operating as a communication hub, with many Haitians from the local community coming in to check on word from loved ones. The station played  a feed from its sister station in Haiti, one of few that is actually broadcasting on the island, so that community members could hear people from home.  Medgie Desir, a junior communications major at Brooklyn College, had recently worked at the radio station to help Dupuy set up programming to reach a younger audience. But for the last few days, she has been fielding media requests for Dupuy and talking to community members.  “It’s just been so crazy here. Just when you think you are strong, someone else comes in with another sad story,” she said, adding that while she hasn’t been to Haiti since she was 3 years old, she would like to try to go back to assist in the recovery. “I haven’t even been there in a while but it’s still part of me.”

Hostos Community College co-sponsored a telethon this weekend that raised pledges of $35,000. The effort also yielded 15 trailers loaded with food, medical equipment and supplies worth over $2.4 million dollars. The event was broadcast live via several international television networks seen in the United States, the Dominican Republic and Latin America.

Queens College student leaders from the Model UN Program are organizing a canned food and clothing donation drive and will set up collection boxes in key locations around the campus.  Arrangements are being made with the Haitian Consulate of New York City to accept these donations.   Emanuel Avila, QC’s Coordinator of Judicial Affairs and Service Learning, is working with students to prepare and circulate flyers with information on how the college community can help with disaster relief. Information will be posted campus-wide through the college’s web site, digital signs and email blasts.