The Facts:
The Howl for Haiti benefit concert was held Monday night to raise money for victims of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti several weeks ago.
Our Opinion:
Students should use the apathetic comments of Roy Williams as a reminder that the Haiti recovery effort is not going to be short or simple; the nation will continue to need support from the Wolfpack community and the rest of the world.
By now, most people are aware of the strife the Haitian populace is experiencing.
The massive earthquake and its effects have become part of the 24-hour news vernacular and the world has acutely fixated on the immense destruction the 7.0 monstrosity has brought.
Student Government has set a $50,000 fundraising goal for the campus community and expected to reach it with the Howl for Haiti concert Monday. Truly, the effort in unison with the Raleigh-based humanitarian organization Stop Hunger Now has been meaningful.
Student Government and students should be applauded for their excellent work and commitment in attempting to relieve one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.
Despite the humanitarian outpour during the last several weeks, it is far too easy to become apathetic about a crisis like Haiti. In the past decade alone, the Southeast Asian Tsunami was followed by a vast humanitarian effort and then gradually faded to the point where many people have almost forgotten the incident.
On college campuses this sort of unresponsiveness is prolific and can rear its ugly head far too quickly, taking the focus away from important efforts — rebuilding an entire country, for instance.
An obvious instance of this sort of indifference is Roy William’s, head coach of the UNC-Chapel Hill men’s basketball team, comments about Haiti at his Tuesday press conference. Williams compared the struggles of his team this season to those of the Haitian people — a country with a 230,000-person death toll from the earthquake.
He said the situation in Haiti is different depending on how you look at it. To Williams, his own issues were the real catastrophe.
Of course, the press relations people had Williams almost immediately issue a statement saying that it was taken out of context. But, perhaps, the slip was more Freudian than Williams would publicly admit.
People are inherently quick to forget about the struggles of others and become wrapped up, once again, in their own worlds. Williams is no guiltier than most everyone else who overlooked the troubles of Asian nations soon after their disaster.
Rivalry aside, Williams’ comments should serve as an important reminder to not discount the issues of others and keep the Haiti relief effort in the forefront.
Even if Howl for Haiti reaches its goal; students should keep donating their time and money where feasible and display the compassion of the Wolfpack community.
