The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) will host four events this month to raise awareness and funds for the genocide crisis in Darfur.
The next event, the Darfur Experience Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament, will take place on Saturday, March 22 in cooperation with student organizations, The Promoters for Non-Violence and Students Against Silence.
The tournament is one of the events planned for the month of March. The Darfur Experience Ski and Snowboard Competition already took place on Wednesday, March 12. Other events will include the Mr. Wildcat Competition and the Darfur Experience Expo.
The Darfur Experience Expo will finish Friday, March 14, in the Academic Mall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. TCF Bank will provide prizes for the events.
Two hundred thousand people have been killed in the region of Darfur in western Sudan and the proceeds raised during March will go to the current survivors. The conflict stems from religious and cultural differences and competition for land and resources between the major militant factions involved, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) survey.
An estimated 2.5 million people live in refugee camps in the region, according to the United Nations press release.
Between the end of 2003 and October 2004, nearly 10,000 refugees died every month, according to WHO.
Eric Schmoldt, a junior accounting major and member of PRSSA, said NMU’s chapter of PRSSA was inspired to get involved after attending the PRSSA National Conference and listening to actress Mia Farrow speak about the crisis in Darfur.
“She asked for help from every PRSSA chapter, and this is our response,” Schmoldt said.
The goal of the PRSSA and the other student groups is to raise awareness of the crisis, and to provide funds for the organizations helping the people of Darfur, Schmoldt said.
“We hope to increase people’s knowledge of what is happening over there, and we hope to raise more than $4,000,” he added.
The money gathered from all the events will support the Genocide Intervention Network (GIN), and the Darfur Rehabilitation Project. All funds will go to GIN, which provides the people of Darfur in the refugee camps with the necessary fuel for basic needs like cooking and heat, Schmoldt said.
The PRSSA looked at several organizations before deciding on GIN and the Darfur Rehabilitation Project.
“We looked for an organization with the lowest overhead administrative expenses. The GIN has 90 percent of its funds going directly towards the people,” said Jeron Schmidt, junior entertainment and sports promotion major and president of PRSSA.
The PRSSA worked with the other student groups on campus before deciding on the events to find a way to raise awareness and still maintain interest, Schmidt said.
“We wanted to find a way to reach college students that is fun and entertaining, but still educational, without being stuck in a classroom like we are all week,” Schmidt said.
Kevin Van Coppenolle, an undeclared sophomore, is aware of the crisis in Darfur and believes that the attention being drawn to it by these events is an important step toward helping the people of Darfur.
“All I know is that innocent people are being slaughtered, and it’s a good thing that they are raising awareness,” Van Coppenolle said.
To register for these events, students can go to the TCF Bank in the University Center and ask for registration and rule forms, or contact Schmoldt by emailing [email protected].
