Earthquake support for Turkiye and Syria

Feb. 16, 2023

Earlier this month, an earthquake hit Syria and Turkiye, and as each day goes by, we hear more news of the devastation and suffering. To date, more than 42,000 people have died, and millions have been left without homes and critical infrastructure supports. I know there are members of our Laurier community with family and friends in these regions, and they have expressed to me the worry and fear they have for their loved ones.

I want to express my profound sympathy to those in our community who have been personally affected by this tragedy. Laurier’s international office has personally reached out to our Syrian and Turkish international students to offer support. I encourage others in our community who have been impacted to make use of the supports available at the university.

This afternoon, I spoke with student representatives from the Middle Eastern Students’ Association and Laurier Help Turkey and Syria who are collecting monetary and physical items in the concourse on the Waterloo campus every day this week. For those in our community who are able to, I encourage you to join me in making a donation to help the people of Turkiye and Syria who are experiencing incomprehensible suffering.

My heartfelt gratitude to everyone in our Laurier community who is offering support and help during this time. As a university community that welcomes people from around the world, we have a responsibility to help and support our faculty, staff, students, and alumni when they are impacted by tragedies like this.

Deborah MacLatchy, PhD

President and Vice-Chancellor