The UF Student Senate unanimously passed a bill at Tuesday's meeting extending the full support of the student body to the victims of the earthquake that occurred one month ago today in Sichuan, China.
While the impact of the natural disaster and a death toll nearing 80,000 continue to plague survivors, some senators chipped in for the country's rebuilding efforts.
UF senators announced that they raised $71 at meetings to help the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars, or FACSS, provide relief to the earthquake's victims.
"The $71 is probably insignificant compared to the amounts FACSS has raised," said Sen. Bowie Stephens.
But an FACSS official said every dollar counts.
Jiawei Zhang, UF electrical engineering junior and FACSS vice president, said more than $20,000 has been donated by students to the FACSS relief fund since the group started tabling around campus May 13.
Sen. Tom Cockriel, judiciary chairman, said FACSS plans to use the donations to reconstruct an elementary school. Cockriel said Student Government does not transfer money from its reserves into donations for such causes because the money is allotted elsewhere.
Zhang said FACSS will send the money to the Red Cross Society of China within the next couple days. But this is only a starting point for the group's fundraising efforts, he added.
"It is going to take a long time to rebuild what was destroyed," he said.
