After an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile, early Saturday morning, UF has contacted a student in Chile and is taking measures to provide relief for the catastrophe.
UF's International Center executive director Susanne Hill said one student is in Santiago. The two have been in e-mail contact and the student is OK.
One study abroad program in Santiago is scheduled for Summer A, but the International Center will monitor Chile’s situation to decide if the program will remain open, Hill wrote.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the Office of Student Activities is not yet aware of any organized relief efforts at UF, but they will meet Monday and reach out to presidents of UF clubs representing South American students.
Sky Georges, president of Gators United for Haiti, said he’s interested to determine how they can approach Chile’s situation in addition to Haiti’s.
“Raising money for Haiti is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be," he said. "But I’d love to gather students who are interested to see if we can help."
