Message From President Meservey Following Japan Earthquake Disaster

To all members of the Salem State University community,

I know we all share deep concern for the pain and suffering that the Japanese people are experiencing following last Friday's 8.9M earthquake and the catastrophic tsunami that followed. Although the extent of the devastation in terms of lives lost and disrupted, families and communities displaced, entire towns destroyed, and an economy in distress have yet to be determined, we know that Japan will require the assistance of the rest of the world as it struggles to recover.

Our thoughts at this time center particularly on the Japanese members of the Salem State community, from the 23 Japanese undergraduate and graduate students on our campus to members of our staff with relatives in the affected areas. I was relieved to learn that we have been in contact with most of our Japanese students and alumni, and all report that they and their families are safe. One student we have spoken with confirmed that her family is safe however, she remains concerned about her father, who lives close to the nuclear power plant, and relatives in Sendai—one of the most seriously affected areas—whom she cannot contact.

At present, we have one Salem State student participating in a study abroad semester in Japan. He reports that he was not in the region that was directly affected and is fine. We also have a student who is currently with the Semester at Sea (SAS) program. Semester at Sea officials report that the program is currently unaffected, but—with the MV Explorer scheduled to pull into the port of Kobe, Japan, on April 4—"they will continue to assess conditions in Japan in terms of risk assessment."

Our Center for International Education (CIE) has been the unofficial contact operations center to this point. As of Tuesday, they have heard from approximately 28 Salem State alumni in Japan, each of whom reports that they and their families are safe. Some have reported that items within their homes were damaged, while others are reporting they had to walk nearly four hours to get home last Friday as a result of the collapse of basic infrastructure.

Both our Japanese students on campus and our alumni in Japan have expressed their deep thanks to the Salem State community for its concern.

Expressions of compassion and support alone, however, will not assist Japan with its most immediate concerns. I am therefore asking those members of our community who wish to assist our friends across the sea in their recovery, rebuilding and renewal efforts to pull together as we did for Haiti relief last year and donate in whatever small—or large—ways you are able. Numerous student organizations on campus are collaborating to organize fundraising efforts. I ask that you read the information that follows this message to learn of these opportunities and to visit this page, salemstate.edu/cares, frequently for updates.

As Salem State University is a caring community, I know that you will respond.