21.1740, FYI: Request for Help on Behalf of Linguists in Haiti

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LINGUIST List: Vol-21-1740. Fri Apr 09 2010. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 21.1740, FYI: Request for Help on Behalf of Linguists in Haiti

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1)
Date: 09-Apr-2010
From: Michel DeGraff < degraff at mit.edu >
Subject: Request for Help on Behalf of Linguists in Haiti
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:37:54
From: Michel DeGraff [degraff at mit.edu]
Subject: Request for Help on Behalf of Linguists in Haiti

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Dear Colleagues,

As you already know, Haiti has been struck by an extraordinarily
devastating earthquake which took away more than 200,000 lives, seriously
wounded more than 300,000 and created more than 1.5 million displaced- out
of a population of some 10 million. Most of the country's infrastructure
has been destroyed, including academic institutions, with some 1,300
educational institutions now unusable. 

What is perhaps less known is that  Haiti's Faculté de Linguistique
Appliquée (FLA) is the  institution that has been hit the hardest among the
academic units of Haiti's State University. The linguistics building
totally pancaked in the earthquake, killing some 300 affiliates, including
the dean of the linguistics faculty (Pierre Vernet), the  vice-dean (Wesner
Merant), alongside professors, students and staff. May their souls rest in
peace.

Also lost in the rubble is most of the FLA's library, archives, computers
and so on.

Our linguistics colleagues in Haiti are still grieving, but they are
already on their courageous way toward building a better linguistics
program on new grounds (literally and figuratively). Yet their current
'building' is only a tent on the site where the rubble of the former
building has now been removed.   

Of course our Haitian colleagues- my compatriots- would welcome any help
they can get for any aspect of their rebuilding efforts. 

The reconstruction of the FLA will include curriculum reform and new
academic facilities. So the FLA linguists would particularly welcome the
following:

- Linguistics books and journals, especially recent publications and
issues- the FLA offers language and linguistics courses on Haitian, French,
English and Spanish, so books in and on these languages will be welcome.
New copies of latest editions are particularly welcome in light of the
FLA's current objectives to rebuild on new 'grounds.'

- Updated descriptions of curricula for linguistics programs leading to
bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. As they work on improving their
curriculum, our FLA colleagues would like to study curricula for programs
with a variety of foci, both applied and theoretical.

- Any help of any sort that can be provided- computers, information
technology, partnerships, scholarships, etc.

As of yet, the FLA has no reliable physical location to house donations in
kind. For now, donated books, journals, computers, etc., will need to be
temporarily housed in the homes of faculty and staff- those who've survived
and whose homes still stand safely. As for the Post Office in
Port-au-Prince, it's all in rubble. 

With this in mind I've offered to help channel in-kind donations to make
sure that they eventually reach their future new locale. 

Please contact me off-list if you're inclined to help.

Heartfelt thanks in advance,

-Michel 



Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics





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