In many ways, Japan is still recovering from the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 that killed more than 19,000 people and unleashed the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century — and some at Ohio University are trying to help. OU President Roderick McDavis approved a five-year plan in 2011 for current OU students, alumni and faculty to visit tsunami relief sites throughout the country. Last September marked OU’s second visit.
Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit made the almost-10,000-mile trip and said her experience was “very meaningful.”
The total cost of airfare and hotel expenses for Benoit was $2,397, said Ann Fidler, chief of staff for the provost and chief financial officer.
“The experience was very interesting and eye-opening, but one of the things I was most impressed by was our students,” Benoit said. “They acted so mature and were so helpful, and I’m really proud of them.”
Ten OU students studying in Japan assisted with the relief efforts in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Nine of them are enrolled at Chubu University in Nagoya, Japan, including Amanda Tragert, a junior studying German and Asian Studies who is studying abroad until August 2013.
“There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but a lot of progress has been made,” Tragert said. “I think the people who experienced it are really rebuilding their economy from the grassroots up. The spirit is not to think about the bad stuff but instead to push forward and make things better.”
When Christopher Thompson, chair of linguistics and director of the OU-Japan study abroad programs, visited Iwate, Japan, in September, the children who survived the tsunami couldn’t help but notice the wooden Buddhist prayer beads around his wrist, which he still wears today.
“The beads are made out of wood that came from the forest destroyed by the tsunami,” Thompson said. “They noticed the beads and saw the OU flags and remembered and recognized us. They feel like the rest of the world has forgotten about them, but we told them we were coming back at least three more times.”
Brittany Parsons, a senior studying East Asian Studies, said she had a lot of fun spending time with the children at an elementary school in Iwate.
“I did help clear out a river bank, but even a little bit of help, such as putting a smile on a kid’s face, is a big thing,” Parsons said. “A smile can heal a heart, and it meant a lot to them.”
Thomas Scanlan, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he was most moved by a story a schoolteacher shared with him.
“She was in her 80s, and she was responsible for saving the lives of her students,” Scanlan said. “The woman just knew she had to get the students to higher ground, so she ran them up a hill, and the water came up 10 or 12 feet at her school, and the kids would have drowned or been swept away if it wasn’t for her.”
In addition to the tsunami relief, Benoit said OU’s additional objectives included developing relationships with Japanese businesses and OU alumni living in Japan.
“We worked with the Japan External Trade Organization in Tokyo, and I would say we were successful in introducing OU and Southeast Ohio to Japanese companies,” Benoit said.
bc822010@ohiou.edu
