SUNY Global

Haiti: Actions now underway

System-wide:

• Resident tuition for a period of eighteen months, effective January 12, 2010 – June 30, 2011, was established for Haitian students enrolled at state-operated institutions of the State University of New York. Community colleges operating under the program of the State University of New York are encouraged to act consistent with this policy. A resolution to this effect was approved by the Board of Trustees on March 23, 2010. [Board resolution Text] [Board resolution PDF] 

• Recommendation that presidents allow for student accounts flexibility (a grace period of several months at campus discretion) for students listing a permanent address in Haiti. [Memo to Presidents Text] [Memo to Presidents PDF]

Activity throughout the system:

Immediate relief and support

• Access to counseling services and support groups 
• Forums and informational sessions, including immigration issues related to Haiti, the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the U.S. and assistance to students as they applied for emergency assistance scholarships (Haiti-EAS) administered by the Institute of International Education
• Web sites to communicate vital information and to involve the university community and alumni who are interested in assisting
• Fundraising efforts and donation collection
• Designation of an office or working group to coordinate each institution’s efforts

• Funds raised to support scholarships for currently-enrolled students of Haitian origin – University at Albany, University at Buffalo 
• Scholarships for Haitian students to study at SUNY – Alfred, Cortland, Fredonia, Delhi and Genesee Community College 
• Partnering with a college in Haiti to develop a (dual degree) program to train students in Haiti – Canton  
• Development of specialized courses or certificate programs – SUNY ESF (land surveying or forest technology), Cobleskill, Oswego (Ethnocultural Aspects of Trauma) 
• Online learning assistance – Empire State, SUNY Learning Network and SUNY-wide 

SUNY institutions already working in Haiti

• UB Reaches Out to Haiti through Work of Earthquake Engineering Lab and University Relief Effort
• UB geographers help map devastation in Haiti
• Report on Downstate's Latest Efforts to Support Haiti: Medical Team Travels to Port-au-Prince

For more information on these and many other relief initiatives, please visit the web sites of individual SUNY campuses.