by Brian Holbrook
The Daily Bruin
LOS ANGELES (U-WIRE) - International students at the University of California-Los Angeles who are from areas that were directly affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in South Asia may qualify for new financial aid resources, available thanks to a grant provided by two national organizations, the Institute of International Education and the Freeman Foundation.
The $5,000 grant is available for up to four UCLA undergraduate students, the maximum number of grant recipients allowed per university.
To be eligible for the award, a student must be a citizen or permanent resident of Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand and must be able to demonstrate that their financial ability to continue their studies in the United States has been directly affected by the Dec. 26 devastation.
Sharon Witherell, a spokeswoman for the Institute of International Education, said that over 13,000 students in the United States are from the three affected countries and could be eligible for aid, including 6,249 from Indonesia, 2,464 from Thailand and 4,543 from Malaysia.
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According to Witherell, funding is not currently available for students from other tsunami-hit countries like Sri Lanka and India because the scholarship draws on funds specifically for students from Southeast Asia.
However, the Institute for International Education is trying to acquire funding to expand the scholarship.
Last year there were 80,000 students in the United States from India and Sri Lanka.
The funds being used were originally designated for students from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea who were affected by the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
Houghton Freeman, chairman of the Freeman Foundation, said in a statement, "By providing emergency assistance to students from Southeast Asia whose families may have lost their homes or livelihoods, our goal is to alleviate immediate financial burdens and provide a measure of security during these difficult times when so many have lost so much."
"We wish to assist and encourage U.S. campuses to help their students to be able to stay here and complete their studies," he said.
Last month, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami that devastated many areas of Asia and Africa, with Indonesia being hit hardest.
More than 150,000 people died in the disaster and more deaths are expected from disease.
Jiin-Jen Lee, a University of Southern California professor of civil and environmental engineering and expert on tsunamis, said the affected region was devastated, and students who came to this country for educational purposes may find that their family's property has been destroyed, which could pose a threat to their further study in the United States.
The universities that have students who are granted awards will also provide some sort of financial aid. Monetary funding may come in many forms, including tuition waivers, scholarships, stipends, loans or work-study.
Students interested in financial aid should submit their applications to the Institute for International Education by Feb. 1 to be considered in the first round of funding.
