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Nepal earthquake hits close to home for many at Miami, but no response from university

Destruction from the Nepal earthquake on April 25, 2015, which has killed almost 6,000 people to date and injured another 10,000.

By Abbey Gingras, News Editor

It was a Saturday like any other in Nepal. Tourists visiting the country for its impressive trekking sites were high up in the mountains. Locals went about their lives in the remote villages dotting the landscape and in the crowded city of Kathmandu.

Then, in a flash of rubble and snow, everything changed. Temples, monuments and homes were destroyed in the worst disaster the country has seen in 80 years. The Dharahara Tower, a UNESCO historical site built in the 1800s, is gone. As of Thursday evening, almost 6,000 people were confirmed dead with another 10,000 injured.

Since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent 6.7 magnitude aftershock, the nation has plunged into turmoil. In need of shelters, medical supplies and relief, the country is now at risk of landslides caused by heavy rains and a cholera outbreak from lack of clean water.

While the earthquake occurred thousands of miles from Oxford, the disaster hit close to home for many on campus.

Janardan Subedi, a sociology professor who was born and raised in Nepal, visits the country five times a year to conduct research. Throughout his 26 years at Miami, Subedi has worked to strengthen Miami's connection with Nepal through various programs. He said he's been following the news closely in preparation for his return to Nepal in May.

"What the news is telling you right now, it's not even 20 percent of the truth," Subedi said. "What they know is what they see in Kathmandu, they have no idea what's happening outside of that."

Subedi predicts that due to the numerous remote villages that haven't been reached yet, the death toll could reach as high as 20,000.

According to Subedi, there are nearly 20 Nepali students at Miami right now, not to mention himself and other faculty members who are involved with programs there. He's disappointed by the university response to the earthquake.

"One of the students lost some of her relatives," Subedi said. "I know about 25 to 30 people who died. Miami University does have a relationship with Nepal, but I have not heard even one statement from our administration."

Nepali native and graduate student Rajesh Singh thinks the blame may not entirely be on the school.

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"We used to have a Nepali society here, but now we don't have that," Singh said. "So probably they didn't have a proper way to reach everyone."

Subedi is not as quick to let the administration off the hook.

"They are talking about globalization, they are talking about internationalization, they are talking about bringing diversity and this and that," Subedi said. "But when this kind of thing happens? From the university, there's nothing. That hurts."

Subedi and Singh noted that both students and faculty members have reached out to them since the disaster. Singh is working to raise funds now to send as soon as possible.

Mark Walsh, an associate professor for the department of kinesiology and health, has been leading a Miami study abroad program in Nepal for the past nine years. Each year he's used the same Sherpa guide, Padam Ghale. He hasn't heard from him since the quake.

"I believe he's in the Himalayas with a group," Walsh said. "He never gets on social media even when he's in Kathmandu, but when he's in the mountains it's even less. And since his backup job when he's not doing trips is finding lost people, that's probably what he's doing right now."

To help people find loved ones in Nepal, Facebook launched a tool for Nepali people to click on the social media site to send a message to let people know they're okay.

Walsh noted that his other regular guides and friends in Nepal have all reached out to let him know they're okay.

The Nepal program, originally a sociology trip started by Subedi in the '90s, takes students to Mt. Everest Base Camp and studies health and human culture. The trip has been canceled for this spring. The group, which was set to leave in May, now has other plans.

Miami has covered the cost of the students to go to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam instead of Nepal. While the group will be using the same plane tickets, the rest of their money was already tied up in plans for Nepal. Walsh says they plan to donate it.

"The total amount we're sending to Nepal is probably a little over $20,000," Walsh said. "It's about $2000 to $3000 for each person from the trip, plus I have past students sending money to the Sherpas and their kids that they sponsor."

Students from years past remain close with the Sherpas from the trip, whom they hike and live with for several weeks. They not only send them money, but also keep in touch regularly. They were eager to help after the quake.

While Walsh regrets not being able to go this spring to help in the aftermath, he plans to be back in the Himalayas next May. Subedi will be back home this May, while Singh won't return until December at the earliest.