In the days after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused crippling destruction in Japan, including more than 10,000 deaths confirmed to date, several Northwestern students and faculty members with personal connections to the country turned to NU for support.
But at least 12 NU students were unhappy with how long that assistance took to arrive, according to Associated Student Government vice president Hiro Kawashima. University President Morton Schapiro sent a letter to the community Mar. 17, seven days after the earthquake took place. It’s an effort Kawashima said came “fairly late.”
Kawashima was born in Japan and has several family members currently living there, including his father. He said even though a statement like the one Schapiro sent is “symbolic in nature,” it is still important to show affected individuals that the administration and community care in a timely manner.
“I was comfortable until the first three days, and then maybe the fourth or fifth day, ” Kawashima said, stating that after Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Schapiro released a statement three days after the earthquake.
On the sixth day, Kawashima, a McCormick junior, sent Schapiro an email “on behalf of the Japanese community at Northwestern” with 12 student signatures and a request.
“We ask that the University issue a public statement acknowledging the disaster and work with students to contribute to relief efforts,” the email stated. “Please confirm to our community the safety of students studying abroad and make an effort to reach out to students who may have been affected by the disaster.”
Kawashima said Schapiro responded by the end of the work day, saying a statement would be released shortly. It came out the next day at about 9 a.m.
In the statement, Schapiro confirmed the safety of the two NU students who were studying abroad in Japan at the time and said that further efforts would be made in upcoming weeks to support those emotionally affected.
“As our assistance is badly needed, I hope that all members of the Northwestern community will join me in supporting these efforts,” Schapiro’s statement said.
There are 55 international students from Japan currently studying at NU, according to NU’s International Office.
Robin Leephaibul, assistant director of the Study Abroad office, said in an email that two students were studying abroad in Japan at NU’s affiliated Earlham College Japan Study program at Waseda University, but one student had already returned to the U.S. before the earthquake. The other student flew home shortly after. They will finish their spring quarter classes in Evanston.
Kawashima said while his thoughts are merely “speculation,” he believes the lag between the earthquake and Schapiro’s statement could partially be due to timing. The aftermath of the natural disasters occurred during NU’s Reading Week, Finals Week and Spring Break.
However, he also said what he feels is general disinterest in the event may have contributed.
“Worldwide sentiment probably played a role with the sentiment at Northwestern,” he said. “I think it shows another level of apathy. A lot of the world feels that it’s Japan and they should be able to handle this situation.”
Kawashima also said he wishes the school had provided more psychological services to students after the natural disasters.
Information given at the end of Schapiro’s statement notified students, faculty and community members that the Family Institute would provide support groups about the disaster beginning March 24 for a six-week session.
Kenichi Shimokawa, a Madigan postdoctoral fellow at the Family Institute, took the initiative to begin the support groups after another Japanese colleague approached him about helping the Japanese community in Evanston and at NU.
“We wanted to provide a place where people can support each other,” Shimokawa said. “When we are working with Japanese people, there is a culture of a huge stigma in Japan toward mental health. We didn’t want to make this sound like counseling or therapy.”
Shimokawa said while he has facilitated several support groups so far, they have had fairly low attendance and he hopes more people will be able to use the Family Institute as a resource.
Having lived in Japan until 15 years ago, and having many family members currently living there, Shimokawa also said he and other Japanese mental health professionals are dealing with their own emotions as well.
“When there’s a large-scale disaster, people who are assisting people – relief aid workers, doctors – are all traumatized by this,” he said. “We try to approach this as more of a supportive effort amongst ourselves, taking care of each other and not getting burned out by this ourselves.”
He said it was “difficult” to comment on the University’s response to the disasters.
“I’ve certainly tried to reach out from my end, but I just don’t know what else has been done,” he said.
McCormick junior Sunghwan “Paku” Park said he is starting a campaign on campus with other Japanese students to raise awareness and funds for people affected by the natural disasters. He has lived in Japan his whole life and has several family members still there.
He said he agrees with Kawashima that the University should have responded sooner, but he’s a little more reluctant to criticize.
“It seemed like they didn’t do too good a job on it,” he said. “At the same time, I don’t know what their thoughts are. Maybe faculty is actually working on it to try to do something.”
McCormick sophomore Karam Chadha, who has lived in Japan since he was born, said he is unhappy with some students’ responses to the issue as well. He said he doesn’t think the previous state of Japan’s economy should make students apathetic.
“It frustrates me because as strong as Japan is, as wealthy as they are, this earthquake was the most expensive disaster,” he said. “I don’t think we should be so complacent with our efforts. Raising awareness is directed to change that ideology.”
