Hey guys,
It was a relief to make it back to home (California) yesterday night. Couple of my friends and I were among first 50 ppl to be evacuated by the US gov. to Trini/Tobago, it was great to meet my family, who were really worried about me. However, after I woke up this morning, I don't feel any better. Sure I took my first hot shower in 4 days and ate what I want....I being to worry about SGU students (SGA ppl/R.As who contributed so much) and the staff (Dr. Rao who tried to unite the students together, without him, everything would have collapsed.) How about the local Grenadians, they need help more than all of us? I just feel so guilty right now, not sure if you guys feel the same way. My selfish ego overtook me somehow. As some students might enjoy the 2 wks of vacation/relief, I know myself and other students at home may feel awful. What you guys think?
JACK

thank you jack for bringing to everyone's attention the long term issues. first, we're all glad youre safe and sound. Second, we need to rememebr the faculty who cared, those who lost their homes, the Grenadians who in spite of the loss of their homes cared for students, and the Grenadian population in general. Im hoping in the near future the school will set things in motion to thank and help them.
steph

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

Jack I can understand how u feel. the first few hours/days down there after this disaster can be very upsetting and everyone wants to leave, it is understandable. Since Ivan hit Grenada I have been trying to actually go there (looking for excuses, coverage and means of getting there...) so I can understand how you may feel now. Not to worry, you will soon be back there.

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medic
Pediatric Pulmonology

I know how you feel Jack. I've been feeling the same ever since we started getting ready to leave Grenada. Just like the locals, I was caught up in the frenzy of meeting the normalcy of life I have grown accustomed to. The difference is that the locals can't just click their heels and be home. While I wanted to stay behind, I don't think I was ready enough to stay, not to mention that the more of us staying behind puts a greater strain on the island. It's a guilt that is difficult to bear, especially since by leaving, we seem to be contradicting the oath we are borne to take as we venture to be doctors to always help our fellow man. However, it has already happened and we are off the island. Therefore, let us use this opportunity to provide aid we wouldn't have been able to provide otherwise. For instance, let us rally those we know and those around us to contribute resources or more to these victims. We have a first-hand experience that those around us cannot deny and that is a very powerful message to carry. If and when we return, let us not return empty-handed. Thanks for bringing this topic up... I'm glad I'm not alone but let us do something about it...

Peace,
Docks

DOCKS you are right. The best you all can do after coming back from the island would be to get some aid together, from relatives and friends and donate stuff to one of the numerous OFFICIAL aid organizers that are planning all this.

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medic
Pediatric Pulmonology

i think as one might expect upon relfection, the first termers, who dont even really yet know what "normal" is grenada, are having a particularly hard time adjusting to this disaster. I hope upper termers will help them through.
s

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

I was thinking about the whole first termer vs upper termer. While I certainly agree that it would've made the difference in my attitude, the issue kept nagging at me. I've figured out why now... a lot of the upper termers were the first to go and/or spearheaded arrangements to send people home, including themselves. This is similar to the direction provided by the faculty. As us first termers learned that our experienced folks were leaving at such a high frequency, we quickly ascertained that it would be in our best interest to follow suit. However, if we got news that upper termers were staying despite their losses, that would've demonstrated to us faith that the country could not only use our help but that it was safe and feasible to do so.

Even with people as capable as those of pursuing medicine, it still requires good leadership. There is a saying in business, "It is better to have an A-quality management with a B-quality product than a B-quality management with an A-quality product." We were a school with A-quality products/students but our leaders needed better execution. I understand this is extenuating circumstances so it is a bit much to expect flawless execution from students, such as our SGA, so I won't knock their efforts. However, I expected better from our faculty and, more importantly, our administration. I know many of the faculty lost homes and had hurting families so it is difficult to expect them to sacrifice so much. However, information, procedures, and efforts should be clearly communicated from administration. To me, as it seems to the rest of the student body, our administration did not initially take seriously the shock and trauma the event would cause on the student body and instead of immediately focusing on addressing the practical issues of survival, they were worried about telling us school would start in a week. This may have been a way to encourage confidence but they missed a whole bunch of steps in between that would lead to a resumption of classes. It bothered most of us that there seemed to be a gap in the obvious consideration of the damage to the school, and more importantly, to the country. The professors had travelled through the roads and through Grand Anse prior to the noon meetings and yet, they still naively believed that school could start up without the appropriate steps in between of resurrecting a country.

- Docks

I couldn't agree more with Docks......
I was extremely dissapointed by the way the administration and faculty handled the whole situation. Instead of putting students as their priority, many were more worried about when classes should start/begin. What made it worse was that some faculty members fled before the storm hit and some were nowhere to be found. I am not trying to be critical in anyway, but if you were put in the same situation, you will totally understand. Sadly to say, I felt the comrardery from SGU students and not by the faculty nor the administration.
JACK

couldn't agree more.
Faculty were dependent on ****** for their every move. I want to congratulate SGA for doing a great job. 4th termers securing places on planes made the situation worse. Having the administration say that students were running the AC when the chancellery AC unit was completely functional unbeknown to them was unacceptable.
There simply was no plan in place to deal with an emergency.
Plain and simple!!!

i think you are confusing not having a plan for such an emergency (which clearly there wasn't) with putting the start date of classes ahead of anything else. While you can report more accurately than anyone the conditions in grenada at the time, I dont think you can accurately report the activites at bayshore. There are enough higher ups at sgu that' Ive personally annoyed during all this who spent days worrying about what was going on and how to protect the students. that it was messy, disorganized, not planned for etc is all fair enough. That you didnt feel their interest in your concern is for you to say (and as a student ive said it in the course of lesser events in my day). That I argued with the Dean about a point here and there is true during the actue phase is true, but it wasn't about whether or not they were concerned. for what its worth, im rather convinced that the students were being thought of all along. anyway we're glad your safe and sound and as pointed out, the main attention now has to be on helping out grenada and the population who cant get flown out to any other home.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.