Earthquake in Haiti affects WPU students

People across the nation are feeling the effects of the devastating earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti.  For some students here at William Paterson University, the earthquake hit very close to home.

On Jan. 11, just a day before a massive 7.0 magnitude quake tore through Port-au-Prince, Pascal Faustin, was saying goodbye to his aunt and uncle who were leaving to Haiti.

Faustin, a Haitian-American student at WPU, came home from work just as news of the earthquake began to circulate. As his mother cried in front of the T.V., Faustin's thoughts turned to his aunt and uncle. 

"My aunt and uncle are like second parents to me," said Faustin. "To hear that the center of the earthquake hit the exact city that they were staying in frightened me a lot. I didn't know what to do, but I started praying right away."

Fortunately, Faustin did receive word from his aunt, uncle and other family members. They were all safe, and being that his aunt and uncle are U.S. citizens, they were able to return to New Jersey right away.

Faustin knows that he is one of the lucky ones. There are so many in Haiti struggling to survive, so as a senior and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., he and his fraternity brothers have started a clothes drive called The Odd Squad Cares Clothes Drive for Haiti. Their goal is to send a minimum of 10 full boxes of clothes to the people in Haiti.