[media-credit name=’Associated Press’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The days following the devastation of the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunamis have seen unprecedented support from around the world. This support has extended to college students from around the United States, who, despite being limited by winter breaks, have organized immense support — donating time, effort, supplies and money.

Many University of Michigan students, who began classes Dec. 5, have rapidly developed several campaigns to help aid the victims from halfway around the world.

Senior Hershey Jayasuriya developed a coalition group named Tsunami Aid with a fellow Michigan student, which has coordinated the efforts of nearly 100 organizations on the Ann Arbor campus. Jayasuriya said the group, which has also organized fundraising efforts and a vigil for tsunami victims, has drawn a tremendous student response.

They began by simply sending out e-mails to various student organizations and holding an initial meeting.

“We were not expecting to get the number [of responses] we did,” Jayasuriya said. “[Students have] a driving force to help.”

Jayasuriya, a native of Sri Lanka, decided to get involved after a large portion of her extended family lost their lives to the tsunami.

“I lost everyone on my father’s side but one aunt,” she said. “I wanted to do something to help me cope with my own loss … I like to get involved.”

Jayasuriya said university administration was instrumental in creating an environment conducive to student support.

Many universities around the country, including the Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin, sent e-mails and set up websites encouraging students to help.

University of Wisconsin System spokesperson Doug Bradley said the same level of student activity has not happened yet in the UW System because the disaster occurred while most students were away on break.

“Given that it happened over the holidays … people are [helping] privately, through churches or relief organizations,” he said. “I am hoping when classes start, we will start to hear some more.”

However, Phill Klamm, an assistant wrestling coach and lecturer at UW-Whitewater, has started his own project he hopes will involve students when they return.

Klamm started the project called “Take Down the Tsunami” within his newly founded organization, “Wrestling the World.” Klamm, several other teachers and two UW-Whitewater students will travel to Matara, Sri Lanka, during spring break in March to help repair a damaged school. They also set a goal to raise $50,000 and 700 pounds of school supplies.

Klamm said when classes start Tuesday, he hopes to involve more students in fundraising and other forms of support.

“Once school starts, so many more people will be back in town … [and] so many student organizations will want to help,” he said. “College students are a great group of people.”

While some college students are choosing to travel to affected areas to volunteer, Nancy Strassburg, communications manager for the Madison Red Cross, said the primary conduit for help is currently financial aid.

“Financial contributions translate into what is really affected by this disaster,” Strassburg said.

Indonesian universities disrupted

Syiah Kuala University in the Indonesian province of Aceh has had classes suspended indefinitely, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Many students and faculty have died, and most university buildings were severely damaged in the tsunami’s path of destruction.

Another university in Aceh, the Institut Agama Islam Negri, was also severely damaged, according to the Chronicle.

To help alleviate some students’ losses, The Jakarta Post reported that the University of Indonesia has decided to waive tuition for Acehnese students who have lost their parents.