Students from Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq) are banding together to raise funds for their fellow students in the US who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey, which caused devastating floods in Houston and southeast Texas.
The Qatari Students Association (QSA) and Al Sanna student organisations are all set to hold the ‘Texas Tough Together’ festival today (Sept 20) at Tamuq’s Engineering Building in Education City.
The event will feature food sales, juice stalls, games, and sales of t-shirts and mugs to benefit victims of the calamity. Donations will also be collected throughout the festival.
Texas A&M president Michael K Young said approximately 45% of the university’s main campus student body — which is more than 31,000 students (known as “Aggies”) — come from one of the counties affected by Hurricane Harvey.
“Many students are arriving for classes with literally just the clothes on their backs after wading through waist-deep water in their hometowns,” he noted.
“Many faculty and staff are working to bring normalcy to the start of the school year have done so while dealing with personal hardship themselves,” Young added. QSA vice president Najla Badar expressed confidence that “Aggies will help other Aggies,” stressing that their friends in the College Station at the main campus will also do their best to help us here in Qatar if needed. “It’s our duty to help our fellow Aggies.”
Badar said she has gotten to know several students from the main campus who are studying in Doha for the semester, whose families were affected by the hurricane. Maha al-Sulaiti, QSA member and event chair, echoed Badar’s statement saying she was excited to involve the study abroad students in the day’s activities. “We want to show that Aggies are with other Aggies,” al-Sulaiti noted. “We are a family who will always support each other.”
Tamuq dean Dr Cesar O Malave commended the students for their dedication to the Aggie family and their “commitment to helping where and when help is needed.”
“Selfless service is one of the core values instilled in every student of Texas A&M, whether at the main campus or here at our branch campus in Doha,” he said. “Though we are separated from our Aggie family by distance, we are united in our shared spirit of giving back and helping those who are in need,” Malave added.
Tamuq urges the public to come out and support the students’ efforts to raise funds aimed at helping members of the Aggie family affected by Hurricane Harvey.
All proceeds will go to the Student and Employee Disaster Relief Fund, which was announced by Young on September 8.
