Supporting Students, Faculty & Scholars Impacted by the Invasion of Ukraine

March 18, 2022
University of Arizona Global Affairs

 

University of Arizona Global leadership and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Liesl Folks, met with students, faculty & scholars impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine this month, to learn how the University can be supportive during this time.

Participants shared their personal perspectives and experiences, and were able to express some of their worries and concerns about their families, friends, and about the conflict in general. As well as requesting guidance on financial transactions, travel and possible need to extend U.S. visas, participants also highlighted the importance of supporting humanitarian aid.

The Global office reached out to the University of Arizona Humanitarian Assistance Technical Support (HATS) initiative on campus and received the following guidance for people seeking ways to help those affected by the war.

HATS is a global initiative at the University of Arizona designed to support the U.S. Government's commitment to prepare for and respond to international humanitarian disasters.

The HATS mission is to build at the University of Arizona the institutional capacity to research, teach, and contribute to the urgent challenges of global disaster and humanitarian assistance. It seeks to establish the University as a recognized center of learning, knowledge production, and problem-solving relevant to the global effort to address disasters and promote resilience among the most vulnerable populations.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funds HATS through its Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), formerly the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Here at the University of Arizona, technical staff directly supports BHA in several key sectors of operation. At the same time, the University actively engages with a diverse and interdisciplinary pool of expertise and experience in finding innovative strategies and solutions to reduce global disasters' causes and impacts.

The HATS team has put together a variety of resources that can be used for research as well as for students to learn about potential careers in humanitarian and disaster management. These resources also connect you to data, tools, and training programs from organizations and institutions that HATS finds crucial to disaster, risk, climate, and humanitarian support.

You can follow HATS on Instagram @uaz_hats, and sign up for their monthly newsletter here.

Students impacted by this situation can contact Campus Health Counseling and Psych Services for mental health support and resources. Staff and faculty can reach out to Life and Work Connections for support and resources as well.

See University of Arizona President Robbins’ February 25, 2002 statement about the conflict here.

Media contact:
David Richards
Executive Director, International Marketing and Communications
davidrichards@arizona.edu