Solidarity: The RC Community Comes Together Following the Earthquakes

The long history of RC encapsulates other times when earthquakes had shattering effects. In the 1894 Istanbul earthquake, records show that there was much devastation in the city and an outbreak of cholera afterwards. Albert L. Long, professor of natural philosophy at RC at the time penned an article in the Zion Herald, describing the earthquake and its aftermath: “The Robert College buildings bear a few marks but have suffered no serious injury. The American College for Girls, situated in Scutari, has suffered very seriously; many of the buildings and partition walls have to be renewed before the buildings can be re-occupied.” In other reports it is confirmed that the RC buildings were “vigorously shaken but not seriously injured.” The school strived to keep the minds of the students on the work and not on the troubles all around. The 1999 earthquake, so recent in memory, was, of course, further away, with no physical effect on campus, but nonetheless shook the RC community to its core.

This time around, the first earthquake struck just hours before school was to be back in session after the semester break. Tragically, the RC community lost one alumnus, Rana Kuseyri Salih ACG 70, and RC teachers and students lost family members. However, the 54 RC students from the affected area and their direct families were safely accounted for. Although some of the residential students returned home after the earthquakes, a total of 100 residential students remained on campus including the students from the affected areas. Throughout the following two weeks when schools were closed, there were many activities for the residential students who stayed, like cookie baking, puppy therapy, visits to Ortaköy and Bebek, tea at the Deanery, and an open house with faculty and staff bringing students homemade treats. The art studio also remained open for students who wanted to express themselves through art or just needed some creative therapy. There were also several opportunities for faculty and staff to come together and share their thoughts and feelings, including a zoom meeting the week after the earthquake, small group support sessions and a lunch gathering in the Murat Karamancı Student Center.

Numerous activities were arranged for residential students who stayed on campus following the earthquakes, including baking, walks to nearby neighborhoods and puppy therapy

On February 20, when schools reopened, the flag ceremonies at RC were committed completely to coming together to remember those lost and acknowledge the heroic workers and volunteers. Collective feelings were shared. The support structures in place to help students were reviewed. Importantly, the initiatives RC started undertaking to support the affected people in the devastated regions were also articulated to motivate the community to take action.

RC Counseling and Emotional Well-Being

One of the important effects of such a disaster is, of course, on emotional well-being. Erkan Uğuzalp, Head of Counseling at RC at the time of the quakes, states that “emotional well-being hinges heavily on the world being predictable to a certain degree, and an earthquake will change that healthy illusion drastically. At Robert College we are convinced that where the oxygen mask goes first and how you prioritize your resources significantly determine the outcomes of the psychological trauma in the long run.”

RC counseling efforts began immediately. First, counselors, residential staff and level deans contacted students and families from the region and provided emotional first aid to those in need. Second, they reached out to RC teachers providing them with the necessary resources and guidance, so that they could be more resilient in the face of the unfolding disaster. Third, RC Counseling had the task of preparing faculty, parents and students for their return to school and a safe routine which could be challenging due to anxiety for some and feelings of guilt for others. Guidelines were created for teachers to make sure the first day of school both allowed for a return to normalcy and an opportunity for mourning for those who felt the need. Similar informative messages were sent to parents, and a screening survey was made for families who may have been impacted for reasons unforeseen.

Uğuzalp states that there was a full faculty meeting at the end of the first school day where faculty and staff had the opportunity to mourn and to reflect on the challenges at hand: “Counselors went on to do check-ins in classes and arranged many individual interviews for those deeply impacted during the rest of the week. The counseling department also provided multiple open sessions for teachers to discuss their own emotions and students’ patterns during the first week of school. In addition, an outside psychological health professional was made available to teachers and staff who felt they needed further support during the second week of the semester. The Parents Association also organized a parent meeting on campus where they hosted psychiatrist Yankı Yazgan and Osman Nuri Küçük, who guided families on how to navigate the emotional challenges created by the disaster.” 

Relief and Fundraising Initiatives

Numerous RC relief initiatives, both immediate and longer-term, started right after the earthquake. At school, a committee of colleagues and members of the Parents Association was established right away for an aid campaign. Both the Student Council and many individual students proactively shared ideas to help this effort. The Ministry of Education in Beşiktaş was assigned to support Hatay, especially rural regions, and this has given RC a focus for relief efforts.

The Robert College community sprang into action to ensure aid was delivered to those in need as quickly as possible. Through a drive started by the RC Alumni Association, relief materials such as heaters, power banks, blankets, sleeping bags, hygiene sets and clean clothes were collected and organized at Bizim Tepe. Arif Akdağ RC 88, president of RKMD, states that not only did the RC community contribute truckloads of goods, it also volunteered with the packing. 

Şeyma Arsel Bilimer ACG 60 details some of these efforts: “I heard about the devastating earthquake in the early hours of February 6. Around 10 am, I called the Istanbul Municipality Aid Center and found out they were ready to accept quality goods from a list of necessities. I wrote a message to all RC reps, asking for donations. I also asked Arif Akdağ, if Bizim Tepe could receive these goods. Serra Mansur Soysal RC 83 and I drove what we collected to Bizim Tepe on Wednesday. Arif had already organized everything. On Wednesday by 2 pm, more than 180 boxes were already classified and packed. Finally, after all the packing was done, the delivery was kindly organized by Aylin Barlas RC 87.” In addition, to the clothing and supplies donated by the entire RC community, 10 generators, 10 heaters, and 15 cement drillers were also sent immediately. 

The call for relief went out and the RC community responded! The effort was spearheaded by Şeyma Arsel ACG 60 (left), and goods were sorted and packaged delivered with the help of alumni volunteers. Ali Sancar RC 86, Serra Soysal RC 83, Şeyma Arsel ACG 60, Rezan Benatar RC 73, Aylin Barlas RC 87 and Arif Akdağ RC 88 by a van full of supplies ready to be delivered.

Robert College also coordinated a food drive with the support of the Parents Association. Donations were used to purchase 214 food boxes which were delivered to rural areas in Hatay.

For longer term support, a donation campaign for Hatay was started through the RC Earthquake Aid account. 650,000 TL was raised in cash donations, and the funds were used to purchase and deliver necessary materials for specific schools in the region to continue classes. Moreover, in collaboration with the Beşiktaş MEB, RC provided backpacks, stationery, and toy support to 100 students in the Nurhak district of Kahramanmaraş. The details of how these funds were generated and how they were donated are truly inspiring.

Students Quickly Respond

RC students made a dedicated drive to help the earthquake survivors. The Student Council sprang into action with an online meeting, where they started formulating a plan. Remaining funds from the 2022 Fine Arts Festival were immediately donated. The Student Council social media accounts were put to good use to rally support and raise funds. The Student Council’s Dress for Respect day on February 21, gathered donations for RC’s earthquake relief fund, with students dressing formally to show respect for the people who lost their lives and everyone affected by the earthquake. “It was truly heartwarming to see students, teachers, and staff coming together for such a worthy cause,” said Student Council President Şems Polat L11.

A Black-Tie Event on February 24, also organized by the Student Council, incorporated a mini raffle with proceeds going to RC’s earthquake relief fund. Some of the students performed placid tunes and Deha Akduman L11 performed Turkish folk music from the affected region, allowing attendees to experience the healing power of music. Faculty and staff joined the students in these community occasions. Student Council treasurer Batu Yalçın L10 reports on the results: “We raised 99,100 TL from the Dress For Respect day and the Black-Tie Event. Along with these, we’ve donated 10,000 TL from the Student Council account. Thus, a total of 109,100 TL was contributed to our school’s earthquake relief fund.” 

The first week that schools were back in session, the RC Student Council organized fundraising events and the RC Parents Association hosted a seminar to help families navigate the emotional challenges brought about by the disaster

The Community Involvement Program was also active, with students raising over 20,000 TL through bake sales, subsequently used to purchase supplies and summer clothing for people in Hatay. In addition, the CIP office received donations of test books which were sent to Malatya Beydağı Konteyner Kent to help students in the region prepare for the high school and university entrance exams (LGS and YGS respectively). RC’s HeForShe Initiative, a student-led initiative that works in line with the belief that every party in a society must play a role in the establishment of gender equality, also contributed to the relief efforts. They collected pads to send to the Samandağ region, aiming to help the women in the region with an essential but often dismissed need.

Support Extended to Connections from the Pandemic

It is important to note that RC’s involvement with the region, in fact, extends back to the pandemic, when several online community involvement projects were conducted with schools there. It is, therefore, even more meaningful that RC continues to support the students in the region, as they strive to continue their education.  

With this spirit and thinking that it is also valuable to be present in the field, at the end of March, Turkish Director Nilhan Çetinyamaç, CIP Office Coordinator Elif Sönmez, and then-CIP Office Advisor Kathryn Bourgeois traveled to Hatay to deliver school supplies, clothing, and books donated by the RC community. Elif Sönmez explains: 

“We met with Yusuf Olgun, the principal of Koyunoğlu Middle School in Samandağ, with whom we had facilitated online projects during the pandemic. Although their school was not damaged by the earthquakes, MEB has not yet given them permission to resume classes there. The school has become a distribution center of donations for the local community. With 20,097 TL from the RC Parents Association, we purchased locally produced hygiene supplies for the school, thereby also supporting the local economy. We plan to use the 20,750 TL our students generated from bake sales to purchase summer clothing and other items needed in the community. Money from the RC Earthquake Relief Fund will be used to buy containers that will be used on the spot in the school as classrooms until MEB gives permission to use the existing building. We would also furnish each classroom with desks, whiteboards, and possibly at least one projector and computer. These containers could be moved as needed to other schools or locations in the area when they are no longer needed at Koyunoğlu Middle School. Our students and teachers could also use these containers to facilitate future CIP projects such as summer camps or enrichment activities at the school or in local communities.”

Following the visit and discussions with local authorities, it was determined that the Yaylıca Middle School, located within the Samandağ district, required prefabricated classrooms. Therefore, a decision was made to purchase prefabricated classrooms to ensure the continuation of education for the students in that region. The collected cash donation enabled RC to acquire four prefabricated classrooms. Çetinyamaç states that RC students and teachers could also use these containers to facilitate future CIP projects such as summer camps or enrichment activities at the school or in local communities.

Turkish Director Nilhan Çetinyamaç, CIP Office Coordinator Elif Sönmez, and CIP Office Advisor Kathryn Bourgeois met with Yusuf Olgun, the principal of Koyunoğlu Middle School in Samandağ, a school which RC students had facilitated CIP projects with during the pandemic.

An Outpouring of Support from Overseas

In North America, RCAAA’s response was also swift. The day after the initial earthquakes, a team page titled RCAAA - Helping to Rebuild Türkiye 2023, was created within the Turkish Philanthropy Fund framework. The link was announced on the RCAAA website, Instagram, and members’ personal Facebook pages. The Alumni Association in Turkey also provided the link to those people inquiring on the RKMD Facebook page how to direct their donations in the United States. These modest levels of online announcements raised $4610 within 2 weeks. As RCAAA President Cengiz Hatiboğlu RC 81 emphasizes, these efforts start as a sprint, but must and will continue as a marathon.

Although it is everyone’s fervent wish that this devastation had not occurred at all, it is heartening to see the RC community come together and act in the immediacy and scope that it has, reflecting the humanity and integrity that are at the core of an RC education.

This article was first published in April 2023 and updated in July 2023