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A Syracuse University student in Army ROTC started a petition calling on the university to offer scholarships to refugees from Afghanistan to attend SU.

This year Madi Messare became the chair of the opportunity board of Stalwart Battalion, SU’s Army ROTC training corps. Because the ROTC organization’s board was limited last year due to the pandemic, Messare was passionate about getting involved.

She was particularly struck by the situation in Afghanistan. 

On Aug. 15, Taliban fighters entered the capital city of Kabul after Afghanistan’s president fled the country, prompting the U.S. to evacuate diplomats from their embassy in the city by helicopter. The events were the culmination of a swift exit by the U.S. after a war that had lasted almost two decades. The last U.S. forces left the country on Aug. 30.

While an initial group of about 2,600 Afghan refugees have reportedly already moved into American communities, roughly 53,000 Afghan people have been left in limbo at military bases across the country, The New York Times reported.

Shantel Guzman | Asst. Digital Editor

Messare asked Lt. Col. Jennifer Gotie what the opportunity board could do to make a difference for Afghan refugees, and the idea to fundraise for scholarships came to fruition.

Messare created a petition asking SU’s administration to offer scholarships to Afghan refugees. The petition had more than 150 signatures as of Sunday, she said.

She wanted to convey that being in ROTC is more than just wearing the uniform, she said.

“We need to do all we can,” Messare said. “It can start right now, by giving back to the community and helping out everyone we can — every community we can touch. It doesn’t have to begin once we’re commissioned (as officers).”

While the situation has been frequently politicized with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the influx of refugees becoming partisan issues, Messare said it should be seen as only a humanitarian crisis. Politics often get confused with what should be simple acts of service, she said.

Elected officials in Onondaga County, including Mayor Ben Walsh, County Executive Ryan McMahon and Helen Hudson, president of Syracuse Common Council, sent a letter to President Joe Biden after the U.S. withdrawal pledging to host refugees in the county. The letter referenced the “promise” the U.S. made to their allies in Afghanistan and the culture of the county as a home for immigrants.

Messare hoped this hospitality would extend to the university.

“Students here can do so much — they just don’t realize what they can do to help,” she said. “More than just throwing money at the problem, but actually allowing these refugees that are our age to come and get an education at Syracuse University and integrate into the community.”

Messare plans to discuss the petition and potential fundraising efforts with university officials this week.

This post will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on October 5, 2021 at 12:58 am

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2