Last week Keene State College students held a bake sale to raise funds for the German Red Cross and specifically Syrian refugees. The group hosting this event was campus group Wir Sind (We Are) Keene State. They are a student run organization determined to save the German minor at KSC.
Junior and member of the group Tori Tucker said that all baked goods were sold for a dollar, yet they had a lot of people, especially community members, donate more than what they paid for.
“The community in general has been really supportive of our cause. [Right now], we’re trying to raise money for the Syrian refuges, we really want to help the refugee crisis,” Tucker said.
Junior and group member Emma Cote said that the proceeds will go to the German Red Cross to help these refugees.
Cote said the group also is doing this “To get publicity out for the German minor, to show what the minor does for the school. Everyone’s like ‘it’s a financial issue’ [or that] we don’t have money for it but at the same time we can come up with some of our own funds [and] we can do great things for the school.”
Tucker said in addition to this bake sale they have several other events planned for the future.
Tucker said of this current fundraiser it’s important to help out particularly around the holiday season. She said, “Keep the refugees in mind, especially this Christmas because they are really suffering over there and anything we can do to help is really important.”
Sophomore Melissa Santay said that the bake sale was a peaceful way to demonstrate kindness toward the Syrian refugees. “I think we [should] just try to raise as much money as we can and do what’s best for what they need. I’m sure if the situation was reverse, we would want help,” Santay said.
Cote said that the response to their bake sale was very uplifting.
“Almost every person that’s come has given us extra donations; there are smiles on people’s faces. We’ve have a really warm reception and when we report that back to administration, hopefully they’ll see that…the German minor is a positive thing that they shouldn’t get rid of,” she said.
Adjunct English Professor George Russell said that the German language is a fundamental part of the Holocaust and Genocide studies program.
He said, “I feel it’s pretty important [for] Keene State College education [to have] the language available particularly since it does have [that] connection with the Holocaust Center.”
Russell said the German minor does affect him personally even though he teaches English as a second language. “The ESL classes are connected with the modern languages department,” he said.
Of the bake sale Russell said, “I don’t know how far it will go, it might come to some people’s attention but it might have been a good idea to have a petition along with the bake sale.”
However he did say he supports the idea of keeping the German minor available.
While that goal is on their mind, Wir Sind Keene State is also focused on international issues. In the three hours of their bake sale, they raised $125.10 to donate for Syrian refugees.
Dorothy can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com
