Various organizations on campus including the Slavic Association have been fundraising for those affected
By SYDNEY AMESTOY – campus@theaggie.org
As the crisis in Ukraine continues to unfold, student associations and campus institutions have organized initiatives to assist students who are directly affected by the war and to educate community members about the conflict.
The Slavic Association, a group dedicated to students of a Slavic background or from a Slavic country such as Ukraine, has been tabling at the Memorial Union to raise awareness and funds for those affected by the Russian invasion.
“We’re doing fundraising almost from every single different direction,” Daniel Ivashin, a fourth-year molecular and medical microbiology major and the president of the Slavic Association, said. “Here at the Memorial Union, we have a club Venmo for organizing funds that we’ll be sending out to a few different humanitarian organizations that we’ve verified and selected.”
According to Alina Kodova, a mathematical and scientific computation major and a new member of the Slavic Association, students who have visited the association’s table in front of the Memorial Union have been supportive.
“You can tell they’re being empathetic not only to Ukrainians, but also to us and other students at UC Davis,” Kodova said. ”You can see that they genuinely want to support.”
The association also plans to hold fundraisers in partnership with local Davis restaurants, such as Ali Baba and RareTea.
The Nadezhda Clinic, a student clinic for Russian-speaking students, has also been assisting the Slavic association in fundraising and gathering supplies.
“[The Nadezhda Clinic] is currently organizing a supply drive where you can actually donate medical and humanitarian supplies on campus,” Ivashin said. “It’ll be at the Memorial Union, and there’s going to be different donation bins scattered across campus.”
The Slavic Association has also planned a vigil to show support for Ukraine.
“We want to have a candlelight vigil just for people affected and the people that have passed away during this conflict,” said Sasha Paredes, the event coordinator for the Slavic Association.
The association established a memorial tree at the Memorial Union where students can leave flags, flowers and signs of support.
“It’s kind of like a collective community space for people to grieve and come together,” Ivashin said.
Beyond student organizations, the campus has provided informational lectures about the current conflict, including a lecture by both the Department of History and the UC Davis Humanities Institute regarding the history of Ukrainian-Russian relations. The lecture, hosted by Jamie Fisher, the head of the Humanities Institute, and various professors, is available for free on the UC Davis Humanities Institute YouTube channel.
More information on the Slavic Association, the club’s future plans and fundraisers and their Venmo for current donations can be found on the association’s Instagram and Facebook page.
Written by: Sydney Amestoy — campus@theaggie.org
