The University chapter of Amnesty International, a human rights group, is trying to expand with two new students taking command this year.
In years past, Amnesty International has had insufficient funding to be involved abroad, Alexandria Hartill, co-president and freshman in anthropology, said.
According to Hartill, the chapter’s goals for this year are to revamp the club by obtaining a wider member base and ultimately improve lives on an international scale.
“I think the reason that they haven’t been able to do a whole lot in the past is because they didn’t have a big enough budget,” Hartill said. “With limited resources and so few members it is really hard to complete large projects.”
The first step in renovating a club such as Amnesty International is spreading awareness according to Medha Surampudy, co-president and a freshman in political science.
“I think what we have to do is get a lot of awareness around about the club because a lot of people don’t know what Amnesty International is,” Surampudy said. “Even if their beliefs line up with Amnesty International, they are not involved because they don’t realize there is a club out there for them. We’re being really aggressive about campaigning.”
Hartill said she agreed that the campaign was first priority in this process.
“We are working really hard to promote this club now,” said Hartill. “We participated in a station at the club fair in the brickyard this past week. We have even tried hanging up signs but they keep being taken down.”
One of the main issues with recruitment, according to Hartill, is the lack of knowledge on what Amnesty International is about.
“We are basically a human rights group,” said Hartill. “We just want to defend human rights in places where there are none. Amnesty International is heavily involved in Darfur, women’s rights, the gay movement and so much more- there’s just too much to list.”
The second step in the club’s renovations is receiving sufficient funds, Hartill said.
“Our budget stands at approximately $150 which was left over from last year,” said Hartill. “We’re attending the CHASS council meeting on Sept. 8 to see if we can receive funding from them. It is really important that we expand our budget so we can really make a difference around the world and not be restricted to this campus.”
According to Hartill and Surampudy, they also plan for the club to become more internationally-focused.
“I am trying to get in touch with a contact in Zimabwe so we can potentially volunteer at the AIDS orphanage,” Hartill said. “There are so many ideas for international travel in the future. I think we are really going to make a difference abroad.”
There are various benefits for members of Amnesty International, Surampudy said, from the opportunity to travel internationally to rewarding experiences reaching out to those in need.
“I think with Amnesty International one of the benefits is knowing that what you are doing is literally saving lives,” Surampudy said. “When I was in high school we wrote letters that set innocent people free. It is a pretty powerful group so even being associated with the name is beneficial.”
The group’s first meeting will be Thursday, Sept. 11th at 7 p.m. in Broughton 3219.
