A group of University students met Tuesday night on behalf of their new coalition to further efforts in aiding tsunami survivors in Southeast Asia.

Members of the Tsunami Aid Student Coalition (TASC) discussed coordinating fundraising efforts among various University organizations.

The coalition was formed last Sunday by members of the Tate Society, the Honors Program Student Council, Habitat for Humanity and the Student Government Association to “coordinate (organizations’) efforts to maximize the giving potential” of the University student body, according to a TASC press release.

The group hopes to aid the hundreds of thousands of people who were victims of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, which hit Southeast Asia on Dec. 26, 2004 and killed more than 150,000 people.

“We want to coordinate the efforts of all people, all groups on campus,” said Drew McKown, a sophomore from Marietta and chair of TASC. “It will allow us to cover a bigger part of campus, so we can make a bigger push (for aid).”

“Coordinating our efforts is the most important thing,” McKown said. The committee’s goal is to avoid overlap among student organizations, he said.

Adam Sparks, a senior from Watkinsville and president of the Student Government Association, said TASC is not trying to detract from any organization’s individual relief efforts.

“We’re trying to help,” Sparks said. “If there’s an organization that wants to set up (relief efforts), we’ll give them a blueprint.

“SGA is also good at helping organizations navigate through University administration,” he said.

Sparks said the TASC force is equipped to handle students’ requests that their money be donated to different relief organizations.

“We’re suggesting the Red Cross because it has low overhead, but students can donate to different organizations. We’ll just ask how much,” Sparks said.

Wes Amberge, a junior from Blairsville, is president and director of the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC).

Amberge said he did not know exactly how much FIMRC has raised so far, but the organization will be conducting the same fundraising efforts under TASC.

“We’ve already been collecting money from classes,” he said. “As well as from dorms, fraternities and sororities.”

Meredith Lu, a freshman from Alpharetta, is co-coordinator of International Tithe, a branch of Habitat for Humanity that raises funds for building houses internationally.

Lu said she plans to organize tables at the Tate Student Center and University dining halls to supply information about the disaster.

Students can contact TASC with relief questions via e-mail at (ugatasc@yahoo.com).