Seven members of the Meredith community will travel to Sri Lanka on March 22 and will return on April 1. Vice President for Academic Affairs Rosalind Reichard, faculty members Betty Webb and Gail Kenyon, students Kelly Jones and Rebekah Meek, alumna Laura Williams, and advisor to the Tide of Hope committee John Rose will travel approximately 60 hours round trip, circumnavigate the globe and view areas affected by December's disaster, all in 11 days. As a branch of Meredith's Tide of Hope tsunami relief efforts, each person will complete certain tasks that coincide with his or her interests. The travelers will do everything from try to establish a partnership with a local university to study child welfare in the aftermath of the tsunami to examining how the perception of nature has changed in the eyes of the citizens of Sri Lanka.

While they are abroad, members of the Meredith team will be sending frequent reflections in a journal format. These entries will be posted on the website regularly so that the Meredith community can track the travelers' progress. Be sure to check back often to see where they are and what they are doing.

> Departure March 22, 2005

Meet the Travelers

	Kelly Jones, '05 communications major Jones is conducting research for her thesis on tsunami relief efforts, the relationship between nature and human beings and Sri Lankans' perceptions of nature since the tsunami.
	Gail Kenyon, assistant professor of social work Kenyon is interested in learning about child welfare issues, as well as establishing relationships with Sri Lanka's citizens to find meaningful projects for students to complete as Meredith's relief efforts continue. Click for photos from the Sri Lanka Trip
	Rosalind Reichard, vice president of academic affairs Her attendance on the trip will be to learn what support is needed in the Sri Lankan community, and making a connection with a local educational institution.
	John Rose, adjunct instructor and adviser, Meredith's tsunami relief committee. Rose is Betty Webb's husband and is returning to Sri Lanka to see the country again. He and Webb were in Sri Lanka when the tsunami hit. Rose will assist the other travelers with their projects. He hopes this trip will help internationalize the Meredith campus.
	Betty Webb, professor of English and director of study abroad Webb is returning to Sri Lanka after her trip in December with Rose. She hopes to identify a number of small projects in which both Meredith and the local communities might be involved, including several particular projects that can be the focal point of learning for students.
	Rebekah Meek, '05, Meek is an art major who will be filming this trip to Sri Lanka in hopes of creating a documentary of the experience. Click for photos from the Sri Lanka Trip
	Laura Williams, '04, Meredith alumna Williams, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Meredith, is a photographer who will document the Meredith team's travels in Sri Lanka.