On Sunday, May 10, the newly-formed club Rotaract at NYUSH, in partnership with Rotaract and Rotary Clubs of Shanghai, sponsored A Benefit Night for Nepal. Held in the evening and comprised of student performances, a silent auction, and a talk by professor Clay Shirky, the auditorium’s audience was mostly comprised of non-NYU Shanghai Rotaract members. Originally designed as Rotaract at NYUSH’s inaugural event, the Benefit was organized in light of the earthquake in Nepal. Rotaract members decided to shift the event and turn it into a fundraiser for Shelterbox - an international disaster relief charity sponsored by Rotaract. The evening began with a swift introduction by Rotaract at NYUSH President Hunter Jarvis, explaining Rotaract’s “Four-way test,” followed by the President of Rotary at Shanghai Frank Yih, who explained Rotaract’s mission and joked about his twenty-plus years with the organization. The student performances began with Jimmy MacHale’s piano performance of Endless Love and Chopin’s Waltz Op. 9 No. 2. The main speaker of the event, Professor Clay Shirky, then described ‘The Effects of Social Media in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster’. Opening up with remembrances from the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, Haiti Earthquake in 2010, and the violent outbreaks after the Kenyan Election in 2008, Shirky focused on the impact of aggregation on social media. “Aggregation creates infrastructure” he explained, emphasizing how “globalization is not just about economics.” Explaining how crisis-related social media first occurred during the Sichuan earthquake, Shirky illustrated through his powerpoint presentation that when “social media turned its attention to global tragedy, [this] translated into millions of RMB for donations. . . now when there is a crisis, people turn to these tools.” He ended his talk offering a few suggestions on how to give aid to Nepal. After a brief intermission, supplied with Subway sandwiches, attendees listened to sophomore Madeline Priscilla perform “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and fellow sophomore Samantha Shi perform the piece she wrote that afternoon specifically for the event “Help Our Hearts.” The two also performed “Love Storms” together. NYU Shanghai’s own Xiao Long Shakers performed a dance, which was followed by study away student Justin Scholar’s impressive performance on the Gu Zheng. The event was closed with results from the silent auction. Photographs taken by Associate Professor of IMA Matthew Belanger of Nepal were displayed during the event and intermission where attendees could record their names and prices. The auction turned not-so-silent, as Rotaract members offered the audience one final opportunity to bid for the photographs. Bids included an energy-filled battle between David Pe and Duane Voight, eventually leading to David Pe’s victory for 1200 RMB, students Tristan Armitage and Michael Chang competing for a photograph sold to Tristan for 500 RMB, and student Vishaal Singh who lost out to David Pe’s victory. The Rotary at Shanghai vowed to match all donations raised by the evening. With the silent auction raising 4900 RMB, along with ticket sales and other donations, the event raised a total of 19,801 RMB. All of the proceeds will be donated to the organization ShelterBox, which will donate temporary shelter and life-saving supplies to the displaced families in Nepal. This article was written by Zoe Jordan. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Ng Meizhi