The Lumberjack

Issue date: 5/2/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Peace Corps

Despite the shocking death of a Peace Corps member earlier this month, the optimism and morale of the Peace Corps community at Humboldt State University appears as intact as ever.

On April 8, Peace Corps volunteer and freelance journalist Julia Campbell disappeared while hiking alone during a break from her service in the Philippines. Ten days later, her body was discovered in a shallow grave.

The exact circumstances of Campbell's death are still unknown, but an autopsy revealed that she suffered multiple blows to the head and arms, suggesting foul play. A suspect has been named but has not yet been found by Filipino authorities. Her death was the first recorded homicide of a Peace Corps volunteer since 2001.

Humboldt State currently has 30 alumni serving in the Peace Corps in various nations. Several alumni of Humboldt State are currently volunteering in the Philippines, which is the second-longest served nation by the Peace Corps. Volunteers from Humboldt State are currently stationed in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and other regions, assisting foreign people with education, medical and health training, and other programs.

Megan McDrew, the Peace Corps coordinator for Humboldt County stressed that the safety of its workers is a top priority. Before the organization dispatches aid to a country, it works together with local authorities to determine that the area is secure and can safely accommodate American volunteers. Furthermore, the Peace Corps sends volunteers only to nations that request its aid.

"We don't go anywhere uninvited, and for the most part we sent volunteers to sites that already have volunteers," McDrew said.

So far, no evidence has emerged that Campbell's death was politically motivated. However, the Peace Corps routinely operate in nations with severe political unrest or strong anti-American sentiments. McDrew recalled being evacuated from Morocco after the American consulate there was bombed in 2003. Such withdrawals are relatively common when the political climate of an area becomes a potential threat to Peace Corps personnel.

Eric Hall, a graduating senior and Peace Corps applicant, said that despite the violence in some of the countries the program works in, he is not deterred from joining, and doubts that others will be.

"It was talked about during my interview," he said. "You're essentially going to be the minority in a country, the outsider. I've always led with the impression that with that comes risk. They don't know if you're there to spread American propaganda or if you're really there to help."

Laura Kadlecik is an Arcata private environmental contracter who served in the Philippines from 1992 to 1995. Her group was the first to return to the Philippines after counterrevolutionary violence led to the Peace Corps' temporary withdrawl from the country. However she said that she never felt threatened there.

"I never felt any more threatened there than I do in the United States," she said. "It's a very poor country and of course there are going to be crazy desparate people, but that's true everywhere. I don't think this incident is representative of the overall attitude of the country toward Americans."

McDrew said that while she was saddened by the news, she feels that the Peace Corps will and should continue on with its mission.

"I get worried sometimes, there's so much anti-American sentiment in the world, but I feel the only way to counteract that is to do something positive."

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