The two students were selected to study at Dartmouth by the Haitian Education and Leadership Program, a university scholarship in Haiti that has placed several students in foreign universities in the wake of the earthquake, they said. The pair will remain at Dartmouth through the Spring term, according to acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears.
"[Charles and Lefranc] came to the College very highly recommended and pre-screened," Spears said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "They are at the very top of their academic class at their university and they come to Dartmouth with that level of academic strength."
Charles, from Petion-Ville, is a fourth-year student at Universite Quisqueya, according to a College press release.
She plans on studying economics at Dartmouth to continue the studies she pursued in Haiti in the field of agro-economics, she said in the press conference. After studying at Dartmouth, she plans to return to her native country to establish an organization to protect birds in Haiti, she said.
Lefranc is from the town of Hinche, according to the press release.
Lefranc plans to take courses in global health, environment, production and management, continuing his interest in environmental studies, he said.
"There is a lot of deforestation in my hometown and lack of water, and I feel really concerned by this situation," Lefranc said. "I want to provide myself to end this and to provide a change in this situation."
Both students completed an application process to qualify for admission to the College for the term, Spears said. Although Charles and Lefranc will receive credit for the classes that they take, they are both currently enrolled as "Special Community Students" and will not be eligible for bachelor's degrees from Dartmouth, according to the release.
Molly Bode '09, the presidential fellow in global studies and higher education who helped select the students, told The Dartmouth that Charles and Lefranc stood out for their desire to use their new knowledge and experiences to help their home communities.
"In the selection process we were looking for who would benefit the most from continuing their studies and would bring what they learn back to Haiti," Bode said.
The students' tuition and other expenses will be paid for by HELP and the College, according to Spears. The College is absorbing costs of room and board, laptop computers and the students' meal plans, while HELP will provide extra financial aid to the students.
Without HELP's involvement, the students may not have been able to continue their studies, according to Charles. Other Universite Quisqueya students will study at foreign universities, but only if they have the money to do so, Charles and Lefranc told The Dartmouth in an interview.
The College does not have plans to admit other Haitian students later in the term, due to the fast-paced nature of Dartmouth's quarter system, according Spears.
"It's not the expense that's the issue in getting students here after a disaster," Stephen Silver, director of International Student Programs at the College, said. "It's finding the best match, finding students that can adjust as best as possible because you really hit the ground running in such quick terms here."
Charles and Lefranc have been provided with the same support services as international students at the College, according to Spears and Silver. Both students have "friendship families" in Norwich and Hanover as sources of support and transportation, according to Silver.
The students have taken part in a two-day-long orientation program that includes the most "essential" parts of a normal new student orientation, according to Spears.
Charles and Lefranc expressed interest in joining student organizations and club sports on campus, but both said they understand that academics come first.
"When I look at the possibilities at Dartmouth I feel that one term is not enough," Charles said.
Administrators have not yet discussed whether the students will stay for additional terms after the Spring, according to Spears.
