After Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans and devastated much of the Gulf coast last week, the University announced plans to host up to 45 displaced undergraduate and graduate students for a semester. Meanwhile, administrators reached out to the 60 current students who live in areas affected by the storm, and students began planning relief efforts including a benefit concert and volunteer trips.
In a statement Friday, President Tilghman extended sympathy to victims of the hurricane.
"Tragic events like these touch us deeply and remind us of our responsibilities to care for each other," she said. "In the face of such enormous devastation it is heartening that so many want to do what they can to bring hope and support to those in need."
The plan to host displaced students from other schools, announced last week, has met with overwhelming interest, University spokesperson Cass Cliatt said.
Several other schools, including Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, have announced similar plans.
"After we released the statement, we were flooded with calls when we set up the call center," Cliatt said, estimating the University has received hundreds of telephone queries from students at schools such as at Tulane, Xavier, Loyola and Dillard.
Tilghman herself came to the call center during the weekend to help answer phones, Cliatt said.
Because of housing limitations — University policy stipulates that undergraduates must live on campus, though graduate students are not required to do so — Princeton will be only able to host 25 undergraduates and 20 graduate students, Cliatt said.
The hosted students, who will be listed as "visiting students" rather than transfer students and who will not be charged tuition for their stay on campus, will attend classes and receive grades just like full-time Princeton students. But at the end of the semester, their transcripts will be sent to their home institutions, which will be free to assign grades according to their own policies, Cliatt said.
Since academic records at many schools on the Gulf coast have been destroyed, displaced students who would like to spend the semester at the Princeton will be interviewed by telephone and fill out a request form to demonstrate that they are qualified. Students from institutions in regions of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi that have been designated as devastated areas by FEMA are eligible to apply.
Current students
Meanwhile, the University has reached out to current Princeton students affected by the hurricane.
Of the 60 students from affected areas, 10 were already on campus for reasons unrelated to the hurricane, such as Outdoor Action and Community Action. The University is not sure of the status of the others, but is encouraging students, friends or relatives to call the University and inform them of their situation, Cliatt said.
An email offering counseling was sent to area students, and a hotline has been set up to provide assistance.
Some faculty members are also engaging in fundraising and volunteering efforts, such as answering phones and working with counseling services, Cliatt said. Faculty will be allowed two weeks of paid leave to volunteer in the affected areas.
Providing relief
Student leaders, including members of the USG and the Ivy Council, will hold a benefit concert and set up donation tables for hurricane relief later in the month, said Undergraduate Life Chair Tom Brown '07.
The concert will feature performances by student groups, interspersed with stories from hurricane survivors as well as students who have volunteered in the affected areas. Though the date has not yet been set, it will most likely be the first weekend after classes begin, Brown said.
In addition, donation tables will be set up in Frist Campus Center, residential colleges and participating eating clubs Sept. 10 through 16, Brown said. He added that the USG and SVC are also organizing a trip for students who want to volunteer in the hurricane-affected areas during fall break.
Brown stressed that the USG will not be in charge of all volunteer efforts.
"A lot of people are doing a lot of different things, and the USG is not necessarily running everything," he said. "Our purpose is to organize so people interested in working on the same thing can work together rather that tripping over each other's feet."
USG president Leslie-Bernard Joseph '06, who placed Brown in charge of USG hurricane relief activities, sent a campus-wide email on Friday urging students to donate money to the Red Cross or other charities.
In a phone interview, Joseph encouraged students to step up their efforts.
"I would like to see people open their hearts as much as they did for the tsunami and Darfur," he said.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.