Ripple Effects of Katrina Disaster as Barnard College Reaches Out
Hurricane Katrina has become the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and destroying countless homes, businesses, families, and schools. The Barnard College community has begun responding to the tragedy in a variety of ways.
"The loss of life and devastation in the Gulf states reminds us as a community that we must share our own good fortune where we can to support those in need during this terrible crisis," said President Judith Shapiro. "It is heartbreaking to see the fate of the survivors in New Orleans and other places; we grieve with them and we want to do all that we can to help." [Click here to read President Shapiro's full statement.]
To that end, Barnard has posted below links to disaster relief organizations with information about giving, volunteering and additional ways to keep informed. Though the resident halls on campus are currently filled to capacity, Barnard's admissions department has already admitted five students from affected area institutions such as Tulane University in New Orleans (which has closed for this semester) and helped place them in off-campus housing.
The students have also been assigned academic advisors who will assist them in class selection and general academic direction. None so far have requested additional services. But according to Jennifer Fondiller, Dean of Admissions, support services would be made available to students as needed. Fondiller also says the College has received several calls from faculty members and research scholars from affected institutions and will try to help them as needed with their work.
Alumna Caroline Schroder, '77, who leads the Barnard Club of Houston, Texas, as well as serves as president of the Columbia University Alumni of Southern Texas, has begun cataloguing resources from her home there to help displaced Gulf Coast residents with office space, housing, and even food stamps and free fuel if necessary. She is personally helping a local school with its efforts to assimilate 300 high school students from New Orleans; the number may even rise by several hundred more.
"They may need extra space, furniture and supplies," Schroder said in a recent email. "Thousands of square miles of New Orleans are destroyed and the toxic waste and flammable waters may yet produce further catastrophe. I anticipate that we will be needing assistance here in new forms for many months." Schroder invites affected alumnae from Louisiana or Mississippi to contact her directly at BarnardClubHoust@aol.com .
The Barnard Office of Alumnae Affairs has created an online message board for alumnae who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. Click here to visit the message board.
Donate Money
American Red Cross
800-435-7669
redcross.org
America's Second Harvest
800-344-8070
secondharvest.org
Americares
800-486-4357
americares.org
Feed the Children
800-525-7575
feedthechildren.org
Habitat for Humanity
229-924-6935
habitat.org
Donate Money and/or Volunteer
Adventist Community Services
800-381-7171
adventist.communityservices.org
Catholic Charities, USA
800-919-9338
catholiccharitiesusa.org
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
800-848-5818
crwrc.org
Church World Service
800-297-1516
churchworldservice.org
Convoy of Hope
417-823-8998
convoyofhope.org
Salvation Army
800-725-2769
salvationarmyusa.org
United Jewish Communities
800-462-8657, ext. 6440
ujc.org
United Way of America
national.unitedway.org |
