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Hurricane Katrina at
Southern University
Dear Colleagues,
I know many of you are concerned about us
here and I just want you to know that we are safe. The
University is open, since yesterday, for administrators and
staff but the students will not return until Tuesday , Sept. 6.
In my neighborhood we had some wind damage
but not any flooding. Several homes had down trees and one tree
split a home in half on my street but no damage to my house.
We were without electricity for 3 days but it came back on
yesterday. This is so minor compared to what others are
experiencing. We have several hundreds of the evacuees housed
here on campus; some arrived with just what they had on when
they were rescued. Realizing this, I had my staff on
yesterday to go back home and get whatever they had at home
(t-shirts, blankets, pillows, shoes, underclothes, socks, baby
bottles, coloring books, water, etc) for those in the shelter
here on campus.
The Library ended up taking 3 cars and a van
of items for those housed here on campus. I had a couple
of OCLC t-shirts and I included one of them for the evacuees.
They were so grateful for everything as one lady told me she had
had the same clothes on for three days, no shoes, and no shower
during this time. I know this is not much but every little
helps. There are about 100,000 people from New Orleans and
the surrounding areas now in Baton.Rouge with all shelters full
and the traffic is a nightmare, long lines at the gas stations
but we are coping and trying to help as much as we can.
Southern University will be allowing any
student from the New Orleans colleges and universities to enroll
here for the rest of the semester. Of course the Library
will extend all rights and privileges to these students as we do
our own students. Ms. Adrienne Webber, Xavier
University who was in the HBCU Leadership
Institute I stopped by yesterday and said she is available for
work for short term (6 months or so) or a permanent job if there
is anything available. Just thought I would pass this on.
Again, thanks for your concerns. Do
keep all of South Louisiana and especially New Orleans close to
your heart and in your prayers.
Take care and take time.
Emma Bradford
Perry
Dean of Libraries
Southern
University
Baton Rouge, LA 70813
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Black
Colleges and Universities Suffer
Immensely
from Hurricane Katrina
Many HBCU students may have to lose an
entire semester or more.
Long Beach, CA (BlackNews.com)
– Historically-Black colleges and universities are constantly
faced with challenges that can include state funding issues,
inadequate housing, poor student-teacher ratios, and even
violence. However, the most recent challenge is none other than
Hurricane Katrina.
The deadly natural disaster has affected
several HBCUs in the gulf coast area including Dillard
University, Xavier University and Southern University in New
Orleans, and Tougaloo College in Mississippi. Campuses are
damaged, students are stranded, and the school year may not
start this year at all.
Fortunately, several organizations are
stepping up to the plate to
offer some relief. One of these is The
United Negro College Fund ,
which has initiated a special
online relief fund that people can donate to.
Dr. Michael Lomax of the UNCF, comments,
"We need longtime supporters and new friends as well to
help us raise the funds our schools will need to begin the long
and costly rebuilding process."
In addition, the National
Association of Equal Opportunity In Higher Education
has launched a program seeking to coordinate with other
universities to provide alternatives for students enrolled at
affected HBCUs.
Many wonder though, whether this will be
enough to avoid having Black students lose an entire semester or
more.
HBCUconnect.com,
the largest online destination for HBCU students and alumni,
plans to encourage their thousands of members to do what they
can to help. William Moss comments, "We are creating a
dedicated section
on the web site that will feature exclusive news, forums, and
advice on how to help these HBCUs. We also plan to setup an
online fund that people can donate to."
Many say that the key to helping these HBCUs
is to donate money and tocreate an awareness about the
situation. Likely, Tom Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, and other
celebrity graduates of Black colleges, will launch initiatives
of their own.
Dante Lee, CEO of BlackNews.com,
comments, "Anyone who has media power should urge their
audience to help. Every graduate of an HBCU, including myself,
must take action."
In addition to Black colleges, many black
businesses and black families have been destroyed. To help
these, interested ones can donate to Red
Cross or can
volunteer by contacting USA
Freedom Corps.
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Other Ideas for Relief Efforts
1. Use our e-mail networks to ask for
help of some kind from our friends.
2. Make donations through our neighborhoods,
churches, and other organizations. The Red Cross will get
a LOT of money; I prefer the smaller groups that have fewer
administrative costs. Here are some that were listed in
the Post recently: America's Second Harvest, Catholic Charities
USA, Church World Service, United Methodist Comm. on Relief.
I'm going to check out a web site that was recommended:
Giving.com It gives info on various organizations.
3. Think of ways that we can actually
DO something tangible: have a bake sale, hold a flea
market, give a party, etc.
4. Involve children and teenagers so
they can feel a part of the effort
5. Discuss ways of saving resources: turn off
the lights, use the air conditioner sparingly, use the car only
for essential errands and then do them all at once, walk to the
grocery, post office, and drugstore, etc.
6. Share ideas with friends. (One
woman on t. v. offered to take in a refugee family. Now
that was something!) A friend who lives in Lafayette, LA
has gotten her church involved; they're feeding people
& finding homes for them.
7. Some people want to send water,
diapers, & toiletries, but these goods present logistics
problems; it's better to send a monetary donation. As one
newscaster commented, "This is our country's tsunami,"
and another person called New Orleans the modern-day Pompeii.
Please get back to me--or to each other--with comments,
suggestions, questions, whatever. By the way, does anyone
know what has happened to the colleges—Xavier,
Dillard, and Southern—and
their students?
Peace,
Miriam posted 1 September 2005 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
updated 23 November 2007 |
