U-M pitches in to help Hurricane Katrina victims

Updated 8:00 PM September 2, 2005

U-M pitches in to help Hurricane Katrina victims

By Joe Serwach
News Service

The University community is mobilizing to offer assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, including establishing an online relocation system to match victims with those who can provide them with a place to live, and offering displaced university students a chance to begin their fall semester at U-M.

The University has 82 students from the states directly impacted by the hurricane, as well as faculty and staff with families in the flood and wind-ravaged areas.

“This disaster has destroyed the lives and homes of thousands, and I know you share my sadness and shock at the scenes unfolding hourly in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,” President Mary Sue Coleman said last week in a message to the U-M community.

“This is a natural calamity the likes of which our country has never known, and I ask you to extend support as our co-workers and students help their loved ones to rebuild their lives. We also have an obligation to assist those in need.”

The University administration, U-M Health System (UMHS) and a host of schools, units and student groups within the University family have been scrambling to come up with ways to help in the recovery and relocation efforts.

Here is a brief description of some of the ways U-M is responding to Katrina:

Events
Sept. 7—The Michigan Student Assembly is hosting a meeting to plan and organize relief efforts, including fundraising and trips to affected areas. The meeting is 6-7:30 p.m. at MSA Chambers, 3909 Michigan Union.
Sept. 11—The School of Music and University Musical Society will host a benefit concert at 3 p.m. in the Power Center for the Performing Arts. The concert will feature faculty and student performances, with a focus on New Orleans jazz. Artists involved include the School of Music Jazz Ensemble, jazz pianist Geri Allen, Bolcom and Morris, and pianist Logan Skelton—a native of Biloxi, Miss.—among others. The 90-minute set will be a revival meeting with an upbeat focus. The event will not be ticketed, and participants will have an opportunity to donate to the American Red Cross, National Humane Society or Second Harvest.
Sept. 9—The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the School of Public Health and the School of Engineering are co-sponsoring a panel discussion "First Response to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster" on Friday, September 9th at 3:00 p.m. in the Pendleton Room of the Michigan Union on the campus of U-M. A panel of discussants will review what happened in the Gulf and why it has resulted in the largest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Coming to Ann Arbor to participate in this event is Professor Louise Comfort, a member of the faculty of public and urban affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. She is widely recognized for her work in organizational theory, studying disaster response management.

Helping refugees find housing
U-M, one of the birthplaces of the Internet, has started an online network to help Katrina refugees find shelter. Students and faculty at the School of Information have put together an online system to help match refugees with the thousands of Americans offering housing, spare rooms and vacant apartments or houses. The site is http://katrinahousing.net/.

Taking in students from other universities
U-M is working with the Association of American Universities to assist students from other institutions who have been displaced by the storm. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has received several inquiries from students hoping to continue their studies at U-M until classes can resume at their own universities. The Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning already has agreed to take in 15 displaced architecture students, and has three lined up to arrive today (Sept. 6). More information is available at the Admissions Web site: http://www.admissions.umich.edu/index.html.

Helping faculty and teachers of children discuss Katrina
When a disaster of this magnitude strikes, how do you explain it to young people? The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) has set up guidelines for teachers on how to help young people talk about the national tragedy. They came up with similar guidelines after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. CRLT’s Katrina guidelines are available at: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/hurricaneguidelines.html.

Assisting students impacted by the disaster
• The Office of Financial Aid is assisting students impacted by the storm by helping them apply for additional aid and grants that likely are to be available. More information is available at http://www.finaid.umich.edu.
• Counseling and psychological services also are being made available. For more information, visit: http://www.umich.edu/~caps/clinical.html.

Helping affected faculty and staff
The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, http://www.umich.edu/~fasap/, and the UMHS Employee Assistance Program, http://www.med.umich.edu/mworks/eap/, will be available to support any faculty and staff members who may be impacted.

UMHS aids victims
• U-M Survival Flight is making itself available to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, which was forced to close. The hospital needs fixed-wing service to transport patients to nearby facilities.
• UMHS is working with the Michigan Hospital Association to determine the most effective ways for state health care institutions to respond.
• A number of UMHS caregivers have offered their services, and the health system is donating medical supplies as well.
• Aiding faculty and staff from other universities: The Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History will host a Tulane University history professor. He will be at U-M for an undetermined amount of time, and there are plans by the unit to arrange a small forum on poverty amidst disaster.

Raising money
• When U-M’s football team played Northern Illinois Sept. 3, $2 of every $5 paid for game programs was donated to the Red Cross. Volunteers, including members of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, also collected donations inside Michigan Stadium.
• The School of Social Work will hold a silent auction this week to raise funds.
• The Office of the Dean of Students, and units such as the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning and the Office of Student Activities & Leadership, will work with student organizations and others in support of fund-raising and relief efforts.
• A Student Relief Fund/Katrina has been set up through the Office of Financial Aid. To donate, send a check c/o the Development Office, 3003 S. State St., 48109-1288.
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (Epsilon Chapter) is accepting donations of money and clothing to be given to the local chapters of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Contact the fraternity at aphia@umich.edu or http://www.umich.edu/~alphas.
• The Michigan Student Assembly is hosting a meeting to plan and organize relief efforts, including fundraising and trips to affected areas. The meeting is 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at MSA Chambers, 3909 Michigan Union.

Volunteering to help
• The University is processing numerous requests from members of the community willing to help, and several experts also are trying to lend a hand. For example, Allen Samuels, a professor and industrial designer in the School of Art & Design, has developed a series of designs especially for emergency situations like the one in the Gulf. The designs can be used to create inexpensive disposable, paperboard shelters and related survival items. He is seeking manufacturers and marketers interested in developing these designs for use as soon as possible. The University also is working with numerous nonprofit organizations and charities to assist with their relief efforts.
• Students and faculty in the School of Public Health are mobilizing to assist with recovery efforts. A number of initiatives are under way, including disaster preparedness training. Several faculty members are planning to deploy to the region.
• U-M’s Amateur Radio Club is offering to transmit messages from anyone wishing to find out the condition of loved ones in the affected areas. Contact the club at w8um.info@umich.edu or http://www.umich.edu/~umarc.

This list represents the assistance efforts known at Record press time Sept. 2. It continues to be updated as units and individuals communicate their plans. For the most recent information, go to: http://www.umich.edu/pres/speeches/katrina.html#list.

U-M pitches in to help Hurricane Katrina victims

More Stories