Students, Faculty And Staff Of New Hampshire Colleges And Universities Respond To Hurricane Disaster

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of thousands of students in the Gulf Coast region are unable to attend their schools, colleges and universities. As many as 375,000 grade school students have been left without a school to go to and 100,000 college and university students have been displaced.

The New Hampshire College and University Council (NHCUC) and Campus Compact for New Hampshire (CCNH) are pleased to announce that faculty, staff and students at New Hampshire colleges and universities have been actively participating in relief efforts and many more are now contributing to the restoration of teaching and learning to members of these communities as well as helping to develop a semblance of normal life.

“The disruption and chaos caused by Hurricane Katrina has affected said Thomas Horgan, President and CEO of the NHCUC. “Colleges and universities, including those in New Hampshire, can provide critical resources, expertise and a committed network of caring and committed people. Indeed, the entire higher education community in New Hampshire has mobilized in support of the relief and rebuilding effort.”

In addition to raising much needed charitable donations, New Hampshire’s colleges and universities are contributing in a variety of ways:

• Twelve New Hampshire colleges and universities have offered to accept students who cannot attend their own schools because of Hurricane Katrina. In some cases, the institutions are discounting or even waiving tuition fees.
• Teams of students, staff and faculty have visited or are preparing to visit the damaged region to contribute to relief and rebuilding efforts.
• Online courses are being made available to displaced students.
• Colleges and universities are using existing links with non-profit organizations in the areas affected by the hurricane, such as homeless shelters and faith-based organizations, to support the relief and rebuilding efforts.
• Developing internet-based communication networks to facilitate communication and transfer of resources.

Debby Scire, executive cirector, Campus Compact for New Hampshire, said the response of colleges and universities in New Hampshire, and particularly the response from students, addresses concerns about the civic behavior of young people. “Students want to be engaged in their communities,” she said. “In this case, their passionate and immediate response to helping those in need following Hurricane Katrina shows that young people are ready and willing to help.”

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Under the organizing theme of “Give a Dollar, Save a Life,” a loose coalition of UNH students, faculty, and staff have centralized support for the diverse campus efforts raising money to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. The coordinators of the campaign have set a fundraising goal of $15,000, representing approximately $1 donated by each member of the UNH community that will go to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Nine UNH students who are members of the NH National Guard have been sent to the Louisiana/Gulf Coast region. At this time, most have orders indicating this to be a two-week rotation.
UNH Ready To Assist Students On Space-Available Basis
UNH will grant non-degree admission to students who were enrolled in colleges and universities closed because of Hurricane Katrina. Courses are available on a space-available basis and students will work with an advisor in the University Advising and Career Center prior to registration to ensure that courses are appropriate based on both prior coursework and readiness for those courses.

CHESTER COLLEGE OF NEW ENGLAND
Chester College is releasing its staff members during the next few weeks, for a morning or an afternoon; so that they can spend time doing volunteer work at the Manchester, NH chapter of the Red Cross. Students at Chester College, an institution focused on the arts, held an art sale at the Chester Fair Saturday, September 17th. Students and faculty donated pieces, many of them original, that helped raise hundreds of dollars for the American Red Cross relief fund.

COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE
In response to the needs of college students whose higher education plans in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana were adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina, Colby-Sawyer College President Anne Ponder has announced a plan to offer fall admission to qualified students from these colleges and universities. The college will accept on-line applications and will notify students of a decision within 24-hours.

In response to the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Colby-Sawyer College will engage in a campuswide effort to assist people who have been adversely affected in the Gulf Region of the United States. Through Oct. 3, the college will collect donations of cash or checks (made out to CSC)] at several locations on campus and during college activities and athletic events. The proceeds will be distributed through the American Red Cross.

DANIEL WEBSTER COLLEGE
For college students who hail from the New England region and have been affected by the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, Daniel Webster College is offering the opportunity to attend the fall semester free at the aviation, technology, engineering and business institution in Nashua, N.H. Daniel Webster College will not charge these students tuition if they have already paid to their home institutions the charges that they would normally incur for the Fall semester, in essence treating them as "tuition exchange" recipients.

As a member of The Sloan Consortium, an international association of colleges and universities committed to quality online education, Daniel Webster College is offering free 8-week online accelerated courses so that students may keep learning, no matter where they happen to be in the country.

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
Dartmouth College established an internet site, “Dartmouth responds to Hurricane Katrina”, located at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/features/katrina/. And in an effort to help all members of the Dartmouth community communicate with one another, the Office of Alumni Relations has made this blog available, http://dartmouthkatrina.blogspot.com/.

Dartmouth faculty and staff who are interested in volunteering for organizations responding to hurricane relief efforts may be granted up to three (3) weeks of paid leave time. Dartmouth has extended an offer to any student displaced by the Hurricane to come study for the fall term at Dartmouth, free of charge, with the expectation that the student will pay tuition to their home institution, to facilitate reconstruction. The Thayer School at Dartmouth College is also offering academically qualified engineering graduate students displaced by the disaster the opportunity to attend Thayer School on an interim basis.

FRANKLIN PIERCE COLLEGE
Franklin Pierce College will accept 20 students in good standing and allow them to start the fall semester on time. Costs including tuition, room and board, and student fees, totaling about $16,000, will be covered by the college for each student. “We hope to prevent 20 students from missing the fall semester of the school year,” said college President Dr. Hagerty. “There are thousands of students out there wondering what they’re going to do. We intend to open our dorms, classrooms and community to a few of them.” Recognizing that many of these displaced students have lost much more than the chance to continue their education, the Franklin Pierce College faculty union (Rindge Faculty Federation) has contributed $4,000 to help pay for students books and supplies when they arrive in the next few weeks.

GRANITE STATE COLLEGE
Granite State College is responding to the tragedy in a number of ways, including welcoming displaced college students from New Hampshire and beyond into its online and center based courses on a space available basis. While GSC does not have the ability to waive tuition, students will be charged the in-state rate. In addition, GSC is collecting donations for the American Red Cross from staff, faculty, students, and members of the community at large at each of the nine Centers throughout New Hampshire (Concord, Conway, Gorham, Lebanon, Littleton, Manchester, Rochester and Portsmouth).

KEENE STATE COLLEGE
Keene State College has offered assistance to the families of two Keene students enrolled at the University of New Orleans this fall. The college is also talking with the family of a third student, a junior at Loyola University (New Orleans), about the possibility of enrolling as visiting students for the Fall 2005 semester. Although Keene State's classes for the fall semester have begun, the College is willing to expedite enrollment and provide academic advising, counseling, and orientation for the affected students.

Keene State students are among New Hampshire National Guardsmen being called for active duty to support the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. It will be a two-week deployment. A Keene State relief team comprising students and staff will travel south over the winter break to assist in relief efforts.

MASSACHUSSETS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND HEALTH SCIENCES (MCPHS)
The college will work with Gulf Coast School to ensure they can continue to operate and graduate their students. Although the specialized curricula and accreditation requirements of MCPHS’s pharmacy and health science programs can sometimes make it difficult to transfer credits, MCPHS is happy to assist students affected by Katrina on a case-by-case basis with clinical rotations, elective courses and other means as they arise.

NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE
In an effort to assist students whose education has been interrupted by Hurricane Katrina, New England College will offer a discounted tuition rate for any student of the Gulf Coast who would like to continue their education during the rebuilding process. Additionally, on a space available basis, the College will provide housing for students wishing to relocate to NEC’s campus.

NEC student-athletes collected nearly $500 at the College’s home games on Saturday, September 10th. The money will be donated to the Manchester Chapter of the American Red Cross to be directed towards the relief efforts.

NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
At the state’s Community Technical Colleges, responses to Katrina have ranged from fundraising undertaken by student organizations, to offers from individual faculty and staff to house students and provide space for transfers. NHCTCS Commissioner Bill Simonton hopes to work directly with the Governor’s office once plans are finalized for those displaced by the hurricane to come to New Hampshire. “The Community Technical Colleges can respond to the needs not only of traditional college-age students who seek continuation of their current educational plan, but also adult learners who will need new career skills to meet the needs of the changing job climate they may face as a result of the dislocation,” said Simonton. NHCTC Manchester and NHCTC Stratham are also collecting money and clothing destined for areas affected by Katrina.

NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF ART
The student council at the New Hampshire Institute of Art will be sponsoring a Silent Art Auction to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Auction will run from Sept 28th - 30th, with a public reception to be held on Thursday the 29th in Fuller Hall. Students, faculty, staff and community members will be donating work for the auction. All of the proceeds will be donated to Katrina relief and rebuilding efforts, including a fund at the Louisiana State University School of Art to benefit artists and art students displaced by the devastating effects of the hurricane; as well as the American Red Cross.

PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY
Plymouth State University is offering New Hampshire students enrolled at institutions that have been closed due to Hurricane Katrina the option to take courses at PSU. Enrollment in courses will be on a space available basis and depend on a student having met all prerequisite coursework. PSU is particularly poised to assist education majors with student teaching placements.

The student chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) at Plymouth State University is developing a fund raising effort to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Donations will be solicited from members of the campus community and at donation sites being established in the downtown area. Campus Ministries are also collecting personal items to be sent to the Gulf and a benefit concert is being planned for Sunday, Oct. 16 with ZOX as the headliner.

RIVIER COLLEGE
Rivier College will offer fall-term admission to qualified New England area residents who are students of four-year colleges and universities in the Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The college will consider the financial situation and residency needs of each student on a case-by-case basis. The College is also working to consider other avenues of support, including offering online courses to those unable to travel to New England.

Rivier College has had a longstanding relationship with Casa de Esperanza, a safe place for children affected by neglect, abuse, or HIV aids in Houston, Texas. Rivier College will collect monetary donations to send to Casa to assist in providing relief to the children and families affected by Hurricane Katrina. The College will match the first $2,500 of donations from Rivier students, faculty, and staff.

SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE
Saint Anselm College has enrolled five students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Two sophomores and a junior are students from Tulane University and two freshmen are from Loyola University. All received financial and other assistance as required. Saint Anselm students and faculty are also preparing “Rock’n for Red Cross Relief”, a regional battle of the bands to support Katrina relief efforts.

SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY
President Paul LeBlanc has offered spots in the university’s undergraduate program for Tulane University students, particularly those from New England. The university is also offering three School of Community Economic Development scholarships for relief agency workers seeking to rebuild communities in the Gulf region. LeBlanc has appointed a committee focusing on college students who are now without a university and aid to K-12 systems overwhelmed with the influx of students

The New Hampshire College & University Council (NHCUC) is a non-profit consortium of 16, public and private institutions of higher education in the state of New Hampshire. These institutions are recognized and highly regarded for their outstanding teaching, research, and community service activities. They serve as major centers of activity that are vital to the economic development of the community and the state.

Campus Compact for New Hampshire was founded in 1997, as a statewide consortium of college and university presidents and private sector partners who are united in their commitment to the civic purposes of higher education. Our mission is to be a catalyst to integrate community service and civic responsibility throughout the academic and student life goals of member institutions.