Hurricane Katrina laid waste to the lives of nearly 100,000 college and university students and staff just as their fall semester was getting under way. The response of the higher education community has been proactive—to keep students on track by getting them relocated and enrolled as quickly as possible.

Within days of the hurricane, says Derryn Moten, president of the Faculty-Staff Alliance/AFT at Alabama State University, the faculty was informed that the university would be part of a nationwide effort to absorb some of the 35,000 displaced students. In Louisiana, functioning institutions are allowing students to enroll at no additional cost until their home schools reopen. Around the country, offers to students ranged from waived late fees and in-state tuition for out-of-state students to full tuition, housing and flights. Active unions at these institutions are lending a hand to iaccommodate students and help displaced faculty.

In New Hampshire, for example, Franklin Pierce College is granting full tuition, room and board to 20 displaced students. Just 12 hours after the disaster, the Rindge Faculty Federation/AFT donated $4,000 to buy textbooks for the evacuees and a trustee contributed $10,000 for the students to buy clothing. In a place where the stated mission is to "create citizens and leaders of conscience," says RFF president Robin Marra, this is an opportunity to live out the community's beliefs.

AFT members report other contributions:

• In the first days after Katrina hit, SUNY-Maritime sent a ship for rescue operations. On board were six United University Professions/AFT members who were prepared to spend two months offering aid. SUNY-Binghamton enrolled 40 Tulane students. "It's times like this that make us proud to be members of the UUP/SUNY community," says William Scheuerman, president of United University Professions/AFT and an AFT vice president.
• The City Colleges of Chicago have taken 29 students and are charging no tuition, reports Cook County College Teachers Union president Perry Buckley. The students will be attending on an audit basis until Thanksgiving, at which time they can convert to a credit status if their home colleges are still closed. That way, Buckley explains, there’s no alarm raised about the host colleges stealing students.
• Eastern Illinois University has enrolled about 25 students and is taking donations to provide them with the materials and resources they will need.
• The Community College of Philadelphia is offering Philadelphia residents or any relatives of Philadelphia residents affected by Katrina special student status. The college will forgive direct costs that are not covered by financial aid, grants or scholarships. The college will also provide support service to assist these students during enrollment.
• Nassau Community College took 20 to 30 Tulane students, according to Barry Fischler, registrar and vice president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers/AFT. Nassau, like many other institutions, waived tests, late payments and late registration fees and reopened classes. Books were provided at cost (courtesy of Barnes & Noble), the honors program was opened to those who qualified—and most did—and a social mixer was planned with administrators and faculty to make students feel welcome. Every Long Island college is pitching in.
• Two displaced students have signed up for classes at Suffolk Community College.  Two from Tulane have landed at Stony Brook University, and Long Island University’s C.W. Post and Dowling College campuses stood ready to admit others. In New Jersey, Kean University has offered free tuition, fees and housing to displaced students, and other state colleges are proffering similar aid. “New Jersey will ‘leave no child behind’ who wants an education,” says Kathleen Mary Henderson, president of the Kean University Adjunct Faculty Federation/AFT, who quickly approached Kean’s president to suggest opening doors to Gulf Coast students. 

The American Council on Education (ACE) and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) have also created a Web site as an information clearinghouse for both faculty and staff and students affected by Hurricane Katrina. It provides a comprehensive list of institutions offering temporary employment opportunities and services or resources to faculty and staff as well as a list of institutions offering temporary enrollment for displaced students. For colleges and universities interested in helping out, the site also allows for you to fill out a form and register your institution as offering its support.

Many universities are offering fellowships, visiting positions, temporary appointments, funding, office space and lab access to displaced faculty while their home institutions rebuild. Two electronic message boards carry offers from institutions across the country—through the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. The Modern Language Association is developing a Web site for emergency employment.

In Washington, D.C., the Department of Education and Congress scrambled to offer aid and reduce red tape for students. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced that student loan borrowers living in affected areas can delay payment on their loans without penalty and that deadlines for applying to a number of higher education programs have been extended until at least Dec. 1. Capitol Hill representatives introduced a bill to defer student loan repayments. [Barbara McKenna]

To read more about Katrina, visit:  http://www.aft.org/news/2005/katrina/index.htm

September 14, 2005