University responds to Katrina
By LINDA EVANS
Editor, RichmondNow
Anthony Guarino’s hometown of Winter Springs, Fla., was in the path of three of the four hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004.
This year, he moved into Tulane University in New Orleans to begin his freshman year on Aug. 27. The next day, he moved out, avoiding a hit by Hurricane Katrina that devastated the region and left him “school-less” for his first semester of college.
Now, along with 32 other students from Tulane and other Gulf Coast colleges, he has found a temporary home on the Richmond campus. “We had three choices,” Guarino said. “We could go home with our parents, leave with a friend or roommate, or take a bus to Jackson State University.”
Since his parents were still in New Orleans, he chose to go home. Thinking he’d be gone only a week or two and with little time to repack, Guarino left most of his belongings in his Tulane dorm room.
Guarino is one of an estimated 100,000 students from more than 30 Gulf Coast colleges and universities who were unable to return to their campuses. Higher education officials around the country are opening their doors, often tuition-free, to absorb as many of them as possible.
Richmond has enrolled, tuition-free for the fall semester, 17 undergraduates. Another 14 students enrolled in the law school, and two are MBA students.
Guarino said when he contacted Richmond’s undergraduate admission office about relocating here for a semester, “they got back to me quickly with a generous offer.” He was soon on a plane to Richmond.
Pam Spence, dean of admission, said “there was just amazing cooperation and coordination from offices across the campus. Also, folks in the community opened up their homes to our students.”
Richmond President Bill Cooper worked closely with higher education organizations to promote a policy similar to Richmond’s at colleges and universities nationwide.
“This tragedy calls upon us to help both displaced students and their home institutions,” Cooper said. “Beyond these roles, we need to marshal sustained support in concert with countless individuals and organizations to advance this recovery.”
Subsequently, guidelines proposed and adopted by Richmond were issued by several national associations, including the Council of Independent Colleges, American Council on Education, and others. They include admitting students on a visiting basis, so that they remain students of their home institutions; not charging tuition if the student has already paid tuition to the home institution; and if tuition has not been paid, to charge the home institution’s rate of tuition and remit that amount to the home institution.
Approximately 50 Richmond undergraduate and graduate students hail from the region and more than half reported that their families were impacted by the storm. To assist them, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Chaplaincy, and the coordinate colleges’ deans’ offices provided support services, and University staff helped students who needed to apply or reapply for financial aid.
Cannon Memorial Chapel and the interfaith prayer room remained open 24 hours a day for several days following the disaster, and the Chaplaincy sponsored a daily prayer service.
A number of student groups are sponsoring relief efforts. Collecting money for the Red Cross are the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils, Phi Gamma Delta, Richmond College Student Government Association, Westhampton College Government Association, WILL and the Volunteer Action Council. For up-to-date information on donating through these and other organizations, visit the University’s disaster response Web site at http://www.richmond.edu/disasterresponse
The Center for Civic Engagement is coordinating educational programming. “Our goal is to provide contexts for the disaster and the surrounding aid efforts, understanding that while this tragedy has affected people from all walks of life, it has been particularly devastating to those without economic means and social networks outside of the area,” said Doug Hicks, CCE director.
And, as he adjusts to life at Richmond, Guarino keeps up with Tulane via that university’s Web site, which is partially up and running thanks to its server being moved to a temporary administrative office established in Houston. He hopes to return for the second semester.
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