Carleton News Updates
Gulf Coast Crisis Team Issues Update
October 3rd, 2005
The tremendous response to the Gulf Coast crisis these first weeks of the term has been a visible reminder of some of the most important values of the Carleton community. The passionate commitment to help members of our own community affected by the crisis, the hard work of planning benefits and special events for all those affected and the desire to understand more deeply the causes and effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are all expressions of Carleton's deepest values.
On behalf of the Gulf Coast Crisis Team, Trustee William "Bill" Craine '70 and Program in Ethical Reflection at Carleton (PERC) Director Douglas "Doug" Mork '87 would like to update the whole community on the initiatives underway:
- Family assistance: Carleton has provided assistance to a number of the students and families affected by the hurricane. While some of the immediate emergency needs are now past, we are continuin to stay connected to these families and will respond to needs as they arise. We are also striving to respect the privacy of both students and their families as they move forward.
- Dillard University faculty: As you know, Carleton has offered to house and provide research support for six faculty and their families from Dillard University in New Orleans, an historic black liberal arts college with about 2,200 students that has been hit hard by the hurricane. We have continued to have limited contact with Dillard through our shared trustee, Arnold Donald, as they have been evaluating their situation and trying to plan for the future. Although we have not yet had inquiries from any faculty it is too early to know where this will lead. President Marvalene Hughes has indicated that she will post a group of offers on the Dillard web site faculty page today for faculty to pursue.
- Fund Appeals: Student energy in responding to this crisis has been remarkable. Students have set a fund raising goal of $10,000 and are more than half-way there already. We have asked the leadership of some of these student initiatives to join us in the next few days to plan a campus faculty and staff appeal. Details will be forthcoming shortly.
- Service Opportunities: Many students as well as faculty and staff have expressed interest in service trips or other opportunities for hands-on involvement in the recovery. Planning meetings will begin in the next week for all who are interested in considering our options. We have spoken with the area Red Cross and Habitat offices about possibilities through their organizations and we will continue to explore additional options. Although we want to be sensitive to some of the issues of volunteer service in a recovery area, we are committed to exploring a service trip over the winter or spring breaks or at another appropriate time. We are also continuing to research the possibility of a local site for Habitat's "Project Home Delivery" but so far Habitat is only building these homes in New York City, Los Angeles and Jackson, Mississippi.
- Curricular and Co-Curricular Opportunities: The Office of the Dean of the College will work with faculty to develop curricular and co-curricular opportunities to reflect on this crisis from various disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Faculty have already begun their own initiatives, such as the faculty panel that took place on Thursday, September 29. Please check the Gulf Coast Crisis page for upcoming events and video of events you may have missed.
Thank you once again for all you are doing! Questions and suggestions may be e-mailed to Bill Craine at William.Craine@manginsurance.com and Doug Mork at
DMork@acs.carleton.edu.