Carleton College will suspend classes on Friday, March 31 to hold an all-day, all-campus symposium called “Confronting Katrina: How Should We Respond?” This day of education, discussion and reflection is the College’s most recent response to last fall’s Gulf Coast disaster.

The startling images from the Gulf Coast provided a stark context for the beginning of our Fall Term. The hurricanes were dramatic reminders of our vulnerability even in this age of technology. In the days and weeks following Katrina and Rita, we heard a renewed national dialog about the destructive forces of poverty, racism, and classism in New Orleans and across our country. It remains to be seen whether this dialog will continue once the images have faded. Please read on for information on ways you, too, can support causes providing aid in the wake of these and other recent international disasters.

On behalf of the Gulf Coast Crisis Team, we would like to update the whole community on the initiatives underway.

Laura Flexon '06 and her family's escape from the effects of Hurricane Katrina were the subject of a September 22 Savannah (Ga.) Morning News article titled "Former Savannah alderman escapes New Orleans by canoe, chopper." The Flexons and a family friend had arrived from Jacksonville three days before the storm and had to take refuge at a local hotel. "It didn't seem like that big of a deal," Flexon said, "We didn't think it was just going to turn into Armageddon." The bell captain at their hotel was able to "liberate" a canoe from a city park two miles away. He and the Flexon party eventually made their way to the Superdome where the Flexon party was able to escape by helicopter. The bell captain stayed behind to assist other guests, but has now made it out of the area and is staying with the Flexon family. Flexon is a sociology/anthropology major at Carleton.

Carleton students, working with the Acting in the Community Together (ACT) center on campus, will sponsor a Hurricane Katrina Relief Concert on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 2 to 6 p.m. on the Carleton College bald spot, located behind Skinner Memorial Chapel. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross. The event is free and open to the public and donations are strongly encouraged

In the wake of the recent calamity left behind by Hurricane Katrina (and, later, Hurricane Rita), Carleton’s class of 2009 Pre-Frosh Service Trip group put their efforts into raising money for Carleton students affected by the disaster.

Kelli Pearson '97 and Kristin Russell '97 were featured in a September 14 Savannah (Ga.) Morning News and SavannahNow.com article titled "Coffee house hosts hurricane relief blog." As freshmen roommates at Carleton, they dreamed of forming a business centered on civic engagement and are now co-owners of The Sentient Bean coffeehouse. After Hurricane Katrina, they were deluged with e-mails of relief efforts, asking them to get the word out. As a result, they and a technology consultant launched the blog, Savannah Katrina Help, an online hub for "hyper-local" relief efforts. At Carleton, Pearson majored in religion and Russell in international relations with an environmental and technology studies concentration.

Carleton President Robert A. Oden Jr. has announced the establishment of a Gulf Crisis Team, led by trustee William "Bill" Craine '70, with primary on-campus assistance from Program in Ethical Reflection at Carleton (PERC) Director Douglas "Doug" Mork '87. The team has begun to establish the continuing direction of Carleton's response.

At least two Carleton graduates working in the media, Richard Allen Greene '91 and Martin Kaste '91, are filing news reports from the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

First-year students from the Carleton Pre-Frosh Service Trip group held a carnival on Thursday, September 8, to raise funds for Carleton students affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The ACT Center staff is working with students to organize relief efforts on campus and also is referring students to local Northfield relief initiatives.

Carleton is actively responding to the devastation brought about by Hurricane Katrina in the southeastern United States. We share with the rest of the world our thoughts and hopes for the well-being of all those affected during this crisis.