Update from WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.
Regarding WVU's Hurricane Katrina Relief & Support Efforts
Dear Members of the West Virginia University Community:
Mountaineers across the state and country have mobilized to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In keeping with our tradition of service and commitment, West Virginia University is also doing what we can to reach out and assist our sister colleges in the South. We are taking in students who attend schools in the Gulf region, reaching out to the some 185 students who attend WVU and have families affected in those regions, and raising funds for disaster relief. When the time is right, we plan to send volunteers.
I am pleased with WVU’s efforts and pledge our continued support. Our deepest sympathies are extended to all the victims and their families.
What follows is a brief recap of some of WVU’s efforts to date:
• Several students from Tulane and another from Xavier have joined us, and we will continue to work with displaced students on a case-by-case basis to expedite their enrollment and locate appropriate housing, while waiving paperwork and extra fees.
• Our Student Info Line, 304-293-5555, Mountaineer Parents Club Helpline, 1-800-WVU-0096, and Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, 304-293-4431, are all prepared to take calls and provide services and support.
• A "Dollars for Disaster" fund has been set up by various student groups with funds being channeled through the American Red Cross.
• Service Learning trips to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf are being considered for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, and the Service Learning Office is also working through Campus Compact to identify available space to house and educate students with its member schools.
• Outreach efforts such as blood drives and the collecting of supplies are under way.
• Our Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center (including WVU Hospitals, UHA and all HSC schools) is a part of the National Disaster Medical System, which is being activated today to assist in providing medical response to people affected by Hurricane Katrina. As a part of this system, a large number of hospital patients, injured persons and people with chronic medical conditions may be transported out of the affected region and dispersed to facilities nationwide. The National Institutes for Health and the Association of American Medical Colleges have asked us to be on alert for requests for assistance and to assess our capability to accept patients for treatment here or for consultation with our specialists.
• We may also be asked to accommodate medical students and residents - also law school students - whose training has been interrupted by this disaster. Those arrangements will be made over the next several weeks via the appropriate medical and law schools through their associations.
• WVU Extension Service is also working with statewide agricultural organizations to help farmers in the affected region. For details and updates about the program, see
http://www.wvfarm.org/wvfark.htm .
• We will also work with the Governor's Office and with our national associations and affiliates to do what we can when we are called upon.
As relief and support efforts continue, we will keep the public informed through the WVU Web site:
http://www.nis.wvu.edu/newsroom/
We thank everyone involved for helping WVU to respond to calls for help and to meet the needs of the many whose lives have been touched by this tragic natural disaster.
David C. Hardesty, Jr.
President
West Virginia University