Midd joins Katrina effort New Orleans students find new home at Middlebury

Author: Katie Flagg

Middlebury College opened its doors this weekend to eight students from Tulane University and one student attending Dillard University who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. It was the first of many relief efforts on campus to take flight in the wake of the recent disaster. While some plans for the College's continued relief efforts are still in the making, the arrival of these students signals one of the College's first major undertakings in response to the national crisis.

"The comprehensive relief effort will take place over a long period of time," said President Ronald D. Liebowitz, "but it was most important to reach out to the students right away."

The immediate impact of the hurricane was especially noticeable in the Admissions Office. "Within a day or two of the hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast, the Admissions Office began receiving a trickle of phone calls and e-mails from students who fled New Orleans," said Douglas Badger, director of Admissions Systems and Operations. "By that time it had become clear that colleges and universities in the area - including Tulane, Xavier, Dillard and Loyola - would not be opening soon and [students] were wondering if Middlebury might be able to take them in."

By Sept. 1, three days after Katrina made landfall, the volume of these inquiries increased substantially. These inquiries, coupled with an initiative from Liebowitz's office, sparked discussion among senior admissions officers and College staff. "Despite a tight housing situation on campus, the consensus was that we should try to find a way to accommodate these students," said Badger.

Dean of the College Tim Spears, Dean of Student Affairs Ann Hanson, Vice President for College Advancement Mike Schoenfeld and Badger designed a quick-response application process to evaluate and place students uprooted by the hurricane - a plan that was ultimately approved by Liebowitz and made public on Sept. 2. The College received over 20 letters of interest from students enrolled in Gulf-area schools - most from "truly outstanding individuals," according to Badger, whom the College was pleased to accept. The majority of these applications were accepted, though some applications required further information and review, said Badger.

The nine displaced students are scheduled to remain on campus for one semester. These students - from Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Tennessee, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania - arrived on campus Sunday for a brief orientation and joined the rest of the student body for the start of fall-term classes this Monday.

Spears was on hand Sunday to welcome the visiting students to the College, urging students to "make the most of the institution" and expressing the College's sense of pride in "participating in a larger national drama."

"This occasion and the very fact that we're able to welcome all of you students is an honor for us all," he told the visitors.

Middlebury students have also demonstrated a substantial interest in lending their assistance. An e-mail request from Hanson for volunteer hosts prompted over 200 responses - some from students living in singles who offered to "double up" to provide space for visitors.

"The outpouring of support from our student body has been tremendous," said Hanson in a press release published by the College earlier this week. "We are all proud and pleased to offer some sense of normalcy for these students in this overwhelming time of upheaval and loss."

Elena Hecht '08.5, a host for one visiting student, echoed sentiments of pride in this time of trials. "I think it is wonderful that Middlebury is doing this for these students," said Hecht, explaining that her experiences has a host seem to illustrate the College's dedication to making "the students feel as though they are not simply visiting."

The College's decision to accept displaced students follows a trend among hundreds of other colleges and universities across the country, and several of the students accepted ultimately chose to attend other institutions - in some cases closer to home or better fitted to their individual academic needs. Students who have chosen to study at Middlebury this fall are doing so free of charge. The College has simply asked that students continue to pay their home institutions the fees that would normally be charged in order to support Tulane and Dillard during their recovery from the hurricane.

"I am very pleased that Middlebury was able to help as many students as we did," said Badger. "This was a sizeable undertaking, yet many people put everything else on the back-burner to find a way to help."

"The enormity of this disaster is virtually unparalleled in American history," he continued, "and so our taking in a few students may not make much of a difference - but I bet that's not how it feels to those students."

The College's relief efforts, however, have not been limited to supporting displaced students. College faculty, staff and students have currently raised over $14,000 in donations to organizations such as the American Red Cross. In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, faculty and staff also responded to the call from Vermont Governor Jim Douglas '72 for supplies and donations at designated supply drop-off sites around the state.

Furthermore, faculty and staff with special skills may have the opportunity to participate in relief efforts in the Gulf region, said Liebowitz. Administrators are currently discussing the feasibility of granting extended leaves of absence for those participating in such endeavors.

College administrators are also considering recommendations for aiding scholars displaced by the hurricane, though no permanent plans have been made.

On Tuesday, student and staff volunteers met to discuss student involvement in the relief effort. The meeting, moderated by Gus Jordan, director of the Charles P. Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life at Middlebury, generated ideas for fundraising, volunteer trips and campus activities.

The main reason for the meeting, according to Director of the Center for Campus Activities and Leadership Douglas Adams, was the "sheer volume of ideas" being discussed by students and student organizations on campus. Adams suggested creating a "clearinghouse to make sure we address this in a concerted way."

The group - after broadly discussing fundraising plans and relief processes - tentatively made plans to create a steering committee to better organize and monitor relief efforts on campus.

Also on Tuesday, Liebowitz invited the College community to gather on Friday in front of Mead Chapel in a "simple expression of mourning and hope." The ceremony calls for "words of solace, meditation and music, befitting a moment both of loss and the reaffirmation of life." The gathering coincides with the national day of prayer and mourning declared by President George W. Bush.