The Institute’s response in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been nothing short of commendable. Last Friday, the Institute announced that it would accept up to 100 students from two New Orleans universities closed for the semester—Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana—as visiting students this fall. Under the Gulf Coast Visiting Scholars program, the costs of tuition, fees, room, and board will be waived for the semester, allowing students enrolled at either Tulane or Xavier to continue their education without having to worry about paying twice.
In addition to accepting the students displaced by Katrina, RPI is also donating $25,000 to the American Red Cross and $5,000 to both the Salvation Army and America’s Second Harvest. These donations are in the name of the Institute, and students are also being encouraged to contribute on their own. Just as student groups did after the tsunami last year, they are organizing events to try and raise additional money to aid the relief efforts in the Gulf Coast.
Katrina was a terrible tragedy that caused immense damage, but in its wake great acts of kindness are showing through. The Institute has done its part, in both accepting students and donating funds to charitable organizations. Also commendable is the work of student groups trying to raise additional funds for the relief effort. We call on all students to do their part and contribute to help these organizations reach their contribution goal and ultimately to aid those who have lost the most as a result of this natural disaster.
For those who want to give directly to the charitable organization of their choice, the Institute’s Katrina response website, http://www.rpi.edu/katrina/, has many suggestions. We encourage everyone to help out the best they can. Perhaps President Shirley Ann Jackson put it best in her communication to the RPI community, “There are good people everywhere who respond to human tragedy with thousands of unheralded acts of human kindness. We want to be among them.”
