A fresh perspective

MC to help Hurricane Katrina victims

by Julie Trac
News Editor

On Sept. 7, President Mauri Ditzler announced MC will open its doors to students and faculty who have been displaced due to Hurrsicane Katrina’s massive destruction. This tropical cyclone has affected thousands of lives in Louisiana, Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle and Alabama.

It is estimated that over 100,000 students and 1,000 faculty members in the Gulf Coast region have been hurt by this disaster. Institutions such as the University of New Orleans, Tulane University and Loyola University, all located in New Orleans, LA were forced to close for the fall semester to all incoming as well as returning students because of Hurricane Katrina’s damage.

Benita Dilley, associate professor of communication and theatre arts, brought up the topic at an emergency faculty meeting held prior to the regular faculty meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
MC has decided to follow in the footsteps of many other national colleges and universities such as Boston College, Elmhurst College, Harvard University, Knox College and Rutgers University by taking in certain students and faculty members who have been affected.

In order to help these students, MC will admit the students only on a visiting basis, so they will remain students of their respective institutions and waive tuition charges at MC if they have already paid their home institution. The students will only be responsible for the room and board charges associated with MC.

Although the fall semester started three weeks ago, MC’s faculty has made a commitment to help any displaced student catch up to his or her peers.

Some questions were raised during the faculty meeting about how MC will support the additional students and faculty. Simon Cordery, assistant professor of history, asked if MC has the infrastructure to help these displaced students and faculty.

Jacquelyn Condon, vice president for student life/dean of students, said that there are ministers, other students, and a counseling center on or around campus to help the displaced students cope with their feelings in this time of need. Condon is confident MC can provide for them in any way possible.

Dr. Christopher Fasano, associate professor of physics and the Martha S. Pattee professor of science asked how MC will determine what courses these displaced students will need to take to satisfy the graduation requirements at their home institutions. Many, if not all, home institutions have said that they will find a way to make the course credits transfer back.

Students may apply to MC until Sept. 16 by contacting Christine Johnston, associate dean of admission. At press time, Condon states that there have been no applications from any displaced student.

In addition to accepting applications from students, MC is accepting applications from faculty to be a short term visiting scholar. These faculty members may request campus housing, a travel stipend and access to other facilities, either recreational or academic to help them regain some sense of normalcy.

These visiting scholars can help the MC community in many ways by team teaching, tutoring, and offering workshops to supplement and add to the current curriculum. Most importantly, the scholars can provide a first-hand account of what happened and share their experiences in order to bring the outside world to Monmouth.

A visiting scholar may stay from as little as several weeks to the entire semester.
MC’s effort to help the hurricane victims does not stop after extending offers to students and faculty. The TNT Involvement Center has shown interest to plan a Spring Break trip to the Gulf Coast region to help with the restoration efforts.

Ken Cramer, professor of biology, proposed a Katrina challenge to the student body in which MC’s staff and faculty pledged to match any student contribution, dollar for dollar. The program will end later today; however, since the challenge started, $2,000 has been raised.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed countless lives; however, MC hopes to enrich the lives of those who survived by providing a rewarding academic and social experience which many students take for granted.

You can help the other victims of Hurricane Katrina by donating money or blood to the Western Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross located in Galesburg 309-344-5227 or the Warren County United Way, Inc. in Monmouth 309-734-6364.