By Alex Bradshaw
The U of L Student Coalition for Relief has set high goals for helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. So far, their efforts have yielded mixed results.
U of L’s student body extended a helping hand to students from Louisiana and Mississippi by forming the coalition after thousands of college students were forced to leave universities in the region that were shut down due to hurricane damage.
U of L has provided rooms at the Shelby Campus for people who had to be relocated to Louisville from areas along the Gulf Coast. Students from Belknap Campus were asked to help prepare the rooms on Sept. 9.
Jeff Howard, chief executive assistant of the SGA, said the SGA surveyed 150 U of L students about participating in relief efforts prior to the event at Shelby Campus. “The survey was basically asking the students if they would volunteer to help aid our friends and neighbors that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina,” Howard said. The answer to the survey was a unanimous “yes.”
However, the turnout of student volunteers did not reflect the answers compiled by the survey.
Of those that said they would volunteer, less than 20 percent showed up to help with the Shelby Campus Project.
However, Howard said that those who did attend worked hard. He and Nicole Kersting, executive president of the RSA, organized the event, which involved completely cleaning out dorms that had not been used in two years. Howard said the team consisted of 27 student volunteers and 4 faculty members who worked in unison and knocked out the hefty job in eight hours.
“I was impressed to see all of the volunteers working so hard with us,” he said.
For those that are genuinely interested in helping out, the opportunity has not passed. The coalition began selling beads last week and plans to continue at least through next week. Students and faculty can receive the beads by donating in increments of five dollars to the fund. All money collected goes directly to the hurricane victims.
The coalition, which consists of eight major campus student groups, including the Student Government Association and the Resident Student Association, set a goal of raising $50,000 for the relief effort. They plan to do so by taking personal donations and selling Mardi Gras beads.
Although it may sound like a far-fetched goal, members of the coalition believe that through teamwork, the goal can be accomplished.
“I think that focusing on my individual efforts will take away from the purpose of the coalition, which is to focus on those affected by Hurricane Katrina,” said Renea Steele, coalition spokeswoman.
“We have no financial gains to make,” RSA President Nicole Kersting said. “One-hundred percent of the Mardi Gras bead sales and any other donation that students, faculty or anyone else would like to make goes directly to the evacuee fund.”
Besides donations, students can also help by befriending some of the many displaced students who transferred to U of L. Brian Sills, who recently arrived in Louisville from Louisiana, said that students have been helpful so far.
“I feel like, collectively, the student body has been very nice and supportive,” Sills said. And the coalition is aimed at offering support however possible, Kersting said.
“The coalition is united for this cause,” she said. “We don’t plan on stopping any time soon.”
