by Alison Hoover and Anna Kim | Tufts lends a hand.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a large part of the Tufts community has joined in showing overwhelming support of her victims. The administration has been the most helpful of all groups on campus. The students have demonstrated outstanding humanitarianism. The faculty, however, has not lived up to the example set by the administration and students.
The admissions office was key in the administration’s successful outreach to Tulane students. According to Leon Braswell, the Director of International and Transfer Admissions, admissions officers worked together to make the process more manageable for the 90 Tulane students who applied to spend a semester at Tufts as guest students. They also shortened the evaluation process, so that students were able to decide where to spend the semester as quickly as possible. While most of the 40 guest students commute from their local homes or friends’ apartments in the area, 17 are currently living on campus. The brevity of the process showed the dedication of the Admissions Office to providing as smooth a transition as possible for the victims of the hurricane.
The administration also reached out to families of current students who took a devastating hit from Hurricane Katrina. Rebecca Abbott, a sophomore at Tufts who lost almost everything, said that the hardest thing will still be for her family to rebuild a household. Yet, she expressed gratitude and relief for assistance in paying for books and tuition, as well as other necessities from the administration and friends.
The unified effort of the students sent out a gesture of welcome, open arms and generosity. The Office of Student Activities (OSA), together with many student groups, organized various fundraisers to raise money for the victims. Most, including the auctions, had a large turnout, while others were not quite as successful. A disappointing turnout at the first Benefit Bash on September 16, sponsored by the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) and the OSA, demonstrated students’ neglect. Unfortunately, many students were not aware of the dance, and among those that were, many did not feel the urgency to attend due to a lack of advertising. On the other hand, the Potluck Luncheon on September 19, organized by the OSA, was a huge success. Instead of eating the “gourmet” food at Dewick or Carmichael, students eagerly bought a plate of homemade food for five dollars, to benefit the hurricane victims. This event raised a total of about $1000. The second LCS Benefit Bash on September 20, had an impressive turnout and raised far more money than at the first Benefit Bash. Because of the widespread cooperation among groups on campus, even a small amount of effort proved helpful. When only this little effort is required to help, it is inexcusable not to.
Although the faculty greeted Tulane students enthusiastically, they have not gone as far out of their way to help in Tufts’ relief efforts as many other groups on the rest of the campus have. Most Tufts professors have willingly accepted Tulane students in classes that were already full, recounts Meaghan Callahan, a sophomore from Tulane University. Yet, a disappointing choice was made in the direction some of the faculty decided to put their efforts. For example, one group of professors held a panel discussion entitled “Just what was natural about this disaster?” and bashed nearly every government official involved. These professors claimed that the exact results from Hurricane Katrina could have been predicted and bemoaned resources spent in Iraq instead of on disaster response. They also held a lengthy discussion about what they perceived as rampant racism displayed by the media throughout the recovery process. However, they proposed no solutions to any of the problems they described. While their younger counterparts were busy raising money through various fundraisers around campus, the faculty’s efforts had no practical application. While it is important to have preventative measures in place and analyze their failures afterwards, the time period directly after a natural disaster is a time for action.
In the past few weeks, the administration has stepped up to the plate and shouldered a huge responsibility in helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the students have joined in this process. Only the faculty has been slow to act. Now, Tufts should work to integrate its guests through social activities, like those held during freshmen orientation. Overall, the positive response has shown residents of the Gulf region that they matter, even in locations as distant as Boston.
Miss Hoover is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major and Miss Kim is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
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