Simmons Reaches Out to Hurricane Katrina Victims : Spotlight on Simmons : Simmons College

The Simmons College community took swift and compassionate actions to help those hurt by Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed lives and property as it struck New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

In a first key action, Simmons quickly admitted two students on a tuition-free basis for the fall semester, after they were forced to flee their New Orleans colleges to escape the storm and flooding of the city.

Over the next week, and in some cases within 24 hours, Simmons trustees, staff, faculty, and students mobilized fund drives, clothing and food collections, and volunteer stints helping those displaced by Katrina, including New Orleans residents evacuated to Camp Edwards on Cape Cod.

Faculty members throughout the College also are using Katrina as a teaching tool. The Simmons School of Social Work curriculum committee is considering changes to its curriculum through the lens of Katrina, including considerations of how poverty, racial bias, and inadequate attention to the elderly and the disabled exacerbated the storm's destruction.

The Black Student Organization(BSO) is among the student groups planning their own events. The BSO began organizing a forum examining the role of politics and race in the timeliness of relief efforts. The group also plans on volunteering to help evacuees temporarily housed on Cape Cod.

Additionally, the Scott/Ross Center for Community Service is helping to organize a hurricane "response team" comprised of members of the Simmons faculty, staff, and student body from the undergraduate and graduate programs. This committee will enable the Simmons community to coordinate and communicate relief activities while achieving long-term participation and results using streamlined efforts.

» Simmons Reaches Out to Hurricane Katrina Victims

Simmons Reaches Out to Hurricane Katrina Victims

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