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September 6, 2005
TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Dear Colleagues:
We are all devastated by the events taking place
in New Orleans and
along the Gulf Coast. Our UCSB family shares a tremendous sense
of
sorrow and concern for all those affected by this ongoing tragedy.
Last week, our campus community immediately
took steps to begin
providing help to those in need. I am writing to update you on these
efforts.
Many of you have already reached out in a number
of ways to help those in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
We are touched by this expression of heartfelt compassion, and we
wholeheartedly support these efforts. Our UCSB CARES program has
compiled a list of worthy organizations, such as the Red Cross and
Direct Relief International, who are participating in the broad
effort to assist those in need. This list is posted at http://as.ucsb.edu/relief.
UC also has a Web site devoted to hurricane recovery efforts, at
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/katrina-relief/welcome.html.
UCSB has joined with our sister UC campuses
and our fellow member
institutions in the Association of American Universities in seeking
to
accommodate students from New Orleans institutions who are displaced
in
the aftermath of the hurricane and might not be able to immediately
resume their studies there this fall.
We have received a number of inquiries from
students and parents
regarding temporary transfers from schools in the hurricane-affected
area. We are working with each of these requests with special
individualized care. As of this afternoon, we have already admitted
17
students from Tulane University, Xavier University, and Loyola
University in New Orleans. We expect to admit more this week. We
are
committed to welcome these students with full compassion.
We have also been in contact with currently
enrolled UCSB students who are from the hurricane-impacted area.
We will be working with them on their special needs and circumstances
during this difficult time. It is also possible that some of our
campus's National Guard students may be called to the Gulf Coast
region, and we will assist them with leaves of absence as needed.
Questions regarding enrollment for students
may be directed to Chris Van
Gieson, Director of our Office of Admissions, at 805-893-2882. If
you
know of any students in need from the affected areas, please reach
out
to help them. Please refer any questions to me or to any of our
administrative colleagues for answers and for action.
As President Dynes has said, we anticipate that
the resources of the
University of California, and the expertise of our colleagues, will
make
an important contribution to the long-term recovery effort in the
Gulf
Coast region. I would like to express in advance my heartfelt thanks
to
each and every one of you who will contribute to this endeavor.
Together, we will continue to find ways to offer our support in
concrete
and meaningful ways in the weeks and months ahead. If you have other
ideas on how UCSB might respond to this disaster, please do not
hesitate
to send an e-mail to me or our administrative colleagues, or give
us a call.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor
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