Canadian universities are reaching out to the estimated 100,000 postsecondary students studying in the American gulf coast area, who are recovering from the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, by offering admission, residence spaces, scholarships and emergency funds.
Upon learning about the devastation caused by the hurricane, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) sent a call to action to its 90 members and is now coordinating offers rolling in from universities from across Canada.
“It is obvious that our universities feel a sense of obligation toward their sister institutions, students, and faculty in the U.S. affected by this terrible tragedy,” says AUCC president Claire Morris.
Here, at the University of Ottawa, an international exchange officer received a call from Keele University, in the United Kingdom. Four students from Keele, registered to attend Loyola University in New Orleans, were evacuated from the flooded city and found themselves in limbo, with Loyola closed.
Staff accepted the displaced students to the University of Ottawa, found them spaces in residence, and helped ease their transition to Ottawa. Today, Sam Blyth, Laura Jones, Joel Koniarsky and Fiona Owen are enjoying a warm early fall in the nation’s capital.
University of New Orleans chemistry professor (and expatriate Canadian) Steve Nolan was visiting family in Ottawa when Katrina struck. He contacted uOttawa and is now relocated here, with his team, for the fall term. Professor Deryn Fogg and her colleagues in the chemistry department are assisting them.
AUCC continues to work closely with the American Council on Education and the National Association of College and University Business Officers to determine the needs of American students, faculty, and institutions. The U.S. organizations launched www.campusrelief.org, which details the needs of the students and lists offers from higher education institutions.
AUCC also added new content to its Web site at www.aucc.ca to provide information to U.S. students looking to come to Canada to study.
