Princeton has joined the nation in extending support to those in the University's family and others who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Princeton has received numerous inquiries following the University's announcement on Sept. 2 that it will temporarily enroll a limited number of visiting undergraduate and graduate students who have been displaced from their colleges and universities. As of Sept. 7, Princeton is no longer taking applications, but University officials will continue to collect documentation from students who already have applied.
The University hopes to be able to accommodate as many as 30 undergraduates, all of whom will be assigned campus housing. The housing is available because the University is preparing to increase the size of its student body during the next few years. Housing also will be available for a limited number of graduate students.
Other efforts are under way to help victims of the hurricane, President Shirley M. Tilghman said in a statement announcing Princeton 's relief efforts.
"Although classes have yet to start, our students are planning fund-raisers, and we will do what we can to support their efforts," she wrote. "Even before those events can take place, we know that many members of the campus community will want to contribute financially to the national relief efforts through the American Red Cross or other organizations that are providing assistance. We are working with the national higher education associations that are seeking to coordinate relief efforts for colleges and universities in the Gulf Coast area."
Princeton has 71 students from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and has been contacting them to provide needed services. Alumni associations in the region also have been contacted. One staff member already has left for the Gulf Coast area as a Red Cross volunteer under the University's Humanitarian Relief Effort Policy, which allows employees to request up to two weeks of paid leave to participate in relief efforts in the affected areas. Further details of response efforts will be announced as they become available.
Princeton students from the affected areas who need assistance should contact:
- Undergraduates -- Hilary Herbold, (609) 258-3052.
- Graduate students -- David Redman, (609) 258-3032.
Students and others needing assistance also may call the University’s crisis response line at (800) 645-9621.
Alumni who wish to ask for or offer assistance may join a TigerNet discussion group.
