Stanford helps with hurricane-recovery efforts

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Stanford University has volunteered to enroll displaced students and to provide additional aid for residents of the flood-stricken Gulf Coast.

"Like all Americans, members of the Stanford community feel great compassion for the many who have suffered loss and a desire to respond to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina," said President John Hennessy. "We are committed to helping out in whatever way we can, and we hope these efforts will make a small contribution to the outpouring of relief to victims of this disaster."

In the days ahead, Stanford officials will continue to assess the university's role in supporting relief efforts. For updates, visit the web at http://hurricanekatrina.stanford.edu.

Following is a summary of the steps the university has begun to take in response to the disaster:

The Office of Student Affairs is trying to contact all Stanford students who may have been in areas affected by the hurricane to see what assistance it can provide to them, including housing, financial aid and counseling.

Stanford will admit academically qualified students from universities that have closed as a result of the hurricane. They may apply for the Autumn Quarter, which starts Sept. 26 and ends Dec. 16, by filling out the form at http://hurricanekatrina.stanford.edu/studentinfo. Stanford will not charge the students tuition, but they must continue to pay tuition to their home universities and are expected to return to those campuses at the appropriate time. The temporary students will be responsible for covering their room-and-board and incidental expenses. They will be housed on campus. Preference will be given to students from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Stanford's professional schools also have committed to helping out. The Law School already has agreed to admit, on a limited basis, third-year law students from two law schools that have closed because of damage from the hurricane and flood. Dr. Philip Pizzo, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, has been in contact with the director of the National Institutes for Health. Pizzo said the Medical School will participate in a coordinated national effort to respond to the medical and health issues caused by the disaster.

Stanford Hospital and Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital are working under the coordination of the American Hospitals Association to address medical relief efforts. Both hospitals are gathering teams of dozens of personnel to staff medically enhanced shelters in the southern United States.

In addition, Stanford is allowing its employees who wish to volunteer in hurricane-relief efforts the opportunity to do so. Employees approved to participate may take up to one week of leave time, which Stanford will match with a week of paid leave. Requests for leave will need the approval of the employee's supervisor. Details of this initiative will be posted online shortly. In addition, Stanford will work with student, staff and faculty groups that are supporting disaster relief efforts through fundraising events, such as the Athletic Department's invitation to the public to tee off at the Stanford University Golf Course. For details, visit the web at http://hurricanekatrina.stanford.edu/relief.

Finally, the university will continue to work with the Association of American Universities and other groups in an effort to coordinate assistance to the academic institutions affected in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast.

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