CSULB Aids Hurricane Katrina Students

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last fall, the outpouring of aid from people around the country was impressive, and CSULB wasted no time in doing its part to help university students displaced by the disaster.

“The Chancellor’s Office made a very strong statement that our campuses would be open to let those students come, regardless of whether we were at capacity or not, and that we would find spaces for them and encourage the campuses to have an open door policy,” said Dixie Grimmett, executive assistant to the president who coordinated the student aid efforts.

Immediately, the CSULB campus went into action. Angela Williams, assistant director of admissions, and Tom Myers, director of admissions who passed away in January, rallied Enrollment Services staff to help incoming students find a home on the campus.

“On the first day, we must have had at least 15 students all come down,” said Williams. “We sat with them and filled out an application, just to get some information. We walked them up to Academic Advising, where Susan Black and her team were wonderful in accommodating the students and trying to get them into classes as soon as possible. Valerie Bordeaux from University Outreach was also very helpful in this entire process by giving us tour guides to help walk the students around to give them a basic feel for the campus. The semester had started probably two weeks (ago), so it was pretty tough on these students. We also had some of the students meet with financial aid counselors to give them that sort of support. The next couple of days, we had smaller groups (come in) but on a very consistent basis for the next couple of weeks.”

As the number of students arriving from the Gulf Coast increased and eventually swelled to 42, Grimmett continued brainstorming ideas for helping them get settled as soon as possible into the university routine. One of Grimmett's assistants, Rachel Vize, paired them with the President's Ambassadors, with whom the students could interact and ask basic questions. Vize also aided with other support arrrangements.

As financial donations began streaming in, Grimmett arranged with Fred Neely at the University Bookstore for a special account to be used for buying textbooks and other supplies. Neely, in turn offered the students used textbooks free of charge. She arranged for a room in the Student Union where clothing could be dropped off in size-sorted bags for those students who escaped the devastation with few possessions.

Within a few days, faculty, staff and students from campus departments, Associated Students, Inc., student service organizations and clubs, were organizing their own relief efforts, and Grimmett became concerned that despite all the goodwill, the efforts might go unnoticed and unused without campus-wide coordination. She asked Sharon Olson, director of academic projects, to oversee the central coordination of campus efforts. To do so, she developed a Web site where the various groups and students in need could contact each other directly.

President Maxson, who gave away his own bicycle and helmet to Dwight Beasley, a student who arrived from New Orleans with little more than the clothes on his back, made sure the students were well taken care of. He waived out of state tuition fees for one year, so the students could start their classes without delay or financial concerns.

During President’s Cabinet and Academic Senate meetings, he introduced some of the students to the deans and associate deans, making sure that they felt welcome and supported. Throughout the crisis, he kept in close contact with Grimmett and other campus personnel to assure that the students’ paths were smooth.

“All of the people at Cal State Long Beach helped so much,” said Suzanne DeJean, a student from Louisiana State University who is studying community health at CSULB. “The school charged me in-state tuition for last semester and this semester. That was really nice because I don’t think I would have been able to afford it if they hadn’t done that. A lot of people in the community came together and helped. They gave me a list of phone numbers of people in the community who wanted to help the students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Many of them had apartments or rooms that they were willing to rent at a discount price or free of charge.”

Beasley, a student from Xavier University who is studying for a double major in computer engineering and business management and who lived through the trauma of a sister lost (but later found) during the hurricane, agrees. “While I was going through the application process, a guy called and said he wanted one of the students to stay at his house. Angela Williams helped me with that and Tom Myers. I had a place to stay by 12 o'clock that day. My sister was actually missing since the hurricane, so I was told I should talk to the Dr. Phil Show. Toni Beron had talked to them. When the Dr. Phil people came to the school to do my interview, they had actually set up a $5,000 scholarship to Cal State Long Beach for me. Everybody was just really helpful, really nice, and they made me feel like they were watching out for me.”

Lerone Long came to Long Beach as a student with special circumstances: a wife and a four-year-old daughter. “Those people who were offering housing weren’t necessarily prepared to deal with a student with a family,” said Long, who is studying chemical engineering. “The university tried, but I was able to find housing assistance in the community. I was just thankful for whatever assistance that people offered or gave. Other people who were very helpful aside from Ms. Grimmett from the President’s Office were a lot of the student ambassadors, and Toni Beron in the Public Affairs Office. Her mother helped with donations from her church. I met her husband. I can’t think of anyone being more cordial under the circumstances than that. I was smitten by the reception I got. There was nothing spectacular or special about me. I was just willing to accept whatever was offered and work through what ever process I had to get through.”

“It was such a tragic sort of incident and natural disaster for the country,” concluded Grimmett. “I was in a position where I could help on behalf of the president, and he was adamant that he wanted the students well taken care of. Because I troubleshoot a lot and I know so many people on the campus, it was easy for me to pick up the phone and call a college dean or associate dean and say we need this or that for the Katrina students. I didn’t do anything more than other people. Everyone did what they could. The staff worked hard.”

Sharon Olson echoed that sentiment. “I was heartened but not surprised by the fact that the faculty, staff and students on the campus would come together and help. It has been my experience over the years that this is pretty typical of the way people react around here.”

– Teresa Hagen