September 7, 2005--" Our hearts go out to all of the people on the Gulf Coast whose lives have been severely disrupted by the disastrous Hurricane Katrina," says Oberlin President Nancy S. Dye, "and we are exploring ways to be of service to the many colleges and universities that have been hardest hit."

Oberlin has admitted three Tulane University first-year students and is offering support to 40 Oberlin College students from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida; some were on campus when the storm hit.

The College also is working with a number of consortia, including the American Council on Education, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Great Lakes Colleges Consortium, to provide a coordinated response.

This week OCOPE, the Oberlin College Office and Professional Employees union, and the College are conducting a campus-wide campaign to encourage donations to the American Red Cross, plus OCOPE members will host a bake sale on campus this Friday.

Last Saturday, staff and students from the Department of Athletics and Physical Education asked for donations for Red Cross hurricane relief during the football game between Oberlin and Case WRU.  

On Friday, Oberlin's Center for Service and Learning incorporated relief effort into its county-wide Day of Service: student volunteers spent the day helping at community service organizations and distributed flyers requesting donations to Second Harvest, the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization.