Newswise — Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. has opened its doors to students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. By Tuesday, Sept. 6, nearly a dozen students had arrived on campus to continue fall studies at the private liberal arts college, which is home to the College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis & Clark Law School, and the Graduate School of Education and Counseling.
In an open letter distributed on Sept. 1, President Tom Hochstettler outlined some of the steps Lewis & Clark is taking to respond to students in need:
"Hour by hour, we become more aware of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The full extent of this catastrophe will not be known for weeks, if not months, to come. While many of us are assisting the victims of the storm through our personal contributions, I want you to be aware of what Lewis & Clark is doing as an institution to provide assistance from our corner of the country. We have joined together with a growing number of colleges and universities around the nation who have agreed to help displaced students continue their studies this fall term. We have already had a number of inquiries and visits from students in the stricken area about the possibility of studying here, and in all likelihood, we will have several visiting students with us this fall due to this outreach effort.
"Any student at an accredited institution in the stricken area who is pursuing a course of study comparable to one that we offer is eligible to apply for visiting status for fall semester at Lewis & Clark. We anticipate that most of these students will have ties to the Portland area and that their number will be quite small. We will not charge these students tuition, but we will expect them to pay to their own institutions the tuition that they would normally have paid this semester, net of any financial aid that they may have been awarded. If they have not yet paid their fall tuition to their home schools, we will collect those fees and pass them on to the home school as soon as circumstances allow.
"Please note that we fully expect these students to return to their home institutions at the earliest possible moment. Once they do return to their own schools, they will of course transfer such course credit as they may have earned at Lewis & Clark. In the meantime, they will be part of our community with the full rights, privileges, and obligations that inhere in any visiting student.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is or who may become involved in this effort. If you know of college students who are currently enrolled in a college or university that has been affected by the hurricane, please let them know as soon as possible about the offer to study temporarily at Lewis & Clark.
"Our best thoughts are with our colleagues and students whose lives have been altered in ways that are hard to fathom."
Admissions and transfer contact information for each program:
Undergraduate College of Arts and SciencesMike Sexton, Dean of Admissions1-800-444-4111[email protected]
Law SchoolMartha Spence, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs503-768-6648[email protected]
Graduate School of Education and CounselingNancy Nagel, Associate Dean of the Graduate School503-768-6003[email protected]
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