Ithaca College

Responding to the crisis in the Gulf Coast area, Ithaca College has announced a twofold plan to assist families and students affected by Hurricane Katrina. First, the College will open its doors to children of alumni and any New York State resident who enrolled at an institution in the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Second, the campus is organizing a coordinated relief effort. Among the groups planning to assist in the recovery are two student organizations -- the African-Latino Society (ALS) and the American Red Cross at Ithaca College (ARC@IC) -- that are collaborating to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“This is an extraordinary circumstance, and we are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to help these students in a time of crisis,” says Ithaca College president Peggy R. Williams. “In addition, the students, faculty, and staff of Ithaca College have responded to this exceptional challenge by reaching out to provide support to those affected by the hurricane, from their classmates and colleagues on campus to complete strangers hundreds of miles away.”

More information on Ithaca College’s response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster is available at www.ithaca.edu/katrina.

Affected students who enroll at Ithaca College will receive assistance in making the transition from the Offices of Financial Aid, Residential Life, the Registrar, and the Bursar as well as the Hammond Health Center and the dean’s office in the appropriate school. Ithaca College will waive its late registration fees for students, work to place these students in classes that will transfer to their home colleges, and provide financial aid to students in need.

Classes at the College have been in session since August 24, and to enable a student to be successful in the transition, the last day to commence classes for these students will be Monday, September 12. Qualified students who cannot meet this enrollment deadline will be offered the opportunity to register for courses in spring 2006, or advised of other New York State institutions whose academic calendar has a later start date for fall 2005.

Students in the affected area who were previously accepted may contact the Office of Admission at 1-800-429-4274 or admission@ithaca.edu. If a student has not formally gone through the admission process and is interested in attending, he or she is encouraged to enroll as an extramural student through the Office of Continuing Education at (607) 274-3143 or cess@ithaca.edu. Extramural students who are interested in matriculating at Ithaca College will be encouraged to apply for admission for the spring 2006 semester.

The “Strive to Give $5” campaign spearheaded by the African-Latino Society and the American Red Cross at Ithaca College is encouraging every member of the Ithaca College community to donate a minimum of $5.00, with the hope of raising at least $35,000 for hurricane relief.

Representatives from the two organizations will be stationed in Textor Hall and the north foyer of Philips Hall to collect donations by cash and check. All funds raised will be directed to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund at the American Red Cross’s national headquarters.

To symbolize the fund-raising effort, ALS and ARC@IC will provide green and yellow ribbons to all who donate. The green is intended to represent the environmental aspect of the disaster, while yellow signifies the welcoming of all those affected by the disaster. Results of the amount raised will be posted daily throughout the campus.

A meeting to discuss additional campus fund-raising opportunities by individual students and organizations will be held on Thursday, September 8, at noon in Williams 225.