DECA PITCHES IN IN PASCAGOULA, MISS.

Dayton Early College Academy students put in long hours of hard work to help make houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina inhabitable once again.

"Dirty, nasty, stinky, gross, slimy." That's how James Fletcher, a third-year student at the Dayton Early College Academy, described the water in the houses in Pascagoula, Miss., a month after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region.

Fletcher, along with six classmates, saw the mess firsthand and put in long hours of hard work to help clean it up.

The group left Dayton for Pascagoula Oct. 5 and returned four days later. While there, they joined volunteers from Colorado, New Hampshire, New York and other places across the nation in helping clean up the debris. Working 12-hour days, they tore up carpeting and flooring, removed flood-damaged furniture and belongings, bleached floors and did whatever else needed to be done to make homes inhabitable once again.

For DECA student Victoria Underwood, the smell a month after the storm struck was often the worst part of the scene. "The houses that weren't destroyed, the water gave them mold," she said.

The students lived frugally on the trip, sleeping on cots or the floor of the Eastlawn United Methodist Church and eating from a food trailer that cooked up warm meals from donated canned goods for lunch and dinner. They funded the trip in part through a grant from UD and a car wash. The biggest source of funding was from individual donors on campus.

"In three days, we raised $700 walking around campus with buckets saying, 'We're going to Mississippi to help with Katrina,'" said P.R. Frank, one of two DECA teachers on the trip.

Students returned from the trip "with a greater appreciation for what they have and what they don't have and don't need," said Frank.

Students said the experience of going down and helping firsthand rather than just sending donations deepened their appreciation of the storm's impact.

"After I got down there, I didn't want to leave," said Mike Howard, also a third-year DECA student. "There's so much work to be done, and it's going to take awhile to do it all."

STUDENTS SHARE PERSPECTIVES ON KATRINA

Students representing a variety of academic disciplines discussed the issues Hurricane Katrina left in its wake. "We have been trying to humanize nature. We seem to be inflating our human knowledge to the point that we are now holding humans responsible for nature."

Kevin Fitzgerald, a senior philosophy major, raised this point as part of a panel discussion that UD students held Oct. 4 in response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

The panel, sponsored by Phi Sigma Tau, the national honor society in philosophy, offered students a chance to gain perspective on the disaster from the viewpoints of other students. Six students, each representing various disciplines across the University, discussed the effects of Katrina in terms of their specific areas of study.

Examining everything from the causes of the devastation to the decision of whether or not to rebuild New Orleans, the students evaluated what the nation can learn as recovery efforts continue.

For Lindsey McVay, a political science student, the disaster "has revealed how vulnerable the U.S. is in this situation."

This vulnerability, McVay said, is the result of the incompetence of the federal government and demonstrates that citizens "need to worry about the communication and organization between the federal, state and local governments."

Not only is the inter-communication of government of great concern, but Andrew Kopek, senior economics major, sees the disaster as a wake-up call to examine the poor living conditions of so many of the people of New Orleans. In researching for his panel presentation, Kopek said he found it shocking to discover that such a large portion of the black population of New Orleans had been living under the poverty level. "Sixty-eight percent of the population of New Orleans was black and, of these, 35 percent had been living below the poverty level," Kopek said.

"One thing our nation must learn from this disaster is that there is a need to repair this distinct, obvious class and race division," said Luciana Zolli, a representative of social justice studies.

Brian May, a senior representing religious studies, challenged those present to see this disaster as a chance to serve the nation in its time of need. "We need to give more to the relief effort. We are called to be sacrificial in giving."

Several students and staff members are answering this challenge as they travel to the Gulf Coast for the mid-term break on a campus ministry-organized break-out. Nikki D'Cruz, director of retreats ministry, said the group is willing to help however they are needed.

This is just a small step in what Jonathon Prior, a senior engineering student, said will be a decade-long process of rebuilding the city of New Orleans. "We need to rebuild this city for those people who lived there, and we need to count on support not only from those who were from New Orleans but from all of us who were not as well."

Approximately 50 University of Dayton students, faculty and staff will make a 1,600-mile round-trip journey by bus to Mississippi Oct. 7-11 to help the Catholic diocese of Biloxi with hurricane clean-up efforts.

"Simply put, I feel that I can help," said Katie Schoenenberger, an instructor of geology. "I can offer necessary supplies and a weekend of hard work. If, in addition to monetary donations, Americans choose to make the gesture of donating time, this situation will not only improve, but improve faster."

The trip, organized by UD's Center for Social Concern during midterm break, is the third Gulf Coast outreach effort from campus. A group of 10 students and two teachers from the Dayton Early College Academy (DECA) will travel to hurricane-ravaged Pascagoula, Miss., to help with clean-up efforts Oct. 5-9. DECA is a Dayton public high school on UD's campus. Also during the midterm break, 25 students from the UD chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ will travel to Gulfport, La., to help with clean-up efforts. The students will be taking a load of such supplies as tools and rakes to donate to Gulfport residents. Those interested in donating supplies should contact Rachel Bade at (937) 627-5774.

Within the diocese of Biloxi, at least 10 churches were destroyed or gutted, and six schools were destroyed, according to statistics on the diocese's Web site (http://www.biloxidiocese.org/special/katrina). Of 171,000 homes in the coastal counties, only 16,000 were reportedly unaffected by Hurricane Katrina.

"The damage has been very, very significant," said Nick Cardilino, director of the Center for Social Concern. "Unlike New Orleans, the people in Biloxi have been virtually ignored. You have an immense amount of rural poverty, and the diocese is facing problems with some of its schools and churches being wiped out to the ground. It's still minute by minute, hour by hour, for many people."

Leslie Cebula said her faith is motivating her to give up her midterm break and help.

"The news can only show me so much but can't show me it all. I want to see everything I can see, be as close to the people affected most and give them all I am able to offer," said the senior communication/broadcasting major from Wilmington, Pa. "I want to reflect on my faith while I'm there - and what it means to be a Christian."

Schoenenberger is driven both by the desire to serve and to get a firsthand look at the destructive force of hurricanes. "I have spent years teaching to students the genesis and effects of hurricanes. I believe that my background, however, lacks a true sense of the impact on human life and infrastructure," she said. "The true cost of recovery is a significant part of the story that is rarely covered with respect to natural disasters."

The University of Dayton is granting up to three weeks of paid leave to faculty and staff volunteering for organized hurricane relief efforts and has offered free tuition for one semester to Gulf Coast residents enrolled at universities in the region. UD enrolled six displaced students this fall. Jaci Jackson, assistant chief information officer for customer relations and director of technology support services, is volunteering for Red Cross relief work in the Gulf Coast.

"I have a strong passion just to help," she said. "I'm a Southern girl from a small town in Georgia, and, therefore, am very concerned that the small towns may be lost in the big picture."

University of Dayton students have raised more than $9,000 for the American Red Cross and continue to sell $10 red T-shirts during lunch as part of an ongoing fundraising drive. The staff in the president's office this week shipped boxes of school supplies to a UD graduate who's coordinating a collection for evacuees in Houston. The Center for Social Concern organized a donation drive for a transfer student from Southern Mississippi University whose family moved to Dayton and needed household items.

• Phi Sigma Tau, UD's Philosophy Honor Society, will sponsor a student forum on Hurricane Katrina from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Sears Recital Hall in the Jesse Philips Humanities Center. Students with perspectives on philosophy, economics, political science, religious studies, civil engineering and social justice will discuss the lessons to be learned from the hurricane and its aftermath. It's free and open to the public.



• University of Dayton chef Lisa Davis, who moonlights at the House of Bread, will cook lunch at the local soup kitchen Oct. 10-11 to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The House of Bread, 9 Orth Ave., is seeking donations and volunteers. Members of UD's Sigma Nu Fraternity Kappa Iota Chapter will assist as volunteers at the Monday, Oct. 10, lunch. For more information or to volunteer, call the House of Bread at (937) 226-1520 or The Foodbank at (937) 461-0265, ext. 16.

STUDENT FORUM SLATED OCT. 4

Phi Sigma Tau, UD's Philosophy Honor Society, will sponsor a student forum on Hurricane Katrina from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Sears Recital Hall in the Jesse Philips Humanities Center. Students with perspectives on philosophy, economics, political science, religious studies, civil engineering and social justice will discuss the lessons to be learned from the hurricane and its aftermath. It's free and open to the public.

DISPLACED STUDENT LOOKS BEYOND SELF, REACHES OUT TO OTHER VICTIMS

Jamee Williams, a former University of Southern Mississippi student displaced by Hurricane Katrina, has re-enrolled at UD and is collecting food, household and personal care items for two families in southern Mississippi. Furniture and other large items cannot be accepted. To donate, phone 627-8032 or e-mail jamee.williams@notes.udayton.edu. Items can be dropped off at 51 A Chambers St., on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. or Tuesday after 1:30 p.m. Williams and UD friends will deliver the items during fall break; donations are needed before Oct. 7.

University of Dayton chef Lisa Davis, who moonlights at the House of Bread, will cook lunch at the local soup kitchen Oct. 10-11 to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The House of Bread, 9 Orth Ave., is seeking donations and volunteers. Members of UD's Sigma Nu Fraternity Kappa Iota Chapter will assist as volunteers at the Monday, Oct. 10, lunch.

Donations will be accepted at the door, either cash or a check payable to America's Second Harvest. Lunch service begins at 11:30 a.m.

"As always, the House of Bread will need volunteers that day. We will begin at 9 a.m. and finish at 2 p.m.," Davis said. "Anyone is welcome to come to the House of Bread, receive a great meal, fellowship and make a donation to the cause. The greatest need for donations is money, but bleach, bottled water and any canned goods with pull tops are needed."

The Foodbank will direct all proceeds to America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Foodbank Network. The House of Bread is a member of The Foodbank and is a United Way Partner Agency.

For more information or to volunteer, call the House of Bread at (937) 226-1520 or The Foodbank at (937) 461-0265, ext. 16.

What's motivating Davis to take time away from cooking meals for UD faculty and staff to devote her culinary talents to this cause?

"The Dayton area is home to some of the same disadvantaged people who were hit by this disaster. We would like to have people become aware of this. Many, many pounds of food and items have been sent from the Dayton area to the disaster sites, and we still need to do more," she said. "I am giving my time and talents to this event to raise money for the soup kitchens that were destroyed by Katrina."

Davis also hopes to travel to the hurricane-stricken region with the mobile Salvation Army kitchen. The Salvation Army has served more than 1 million meals in response to Katrina and is providing aid to survivors in more than 30 states.

For media interviews, contact Lisa Davis at (937) 229-2236; Bill Evans, executive director of the House of Bread at (937) 226-1520; and Tim Gardner, program services manager for the Foodbank, at (937) 461-0265, ext 16.

A group of students from the Dayton Early College Academy (DECA) will travel to hurricane-ravaged Pascagoula, Miss., to help with clean-up efforts Oct. 5-9.

"They'll be distributing goods, shoveling mud, cleaning up debris and helping with landscaping," said Judy Hennessey, principal of DECA, a Dayton Public Schools high school housed on the University of Dayton's campus. "I think it might be a life-changing experience for the kids."

Ten students and two teachers will travel 800 miles by van to Pascagoula, a city of about 26,000 along the Gulf of Mexico, where they will distribute infant formula and food, diapers and canned goods. According to news reports, at least 18 people died and 25,000 were left homeless in Pascagoula and surrounding Jackson County.

P.R. Frank, media adviser, and Tracy Martz, a science teacher who serves as an emergency medical technician in Preble County, will accompany the students, who are expected to camp in tents and eat their meals at Eastlawn United Methodist Church.

Those interested in donating goods or making a financial contribution to offset DECA's travel expenses may contact the DECA office at (937) 542-5630.

"When the students realized the deep impact of Katrina, they asked me if we could make a trip. One student said, 'I don't mind the bugs, the mud and the heat as long as I'm helping other people,'" Frank said. "We're going to document the trip, so that when we come back we'll have a short documentary of what we did and the situation down there."

Now in its third year, the Dayton Early College Academy, featured this week in the Christian Science Monitor, enrolls first-generation college students from low-income neighborhoods who might not otherwise be able to attend college. Last year, DECA 9th - and 10th-graders took more than 60 college courses at UD and Sinclair Community College. In February, WestEd, a nonprofit organization, named DECA one of the nation's five most innovative "small-scale" high schools that is effectively reaching low-income and minority students and dramatically improving skills.

DECA requires community service. Last year, students spent hundreds of hours volunteering with community organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity. They also participated in community events, including the Walk for Women's Wellness, and worked on educational projects with community organizations, undertaking such tasks as identifying trees at Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum. In addition, students participated in the Dayton Mediation Center's peer mediation program.

For more on University of Dayton hurricane relief efforts, see http://KatrinaRelief.udayton.edu/.

For media interviews, contact P.R. Frank, DECA media adviser, at (937) 414-7975 or Judy Hennessey, DECA principal, at (937) 542-5630.

DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton President Daniel J. Curran is asking faculty, staff and students to "step up" and reach out to Hurricane Katrina victims. Employees who volunteer for organized hurricane relief efforts may be granted up to three weeks of paid leave, depending upon a supervisor's approval, Curran announced today.

For academically qualified students whose institutions have closed as a result of the hurricane and who are residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the University of Dayton will offer free tuition for the fall term. Other students with permanent residency outside the Gulf states will be admitted on a case-by-case basis, through Sept. 16.

"The phone was ringing off the hook last week," said Rob Durkle, director of admission. "Faculty, staff and people from all over Dayton have called and offered rooms for students and their families. The outpouring of support from the Dayton community has been heartwarming."

To date, the University of Dayton has enrolled six displaced college students. Two first-year students from Loyola University and one from Tulane University moved into campus housing and started classes Tuesday, Sept. 6. Another undergraduate attended UD in 2003, but transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi when her family moved to that state. She re-enrolled at UD this week after her family was displaced by the hurricane.

In addition, a graduate student from Loyola University started education classes, and a first-year law student from Loyola is expected to enroll this week.

"Our prayers go out to all who have been touched by this immense national tragedy," Curran said. "As a Catholic, Marianist university, we always have been a welcoming community. Today, we are called to do more. We need to reach out and help those who are struggling to rebuild their lives."

Efforts include:

• University of Dayton students are collecting donations in Kennedy Union from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Sept. 16. Students are using their prepaid Flyer cards to donate the cost of a meal or make a cash donation to hurricane relief. Donations will be distributed to nonprofit organizations, such as the American Red Cross. Collections were taken at all Masses on campus last weekend to assist fund-raising efforts by Catholic Charities USA. In addition, the rector's office is collecting gift cards to donate to the families of UD employees who are relocating from the hurricane-stricken area. To contribute, call the Rev. Paul Marshall, S.M., at (937) 229-4122.
  
  
• "Dayton Flyers Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort" will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, in the University of Dayton Arena's east wing. The Community Blood Center will conduct a blood drive at the Arena, and employees of National City will be accepting monetary donations for the American Red Cross. Call (937) 229-4433.
  
  
• Monday, Sept. 12, "Day of Prayer" will mark the two-week anniversary of the hurricane. The 12:05 p.m. Mass in the Immaculate Conception Chapel will be offered for the victims and relief and recovery efforts. A prayer vigil, including exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, will take place in the chapel from the end of Mass until 4:30 p.m. Students, faculty and staff have been invited to sign up for 15- or 30-minute prayer periods during that time. The prayer vigil will conclude with a special prayer service/litany at 4:30 p.m.
  
  
• A benefit concert at Gilly's for victims of Katrina is being organized by UD donor relations coordinator Helen Moss and adjunct music professor Khalid Moss, who is inviting area musicians to participate and donate their talents. The concert takes place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12. For ticket information, call Gilly's at (937) 228-8414.
  
  
• Michelle Phillips Moody, a 1992 alumna who owns a sporting goods store near Houston, where Katrina victims are being relocated, is encouraging UD student organizations and alumni to assist her in collecting needed supplies. "Refugees are living in people's garages and fire stations," she said. "Basically everything we take for granted is what these people need." Non-perishable foods, toiletries, pillows, blankets, water, diapers, underwear, shoes, glasses, clothing (suitable for 90-degree temperatures), socks, bug spray with DEET, toothpaste, toothbrushes, school supplies and telephone calling cards are needed. Donations may be sent to: Instant Replay SPORTS, c/o Michelle Moody, 19540 Clay Rd., Suite D, Katy, Texas 77449. Call (281) 463-2772.

For assistance in media interviews, contact Teri Rizvi or Kristen Wicker at (937) 229-3241.

BPJ AND FRIENDS TO STAGE BENEFIT FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

A musical benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina will be held from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, in the Kennedy Union Pub at the University of Dayton.

The concert will feature The Back Porch Jam, Nick Cardilino, Jersey Joe Lipinski, Greg Hansberry, Riding Shotgun and Melting Room.

A $5 donation is requested.

WHAT: Hurricane Katrina discussion
WHERE: Sears Recital Hall, Jesse Philips Humanities Center
WHEN: 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12

The University of Dayton will host a discussion forum on the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina and its scientific, economic and social implications.

The forum is presented by two academic clusters: Values, Technology and Society, along with Perspectives in Global Environmental Issues.

Also on Monday, the University will hold a "Day of Prayer" to mark the two-week anniversary of the hurricane. The 12:05 p.m. Mass in the Immaculate Conception Chapel will be offered for the hurricane victims and for the relief and recovery efforts, and a prayer vigil will take place in the chapel from the end of Mass until 4:30 p.m.

University of Dayton students also have been staffing collection tables to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. Donations will be distributed to nonprofit organizations, such as the American Red Cross, to aid their hurricane relief efforts.

"Our prayers go out to all who have been touched by this immense national tragedy," said Daniel J. Curran, University of Dayton president. "As a Catholic, Marianist university, we have always been a welcoming community. Today, we are called to do more. We need to reach out and help those who are struggling to rebuild their lives."

DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton will hold a "Day of Prayer" on Monday, Sept. 12, to mark the two-week anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

"The University of Dayton stands with the nation in mourning the victims of this terrible tragedy in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. I ask that you keep all of those along the Gulf Coast in your prayers," Daniel J. Curran, University of Dayton president, wrote in a letter today to faculty and staff.

The 12:05 p.m. Mass in the Immaculate Conception Chapel will be offered for the victims and relief and recovery efforts. A prayer vigil, including exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, will take place in the chapel from the end of Mass until 4:30 p.m. Students, faculty and staff have been invited to sign up for 15- or 30-minute prayer periods during that time. The prayer vigil will conclude with a special prayer service/litany at 4:30 p.m.

The Dayton community is invited to participate in the "Day of Prayer." For more information, contact the Campus Ministry office at (937) 229-3339.

As part of a number of University of Dayton efforts to help Hurricane Katrina victims, a community-wide blood drive will be held at UD Arena on Friday, Sept. 9.

The University of Dayton athletics division is teaming up with the Community Blood Center and National City to hold the "Dayton Flyers Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort" from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, in the University of Dayton Arena's east wing.

The Community Blood Center will conduct a blood drive at the Arena, and employees of National City will be accepting monetary donations for the American Red Cross. Depending on class and competition schedules, members of UD's athletic teams and staff members also will be volunteering.

"This is a national tragedy, and we all must step up," said UD President Daniel J. Curran. "The University of Dayton is proud to make the Arena available as a community resource for this effort as one of the many things the UD family will be doing in response to Hurricane Katrina."

"National City is proud to partner with University of Dayton to provide aid for the hurricane victims," added Jim Hoehn, president and CEO of National City Bank Southwest Ohio. "Please join us in helping to support those in need."

Blood donors must be 17 years or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, in good health and have not donated blood in the last eight weeks.

Checks or cash donations will be accepted. Checks should be made payable to the "American Red Cross."

Those interested in helping the relief effort should enter the Arena through Gates B or C off Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, park in Lot B, and walk into the Arena's east wing, which faces the Carillon Bell Tower.

For more information, contact the University of Dayton Arena at (937) 229-4433.