In the wake of one of the nation’s largest natural disasters, Susquehanna University is responding to those affected by Hurricane Katrina in a number of ways. Latest News -- Updated 11/16/05 Three organizations at Susquehanna are sponsoring an instrument donation drive to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The drive, which is called “Putting the Music Back in the Heart of Louisiana” is sponsored by Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and the Collegiate Music Educators National Conference (CMENC) and will run from November 14 to December 9. Donations of musical instruments should be brought to the Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity house on 405 University Avenue or to the Sigma Alpha Iota House located on 520 University Avenue. Members of CMENC will hold a workshop to appraise and repair all donations. Monetary donations are also being accepted to defray the costs of repairs and shipping. For further information, please contact Valarie Bastek, president of Sigma Alpha Iota, at bastek@susqu.edu . (11/16/05) What We're Doing Recognizing that the most immediate need is for funds to support the ongoing relief efforts Susquehanna University has made a donation to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) Disaster Response Program. The university will donate the gate receipts for fall athletics events to the relief effort. Plans are underway at Susquehanna University for students to travel to the Gulf Coast during the winter semester break to assist with disaster recovery efforts. About two dozen students, faculty and staff will travel to Mandeville, Louisiana, for a week in January, where they will work through a host church. Learn more here. (10/7/05) Campus fundraising efforts include: A benefit concert was held on November 5, featuring student bands The Pat Brawley Experience, Justine Rumble, Kacktus, and Sense Emil, national artist John Rush, and SU's own Faculty Lounge. An army of at least 40 student volunteers helped the event to run very smoothly. Proceeds from the concert, which had an estimated attendance of over 200 people, topped $1450, and will be matched by the university. (11/9/05) The Susquehanna University Fund is offering donors to their annual fund drive the opportunity to designate a portion of their gifts toward the university's future disaster recovery efforts. The donations will help fund the travel of student work teams who are planning service trips to the Gulf Coast later in the year. To date, the SUF has raised over $12,000 for disaster recovery. (9/23/05)(updated 11/16/05) SUN Council took part in Teach for America's “Build a Bag” initiative, for which participants purchased book bags and filled them with school supplies for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina. (9/23/05) Kappa Delta sorority collected items for children and teens up to age 18 affected by Hurricane Katrina. These items included toys, books, clothing, Halloween costumes and buckets, and monetary donations. (9/19/05) Steve Wilkerson, instructor of management in the Sigmund Weis School of Business, and his wife, Myra, initiated a matching fund-raiser for relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina forced them to cancel their vacation to New Orleans. The Wilkersons challenged any student group or organization on campus to raise $2,000 and they would match that amount. In one weekend, TKE fraternity brothers raised $1,000 standing outside businesses along the Golden Strip in neighboring Hummels Wharf with donation buckets. They were inspired to take the challenge after one of their brothers, Jon Snyder, took a leave of absence to serve with the National Guard in the Gulf Coast. The brothers went on to win the challenge, raising $1225 for hurricane relief efforts. The Wilkersons matched TKE's funds to make their total donation $2450. Steve and Myra Wilkerson have also pledged an additional $2,000 for a similar initiative with the Selinsgrove Intermediate School, which raised $4000 in donations. Their story has been featured on WBRE-TV (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) and WKOK Radio (Sunbury). (10/25/05) The cheerleading squad is selling orange and maroon Mardi Gras beads at football games, with all proceeds going to disaster relief (9/18/05); A dance, sponsored by student resident assistants at the university's Tudor House on Sept. 9, raised over $1000.00 for the American Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund (9/4/05); Members of the Theta Chi fraternity solicited donations for the Red Cross' hurricane relief efforts in the Selinsgrove area on September 10. The group's door-to-door canvassing efforts raised approximately $360 (9/8/05); Student-run radio station WQSU sponsored a car wash at the Selinsgrove Wal-Mart on Sept. 11, with proceeds earmarked for disaster relief; and Cash donations are also being accepted at the university bookstore (9/10/05). Other initiatives: The Red Cross held a blood drive on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at St. Pius X Church. The campus community has a tremendous history of supporting blood drives. Susquehanna’s Office for Volunteer Programs and the Chaplain’s office are working to facilitate a coordinated response to the disaster. The Chaplain’s office is also working with the ELCA’s Vocation and Education Program Unit on the coordination of winter and spring break trips to the affected areas. Students, faculty and staff interested in traveling to the Gulf Coast during winter and/or spring break to provide direct assistance can contact Eric Lassahn, coordinator of volunteer programs, at lassahn@susqu.edu. Information for Alumni A small number of the university’s 14,000 alumni reside in the Gulf Coast states directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. The university is currently engaged in efforts to confirm their whereabouts and well-being. We are also interested in sharing with the larger university community information about alumni who are involved in relief and recovery efforts. Go to www.sualum.com to post your news or story. This site is updated as more information about alumni and university efforts becomes available. Susquehanna Voices: “We know for certain that this relief and recovery effort will require many months and years, and that sustaining support for these needs will be challenging. Let us draw from our long tradition of service to others as we create volunteer and service learning responses that will be helpful to the people of the region.” --L. Jay Lemons Susquehanna University President "An important thing to keep in mind through all of this is that the situation will not be resolved in a season. The need will continue for years, and Americans tend to have short attention spans when it comes to disaster response and relief. I encourage us all to keep those affected by the disaster in our prayers, hearts and minds for as long as it takes.” --the Rev. Mark Wm. Radecke University Chaplain