Painting by Kate McLean, University Lab School Student

A College-wide Response to the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

In addition to continuing efforts in the CHILL project, it is important to briefly highlight the College’s overall involvement with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita recovery efforts. Many of our faculty, staff, and students welcomed displaced family, friends, fellow educators, and even complete strangers into their homes. The College enrolled 125 evacuees as visiting students, created a program to accommodate the alternative certification students from the University of New Orleans, and acknowledged several visiting students who received their diplomas from several New Orleans institutions at the College’s commencement ceremony.

While many College of Education members volunteered immediately after the storm at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, the LSU Help Line, or the School of Veterinary Medicine’s animal shelter, others spent weeks and even months offering both their expertise and their time at shelters and for relief efforts throughout the state.

Counseling professors Laura Hensley Choate, Gary Gintner, and David Spruill developed and conducted workshops offering tips for coping with the aftermath of the storms including stress response, examples of common reactions, risk and resiliency factors, and loss issues for health care professionals, parents, school counselors, teachers, governmental officials, and the LSU community.

The College of Education also actively collected and distributed supplies for hurricane assistance. In collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association, Fawn Ukpolo and other College faculty, staff, and students collected and distributed supplies to the City of Baker School System which experienced an incredible influx of many new students into the area after the FEMA relocation trailer site known as Renaissance Village was established in the city of Baker. Through her connections with executive directors from across the country in the Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and the American Heart Association, Kathy Hill collected and distributed donations and supplies to help replenish class materials for physical education teachers, an estimated $300 value worth of equipment per teacher.

Through a project funded by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, staff members from the College of Education worked with The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in developing and field testing a shelter survey assessment tool and conducted interviews at area shelters. This preliminary work aided in formation of the Child Friendly Spaces program that addresses the psychosocial needs of children through educational and fitness activities. The IRC also provided training to student volunteers in hopes of implementing the program in area shelters.

Students volunteered over the fall semester break for the Holiday Camp program at Renaissance Village organized by the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps and traveled to New Orleans with another non-profit aide organization known as Hart 4 Humanity to clean up parks and playgrounds. An elementary education junior deserves special mention for her relief efforts. Erin King served at the Istrouma Baptist Church, Green Chapel, and Shilo Baptist Church shelters in addition to volunteering at the River Center Shelter and the FEMA relocation trailer site known as Renaissance Village in Baker. King was moved by her experiences at these shelters; she postponed her studies at LSU for a semester in order to focus her time on working with the displaced children. King wants to dedicate her career to improving the living conditions and learning opportunities for children displaced by natural and man-made disasters within the United States and internationally.

The College of Education continues to explore ways to respond and to better understand the many challenges facing the state. This is only a small sample of the exciting and meaningful activities in which our faculty, students, and staff have been engaged. Some of these efforts are highlighted in more detail in the departmental sections throughout this publication. Due to the ever increasing number of ongoing activities, however, it is inevitable that many projects will go unmentioned—although not unappreciated.

Angela Owings Broussard | College of Education
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