UCR Newsroom

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — www.ucr.edu — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the University of California, Riverside community is working to enroll students displaced from affected communities, accommodate faculty and staff directly affected by the disaster, and work with relief organizations to raise needed resources.

The Undergraduate Admissions Office and the Graduate Division are working to accommodate students displaced by Katrina by enrolling them in appropriate UCR programs. UCR has received inquiries from more than 60 students and admissions official will verify UC eligibility as records become available. Nine students have so far been offered enrollment.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs has made short-term loans and cash assistance available to those students most in need and will assist others with financial aid applications.

In addition, campus leaders have planned a UCR Hurricane Relief Drive to be held in conjunction with Welcome Week activities on Sept. 29 and 30.

Among the activities being planned for the UCR Hurricane Relief Drive are:

• A blood drive at the University Corporate Yard from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thusday, Sept. 29 featuring two blood mobiles from the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside counties;


• Donation collections with the American Red Cross and other charities scheduled to coordinate with the Sept. 29 blood drive and the Welcome Week Block Party, from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, at the Aberdeen and Inverness Residence Hall.

Employees who wish to volunteer for hurricane relief may receive paid leave to help under specific circumstances consistent with campus guidelines, which will be issued shortly by the UCR Office of Human Resources. Currently approved circumstances include:

• Members of UC sponsored response teams sent to assist with the relief efforts who have special skills and training, such as nurses, search and rescue personnel, hydraulics experts, and others with expertise in disaster relief work;


• Those involved with official relief efforts sponsored by FEMA, the Red Cross, and other sanctioned organizations;


• And employees who were traveling in the area at the time of the disaster and became stranded.

University workers may also request use of their accrued vacation and/or sick leave to provide care to family members directly affected by the disaster.

University of California resources based at UC Riverside are being marshaled to help the Spanish Speaking communities in the affected states.

The UCR-based Spanish Broadcast & Media Services, part of UC's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is providing radio public service announcements, handouts and other materials in Spanish to radio stations in affected areas of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Flood recovery is the topic, covering issues ranging from family reunification after a natural disaster to making sure the water is safe to use to helping children cope with fear after the disaster. Information in Spanish is available on the service’s Web site, then clicking on the link “INUNDACIONES.”

The service has offered its language expertise to the Cooperative Extension services at Mississippi State University, Louisiana State University and Auburn University in Alabama. They’ve offered to adapt into Spanish any materials the staff in the affected states will prepare in English to meet the needs of the population as they start the recovery process.

According to Spanish-language press reports, more than 250,000 immigrants from Mexico and Honduras live in the three-state area most affected by the hurricane.

UCR has also established a Web site with resource information and our Hurricane Katrina assistance efforts.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment of about 18,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.