Staff Editorial: First anniversary of Hurricane Katrina highlights need for continued outreach efforts in New Orleans

August 29, 2006 marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Although a full year has passed, the destruction from the force of Katrina has not yet been repaired. While there is ongoing reconstruction of New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana, only half of the city’s population has returned, many people remain displaced. Approximately half of the $110 billion of government funding allocated to rebuilding the city has not found its way south. Clearly, the process of healing and rebuilding will take much longer than one year.

Although the devastation of Hurricane Katrina is still evident and the dedication to rebuild is still strong, the challenge facing us as a college and as a nation is that more recent issues and global conflicts are vying for our attention and our time.

In response to disasters like Katrina, college campuses have typically been very quick to foster social activism on a community, national and global level. Vassar is no exception to this trend, and many students are involved in non-profit organizations and community-building efforts.

While we work to respond to each concern with as much care and passion as those before, we are in danger of neglecting and even forgetting past tragedies that continue to need our attention. Even if one calamity replaces another in our immediate social consciousness, we must still remember the continuing effects of those that came before and continue to take action.

However, many Vassar students have not backed down from this challenge. At the student activities fair on Sept. 3, many students showed interest in supporting efforts that arer being made by groups like Habitat for Humanity and UNICEF.

Last year also saw the emergence of groups like Earthquake Relief and ALANA Katrina Relief, two groups that focused on different relief efforts. Many on-campus organizations participated in the efforts, including the Black Students Union, Asian Students Alliance, Caribbean Students Alliance, and Poder Latino, among others. The organizations ran events to raise money, such as last September’s Cabaret Night, sponsored by Hip Hop 101. ALANA Katrina Relief also placed empty boxes around campus to collect clothing for those who may have lost entire homes with all of their belongings in the devastating catastrophe.

Men’s rugby became involved in a private effort after the family of Derek Jose ’02 pledged money for every try scored by the team, culminating in a $1,500 donation which was distributed to Katrina victims via the American Red Cross.

This year, we hope such efforts will continue until the work is done. The Vassar chapter of Habitat for Humanity is considering holding a build in Louisiana during Spring Break 2007. Habitat for Humanity will be offering a collegiate challenge program there at that time to encourage local chapters to make the trip.

A class entitled “Rethinking New Orleans: For the Future” will be offered in the spring semester. Its aim is to help students understand the complicated issues surrounding the interpretations of and reactions to Katrina in various fields of study.

The increased involvement in social outreach programs in response to natural disasters like Katrina show the continuing importance of activism. There is always work to be done, and if young people must stay enthusiastic in order for long-term change to take place.

As media headlines are crammed with constant news of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and conflict, we run the risk of becoming a culture that can only focus on the disaster-of-the-hour, forgetting each one too quickly as another springs to the front page. It is important to continue our efforts to help alleviate the effects of all of these disasters, even after their headlines become yesterday’s news.

The Staff Editorial represents at least a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.