A Note from President Brandt: George Fox Responds to Hurricane Katrina The events of the past week seem far away when the weather in Oregon is sunny and warm. What we know comes by way of the various news media with pictures that seem impossible. We are a nation that prides itself in responding quickly to human need, whether in our country or elsewhere. This week we seem not to have done very well. The university responds both individually and collectively. Many individuals will give to various relief agencies, but we must also respond as an institution.
The university community commits itself to pray for those who have been hurt by this natural disaster. We are a university that centers on a God who cares about those who hurt and hears our prayers. We have had special times of prayer for the victims of Katrina's fury, but we must continue to pray for them and for all of us as we make decisions about how to respond over the longer haul.
George Fox University will grant a semester of free tuition to any student from an institution not able to function as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Each such student will be dealt with individually to provide a schedule that will be least disruptive to that student's educational program.
We are committed to provide financial support as each of us is able to do so. We are cooperating with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), and the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). These organizations have a combined membership of 562 institutions. On Monday George Fox University collected an offering after the chapel service to support member institutions in the devastated region.
The chapel offering is being divided between the educational groups noted above and Northwest Medical Teams (NWMT). In addition we are encouraging participation in the NWMT request for personal hygiene items. Some of our faculty members have made themselves available to NWMT to lend counseling/trauma support to victims.
The university's campus ministry office is now making plans for longer term support for the damaged region. This is likely to include sending groups of students as one of the Winter Serve trips between Christmas and New Year.
This tragedy has also highlighted some systemic problems in our country. The hardest hit segment of our population has been those who are poor. They live in less than the best environments, they have no place to go to, and they have no money with which to "make things happen." This event must place issues of poverty on the "front burner" for our society. How we live together as a community of Americans must be addressed by all of us who care about humans. My hope is that the George Fox University Serve Day is one of the means we use to teach about the need to care for others, especially those who are poor and not able to provide certain essentials for themselves.
