CNN has prepared a compelling indictment of the out of touch Bush administration, and what happens when propaganda and happy talk meet tragic reality: click here. For a wrenching description of the true state of events, click here to listen to the Mayor of New Orleans.
What can you do? First, Write to your representatives and senators and demand immediate federal relief for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf coast.
Second, contact local institutions and demand that they take immediate action to help our compatriots in the Southeast. In New York, for example, Columbia University has announced that several hundred undergraduate and graduate students from schools in the southeast will be allowed to enroll without immediate payment this autumn and that faculty members from devastated universities will be welcomed as visiting scholars and scientists. "All of us in New York were the recipients of the enormous generosity of people across the nation and the world after September 11, 2001, and I know that we will all do our best to reciprocate by helping those affected by the disaster along the Gulf," wrote Provost Alan Brinkley.
BU is making a similar offer to Tulane undergraduates. U Penn will let qualified students enroll there tuition-free, but they can’t provide housing.
It would be helpful if people would post the letters that they send. I don’t send form letters, but sometimes I forget important points, and it’s nice to see what other people are writing so that I can have a model to work from.I’ve heard some people calling for resignations. I’d like to see them, but I’m not sure what the best way to advocate for them is.
Relatedly, the Dean of my law school, the University of Michigan, forwarded to alumni this email that he recently sent to returning students: “As many of you are aware, two law schools in New Orleans, Tulane and Loyola of New Orleans, are unsure of when they will be able to resume classes. Along with many other law schools across the country, we will open our doors to a number of displaced Tulane and/or Loyola upperclass students as visitors for the fall semester. We greatly appreciate your willingness to welcome them into our community and assist them in what is doubtless an extremely challenging set of circumstances.” Sounds like many academic institutions are stepping up.