Baylor working to help those affected by Hurricane Ike

While many who live along the Gulf Coast are still without power and working to get their lives back in order after Hurricane Ike, Baylor University is doing what it can to help its students and their families.

After the storm made its way through Texas, University officials began to contact the 800 or so students whose families live along the Texas and Louisiana coast to let them know specifically how Baylor can help them during this time.

Staff in the Counseling Center are available to students who just to need to unload, talk, cry and pray through what they and their families are dealing with. Professors have been urged to be sensitive to their students’ situations, particularly since many classes are just hitting their first round of tests. In the coming weeks, those students hit hardest may find themselves struggling to keep up with school work, and academic counselors in the Paul L. Foster Success Center are also ready to help.

Above and beyond that, the Baylor Parents League as well as the Financial Aid and Development offices are working together to make financial aid available to students with needs caused by the storm — those with parents who lost homes, jobs and/or businesses, for instance. The Parents League has a fund for just such a situation, and Baylor has set up a second temporary fund just for those affected by this storm. Interim president Dr. David Garland sent out an e-mail late last week to ask for prayers and financial assistance in supporting these students, and already over $7,500 has been collected; if you’re interested in helping, click here.

Last but not least, the Student Activities and Spiritual Life departments are working together to form a relief team that would head to the coast over Fall Break, depending on safety issues, with another follow-up trip being considered for Spring Break. Anyone interested should contact Karin Klinger in Student Activities or Rebecca Kennedy in Spiritual Life for more information.

Sic ’em, Baylor family, for helping those in need!