Hurricane Response

Tulane students begin classes
at Rice as visiting students

Rice University has enrolled 106 Houston-area undergraduates from Tulane University for fall semester classes as emergency visiting students.

The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management has accepted 11 Tulane business students on a similar basis.

Doctoral student helps provide wireless computer access

Joseph Camp, doctoral student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, assisted Houston-area nonprofit Technology For All (TFA) in deploying a wireless network that provided high-speed connectivity to dozens of computers on the floor of the Astrodome. The TFA network, dubbed “ACT” for Astrodome Community Technology, was used by hundreds of evacuees each day and helped more than 1,000 evacuees reconnect with loved ones on its first day of service, said Will Reed, president of TFA.

Joseph Camp

ACT operated about 90 computers in the Astrodome, including 30 wireless laptops that relief workers carried throughout the stadium to interview evacuees. The ACT network is based on revolutionary Wi-Fi technology developed at Rice’s Center for Multimedia Communication. TFA deployed ACT in collaboration with SBC, CompuCycle, SimHouston, Yahoo! and IBM.

Jones School runs donation drive

The Central Charity Challenge has spearheaded a volunteer initiative and is currently running a donation drive for the faculty, staff and students at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management.

Jones School students have contributed in the following ways:

• Dozens of students and their families have volunteered time at the Astrodome, Houston Food Bank, George R. Brown Convention Center and HEB Food Drive.

• Numerous donations have been delivered to shelters around the Houston area.

The donation drive continues, and students, staff and faculty can drop off items in the bins at Robert and Janice McNair Hall. Clothing, food, baby and hygiene items are being accepted and distributed to local shelters.

International students donate $12K to Red Cross relief effort

Rice international students and scholars stepped up to the plate in a time of crisis to help victims of Hurricane Katrina by raising $12,069 in just one week for the American Red Cross.

The donors included 272 participants from 48 countries around the world. The participants signed a banner made by the Rice’s IT Help Desk, covering it with wishes, signatures and names of countries on every continent except Antarctica. The banner was posted Sept. 8 in the Reliant Center, which was home to more than 7,000 evacuees at the time.

Donors included a postdoctoral researcher from Poland who brought in money collected by his three children. Another student from India said he donates money each year in honor of his anniversary. He said this was the perfect opportunity.
The president of the Rice Aegean Club brought an envelope full of checks from Greek students who are members of the club. The Graduate Student Association donated money as well, and international students took the banner around campus to solicit donations and signatures from Rice administration and faculty.

Community Involvement Center keeps up-to-date volunteer info

The Community Involvement Center (CIC) Web site contains all the information Rice faculty, staff and students need to make a difference in this time of need. Many volunteer opportunities are outlined in detail at this site.

Resources are also available for:
• Latest announcements – See the latest news, information and requests for assistance.

• Direct service – Learn how to be involved in hands-on service with relief efforts.

• Monetary donations – Online donation sites for several agencies

• Donation of goods – Information on collection sites for ongoing drives

• Offer housing to evacuees – Links to agencies providing housing assistance

• Training opportunities – Find the training needed to help with direct refugee assistance.

The needs are constantly changing as the center continues to assess the way the Rice community can lend support during these relief efforts. The CIC Web site (http://www.rice.edu/service) is being continually updated with the most recent information. Contact Mac Griswold, <griswold@rice.edu> to volunteer.