Though the smoke from last week’s fires throughout southern California has yet to settle, DU has already announced plans to aid those affected by the flames.
Using ZIP code information of the current student body, the Student Life office contacted those students likely affected by the fires last week. Emails were sent to the 71 undergraduate students and 20 graduate students at DU from the areas affected by the fires.
Only four of those emailed by the Student Life office responded, confirming their permanent residence in the fire-threatened portions of California. None of those students requested any assistance in relationship to the fires.
“They sent out an e-mail saying, ‘We know you are from this area. We’re here if you need anything. Just let us know,” said Jim Berscheidt, the associate vice chancellor for university communications. “It was not like they set up a list of things they were going to do. Student Life just wants students to know they are there if the students need something.”
DU also reached out to the prospective students of the class of 2008 from areas affected by the fires in southern California.
DU plans to extend the early action registration deadline from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1 this year to help those applicants struggling from the fires.
“The office of admissions decided to do this because there are going to be students who are considering coming to DU who couldn’t meet the deadlines as a result of the fires,” said Berscheidt.
The various departments on campus began work last week to aid those affected by the fires. The individual departments reached conclusions on how to best reach out to the community.
“DU is very proactive when there’s a crisis,” Berscheidt said. “Because we have a lot of students from out of state, we are always looking at ways to help the students and their families. That’s what there here for-to help the students away from home.”
As the fires have begun to subside, thousands of the California residents forced to flee returned home last weekend.
Fourteen people died as a result of the fires, including seven from the fires and seven from causes related to evacuation. The fires caused injuries to 85 people, including over 60 firefighters.
The cost of damages to the homes as a result of the fires is expected to exceed $1 billion. The flames scorched over 450 square miles and burned at least 1,641 homes.
DU’s outreach to the community affected by the fires follows the university’s attempt to aid hurricane Katrina victims in 2005. DU offered students from the New Orleans-area including those attending Tulane University the option of transferring while the communities in Louisiana worked to rebuild.
“Community engagement is a big part of what DU does,” Berscheidt said. “If there is something going on somewhere else, we have to look at where DU can be involved in it some way. DU is obviously becoming a lot more of a national and international university. Because of this, we always have to be looking beyond the borders of Colorado.”
