Malaspina reaches out to U.S. students affected by Hurricane Katrina

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“We will provide special admission and support to a limited number displaced U.S. students, and offer them domestic tuition rates for the 2005/2006 academic year,” said Dr. Patrick Ross, Vice-President, Student Services at Malaspina. “We will work with these students to expedite admissions paperwork, financial aid and home-stay accommodations if they choose to apply here.”

Malaspina responded immediately to a call to action by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) following the hurricane’s devastation. An estimated 100,000 post-secondary students have been affected by the disaster. According to the AUCC,  Canadian universities and university-colleges from across the country have pledged to make hundreds of spaces available for students wishing to pursue their studies away from the affected areas.

“Like our colleagues in sister institutions across the country, we feel a certain obligation and strong desire to want to help our neighbours affected by this terrible tragedy,” added Ross. “We are eager to do what we can to help these students, and will continue to investigate options to provide ongoing support.”

Malaspina invited members of the Canadian Red Cross to the Nanaimo campus on Wednesday, September 14, to accept donations from faculty, staff and students who wish to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.