Colleges Come to Dillard U.'s Aid

Oberlin College and Brown and Princeton Universities are taking steps to help Dillard University, a historically black institution that was severely damaged by the hurricane.

Oberlin is asking all of its students, employees, and even its alumni to donate to a fund to help rebuild Dillard’s campus.

A breach in the 17th Street Canal levee in New Orleans sent floodwaters of up to eight feet through Dillard’s campus in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and a fire destroyed several buildings.

Oberlin helped to found a number of black colleges after the Civil War. While Dillard was not one of them, Nancy S. Dye, Oberlin’s president, says “our mission is to help students care about the world in which they find themselves, and to care about institutions that are doing good work.”

Senior administrators have pledged $10,000, and students are planning a jazz concert and a hip-hop concert to raise money. They have also announced plans for a fast to be held in October, with money that would have gone for food instead going to the Dillard fund.

Brown and Princeton have offered staff to help repair Dillard’s facilities and perform other tasks, and may also donate equipment and other materials.

http://chronicle.com Section: Special Report Volume 52, Issue 5, Page A18