Dear Psi Chi Chapter President and Advisor,

The images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina attest to the power of the physical forces in our environment and to the devastation that such energy can produce. From displacements to destruction, from flooding to food, the images stream at us. This disaster is such that it will not only impact upon individuals, but it could alter economic growth in the United States into 2006, even beyond.

There are at least 13 colleges and universities which have Psi Chi Chapters that are either closed or have put off the start of the fall semester or term. These chapters are in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Students at schools impacted by Hurricane Katrina may qualify for a one-time hurricane-relief loan of up to $1,000 from Sallie Mae (see website: www.salliemae.com/katrina/). This site lists the institutions that qualify for the emergency funding, and the fund will provide up to $15 million in total relief available to students.

Given the magnitude of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, it will take some time to analyze the total physical and psychological damage caused by the storm. There are, however, some points that are becoming clearer with respect to needs that survivors of the hurricane have. It might surprise members of your chapter, to learn that relief agencies do not want food donations from the general public. Instead, there is a need for "cash" donations. The relief organizations need money in order to purchase food, clothing, generators, hygiene items, water, blankets, beds, etc. There is also a major need for alternative housing arrangements and jobs. The Red Cross reports that it is operating 600+ shelters in 24 states with an estimated 142,000 evacuees or locally displaced persons. Relief agencies list time, money, and personnel, as their top needs. The Red Cross can be contacted at 1-800-HELP NOW. Your chapter can also research other relief agencies with which you might want to affiliate, which might include other relief agencies such as The Houston Food Bank's Virtual Food Drive for hurricane victims and the Salvation Army.

As your fall semester swings into gear, your Psi Chi Chapter might think about setting up a Hurricane Relief Fund Raiser. The fundraiser could take the form of reaching out to faculty and to students on your campus for donations. You can target a relief organization of your choice to receive the collected funds and if checks are collected, they could be made out directly to the named organization, i.e., "American Red Cross," "Salvation Army," etc. If every Psi Chi Chapter were to make a donation of as little as $25, our entire organization could collect donations of $25,000 with little effort. Please think about such an effort...in fact, members of Psychology Departments alone could probably support such a Service initiative with donations totaling far more than $25 per campus!

If your Psi Chi Chapter does raise funds for relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, then, please let the Psi Chi National Office know about your success. Please contact psichi@psichi.org to report the results of your chapter's work. The Psi Chi National Office will credit such efforts as counting as a Service Activity. The Psi Chi National Council is researching additional actions that might be undertaken by our organization. It would also be appreciated if you would contact us with your ideas.

Sincerely,

Robert Youth, Ph.D. (youthr@dowling.edu)
Psi Chi National President

Virginia Andreoli Mathie, Ph.D. (virginia@psichi.org)
Psi Chi Executive Director

Paula Miller, MBA (paula@psichi.org)
Psi Chi Executive Officer