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The University of Georgia has been asked by Governor Sonny
Perdue to participate in a statewide effort to house evacuees
from the hurricane devastation along the Gulf coast. Two
University of Georgia facilities will be utilized to meet
this request: the Ramsey Center for Student Activities, located
on the Athens campus, and the Rock Eagle 4-H Center, located
at Eatonton, GA. The Ramsey Center for Student Activities
is a designated Red Cross shelter.
This letter is to assure you that the safety and welfare
of UGA students will be the institution's primary concern
as we plan and implement the institution's participation
in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. UGA is committed
to the continuation of classes and student services and we
are taking action to minimize interruptions in our instruction,
research, and public service functions.
As of Tuesday, September 6, the University of Georgia had
not been notified when hurricane evacuees will arrive at
the Ramsey Center for Student Activities. (The Rock Eagle
4-H Center began accepting evacuees this past weekend.) However
throughout the Labor Day weekend, UGA officials worked with
the Red Cross to put into place a plan for the Ramsey Center
that will assist and aid the evacuees, many of whom
are elderly and have been through a horrific ordeal, while
maintaining the needs of University's students, faculty,
and staff.
Let me share with you the plans currently in place for utilization
of the Ramsey Center for relief efforts. The evacuees
will be housed in a single lower floor of the facility, which
will be closed to the members of the University Community
and the public at large. This arrangement provides
controlled and focused assistance to the evacuees while insuring
the security of the University community. For
safety purposes, security personnel will screen the evacuees
prior to their entering the shelter and will provide tight
security in the area. There will be a single entrance/exit
door for all evacuees and a check in system will be in place.
Aiding Gulf coast evacuees will have minimal impact on classroom
instruction and student services. Plans currently are
underway to relocate or refocus the very few classes that
have been affected by the designation of one floor of the
Ramsey Center as a relief shelter. As for campus
transit, because UGA is a public institution, evacuees will
have access to the UGA bus system as well as the Athens Clarke
County Transit System. We do not anticipate that
this will impact the movement of UGA students, faculty or
staff around the campus. Both the use of facilities
and campus transit will be monitored closely and we will
address any issues that may arise.
Finally, food service for the evacuees will be provided
in the Ramsey Center on the same level that has been designated
as the shelter area.
For updates on the University of Georgia's participation
in the state's relief efforts, I urge you to check the UGA
Webpage (http://www.uga.edu/). Also, please do
not hesitate to contact me personally via e-mail (vpaaprov@uga.edu)
with your concerns and suggestions.
Arnett C. Mace, Jr.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
and Provost
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