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Student Senate officers at Eastern Oklahoma State College presented U.S. District 2 Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, with an Eastern t-shirt representative of the first of more donations to be coordinated with his office to go toward the hurricane relief effort following Katrina’s devastation of the southern coastal cities.

Boren briefly visited the Wilburton college Friday, Sept. 2, to talk with students before other scheduled meetings. Eastern Dean of Students Preston Boyles says Eastern and students are finalizing plans to aid in relief efforts.

“Over the next three weeks we will be hosting an array of events including dances, basketball tournaments and contests on campus to raise money for the effort,” Boyles said.

“We plan to organize a community wide effort to help those in need. To be truly successful we will need everyone’s help. We will be collecting clothing and monetary donations to send to the victims of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.”

Eastern President Dr. Richard Bernard said Eastern will aid the disaster victims where possible.

“We have some available housing on campus to support the effort, especially those whose education may have been interrupted by the disaster,” Bernard said.

“Eastern hopes to establish a tie with other colleges in the affected area to insure that we reach students in need.

Bernard said Eastern will waive all tuition for the victims for this fall semester and will seek other avenues for student financial assistant.

While it is still early, the U.S. Department of Education is expected to issue guidelines for federal financial aid for those students who may

have been enrolled in what has become a “non-functional higher education institution within the disaster area” according to Leah Miller, director

of enrollment management.

“Eastern will follow the guidelines issued by the Department of Education with respect to transferring federal student aid programs from affected institutions.

“We will have to allow them late enrollment and accelerated admission since classes began August 16 and the last day to add classes for the regular student was August 19.

“They will be late, but welcome,” she said.

Students from the area have contacted both the McAlester and Wilburton campuses seeking enrollment information. Miller said at least one of the

students contacting the Wilburton campus had relatives in the area.

Boren told students asking questions of him Friday he was concerned with the speed of the relief efforts for the victims.

“I think we’re going to have a long deliberative process to look into the problems,” he said.

Caption info:

Student Senate officers at Eastern Oklahoma State College presented U.S. District 2 Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, with an Eastern t-shirt representative of the first of more donations to be coordinated with his office to go toward the hurricane relief effort following Katrina's devastation. Making the presentation was from left: Preston Boyles, Dean of Students; Johni Beth Gibbs, Student Senate Secretary from Sheridan, AR; Justin Eubanks, Vice President from Cave Springs, AR; Lane Smith, Treasurer, Russellville, AR; Congressman Boren; Zac "Hat" Gadberry, President, Stingtown and Carly Jones, Parlimentarian, Talihina.