 |
|
 |
New Orleans Hillel's "Reunion Road Trip" Helps Displaced Students Reconnect with Tulane Community
October 31, 2005Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friend  Professionals from the Hillel Foundation of New Orleans have hit the road to reconnect with students from Tulane University who were dispersed around the country after Hurricane Katrina forced Tulane to close for the fall semester. Jewish Student Life Coordinator Jody Portnoff kicked off the "Reunion Road Trip" on Oct. 28 at Boston University with a free Shabbat dinner for Tulane students temporarily enrolled on that campus.
"It turned out to be a really cool event, in more ways than one," Portnoff said, referring to the chilly weekend in Boston. "But in spite of the nippy temperatures, everyone there got into the N'awlins spirit, donning Mardi Gras beads and comparing hurricane evacuation stories. Students also brainstormed plans for co-sponsoring a campus-wide music festival – with other Tulane organizations – to benefit hurricane victims."
According to New Orleans Hillel Executive Director Paige Nathan, the road-trip itinerary includes selected campuses around the country where there are large concentrations of Tulane students. NOH will host a reunion event at each stop along the way that will be free of charge for any Tulane student or alumnus.
"Over the past two months, we've been extremely busy locating our students by phone, e-mail and in person," Nathan said. "And it goes without saying that they are anxious to return to campus life as they knew it in New Orleans. But because that time is still a few months away, we decided to bring a little bit of Tulane to them, and the response so far has been very positive."
NOH will move on to Syracuse, Ithaca and New York City this week, with other events planned throughout November in Philadelphia, St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Boulder, Dallas and Miami.
NOH serves more than 1,000 Jewish students in New Orleans each year, most of whom attend Tulane University. Nathan and her staff have built an extremely effective program there, aimed at engaging students "where they're at," with a diverse range of program opportunities.
"Three years ago, we made a strategic decision to provide most of our activities out of the building. That meant taking our program into dorms, Greek houses, coffee shops and other popular campus locations. So the Reunion Road Trip is just another example of our already pro-active approach," Nathan said.
Please visit New Orleans Hillel to see when the New Orleans Hillel Reunion Road Trip is coming to your community.
|
 |
|
 |