Friday
September 9, 2005
Volume 1, No. 1
THE WORD
Serving The Newest Members of Our Community
Produced by the NSU Department of Mass Communication
Bulletins
Mornings best
for laundry
Brenda Delatte, a worker with the
laundry service, encourages residents
to bring their laundry to the pickup
site in the mornings, so that it can be
returned the same day.
Residents should place laundry in
a bag with their name, date of birth
and building location written on the
outside.
The pickup site is in the
SWeeDIee tent at the end of the row
of tents in the parking lot next to the
tennis courts.
Delatte said that laundry turned in
during the afternoon might not be
returned until the next day. If a resident is called to board a bus for transportation off campus and laundry has
not been returned, the laundry must
be left behind.
Announcements for laundry
returns are made throughout the day.
Services
scheduled
Several Nicholls organizations
offer prayer and religious services for
all members of the Nicholls community. Shelter residents are invited to
join the Nicholls family for the following services:
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic
Church, located on Madewood
Drive, will celebrate Mass as follows: 12:15 p.m. Monday and
Wednesday; 7 p.m. Tuesday; 8 a.m.
Thursday; 5 p.m. Saturday; and
10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.
Baptist Collegiate Ministries,
located at the Baptist Student Union
on Madewood Drive, will host the
following: 7:30 a.m Monday,
Wednesday and Friday prayer; 7:30
p.m. Tuesday Bible study and lunch;
11 a.m.-noon Tuesday from “Phat
Tuesday Worship Service.”
Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
invites all adults (high school age and
above) to Prayer and Message
Service at 7 p.m. Thursday in Le
Bijou Theater of the Student Union.
The Union is located across the street
from Stopher Gym.
Getting The Word
University begins a newsletter
for residents of campus shelters
From Staff Reports
Nicholls State University will
begin publishing a twice-weekly
newsletter for the residents of the
campus shelters for Hurricane
Katrina evacuees. It is part of an
overall program to make the new
members of the University community as comfortable as possible under
difficult circumstances. The Word
will be published on Tuesdays and
Fridays. It will contain information
of interest to those who are being
temporarily housed in University
buildings.
Speaking to a group of more than
600 faculty and staff Monday,
University President Stephen Hulbert
said the campus would do its part to
help area residents move forward in
the wake of the storm. He said that
while the influx of new students and
evacuees would create some difficulties for the University, he knew that
everyone would pull together to
make the new arrivals feel at home
More than 900 people have taken
up shelter in three centers on campus
(photo by James Stewart)
University President Stephen Hulbert addresses faculty and staff Monday in the Peltier Hall auditorium.
– Ayo Hall, and Stopher and Shaver
gyms. Close to 200 students from
New Orleans area universities and
colleges have registered for classes at
Nicholls.
The editors of the newsletter
calling the Department of Mass
Communicatiom, ext. 4586.
The editors’ objective is to make
The Word a dependable source of
useful information for those making
a new home on campus.
Companies searching for workers
Chris Singleton
staff writer
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many
businesses and companies are opening offices
looking to help or hire displaced victims for temporary or permanent jobs.
Louisiana National Guard Battalion 156, which
is running the shelter site in Stopher Gymnasium,
plans to assist hurricane victims with transportation to and from their jobs.
The South Louisiana Economic Council
(SLEC) in cooperation with the Bayou Area
Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM)
has teamed up with Monster.com to create an
online job matching service.
Monster.com is providing its technologies to
the bayou region free of charge. This service will
allow local companies to easily post available jobs
that can be matched with available talent of evacuees in the Bayou region as well as local talent.
Charles Gaiennie, public relations representative for SLEC, said the Monster.com database
should be available on the Internet today for evacuees.
For more information, visit the SLEC website
at www.slec.org or call 985-448-4485.
The Thibodaux Wal-Mart is automatically hiring workers who are already in the Wal-Mart system because of past jobs at any New Orleans area
Wal-Mart.
Workers should see store personnel at the
Thibodaux Wal-Mart at 410 N. Canal Blvd. Wouldbe employees can pick up an application at the
Wal-Mart Hiring Center inside the store.
McDonald's establishments in Thibodaux, Gray
and Morgan City have employment opportunities
for crew members and management positions.
McDonald's will accept temporary applications
from evacuees until they return home.
Potential employees are asked to note on the
Meal time
application that they are a “Hurricane Katrina
Evacuee.” Anyone who was an employee of a New
Orleans area McDonald's must provide the store
number, address, and the name of the owner or
operator. Applicants can apply at either of the following McDonald's in person: 307 Canal Blvd.,
Thibodaux 985-448-1727, Joe Bishop - Store
Manager; 1715 St. Mary Street, Thibodaux 985446-5500, Charlene Madison - Store Manager.
Local Rouses Supermarkets are accepting a
variety of applications from Hurricane Katrina victims. Rouses is looking for clerks, stock people,
meat cutters and workers for food service areas.
Rouses' personnel director Steve Galtier said applicants can go to any Rouses location and complete
an application. Galtier said after completing applications, applicants should ask to speak with the
manager on duty. Thibodaux Rouses are at 1175
Audubon Ave and 1653 St. Mary St.
see COMPANY, p. 2
Children returning to school
IMPORTANT CONTACT
IFORMATION
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
FEMA
800-621-3362
www.fema.gov
Missing Persons
Next of Kin Registry:
www.nokr.org
American Red Cross:
www.redcross.org
Family Links Registry
877-568-3317
National Center for Missing or
Exploited Children:
800-843-5678
University Police
Ext. 4746
encourage shelter residents to suggest story topics they would like to
see included in the newsletter.
Suggestion boxes have been placed
in various shelter locations.
Suggestions can also be made by
By Christina Berry
(photo by James Stewart)
Red Cross workers distribute meals at noon Thursday in the parking lot
next to the tennis courts.
staff writer
Parents must register their children for enrollment in Lafourche
Parish schools by this afternoon so
that they can begin classes Monday,
according to Christopher L. Wilmoth,
the pupil appraisal coordinator for
the school board. Children who have
not been registered will not be
allowed on buses.
Wilmont said final assignments of
elementary and middle school students, as well as contact information
and bus schedules, will be posted at
the Talbot Hall registration area
Friday evening.
Middle school children will
attend either East Thibodaux or West
Thibodaux middle school.
Elementary students will be
Thibodaux
placed
in
either
Elementary,
South
Thibodaux
Elementary or W.S. Lafargue
Elementary.
All high-school aged students will
attend Thibodaux High School,
which begins at 7:25 a.m. and releases at 2:25 p.m.
Registration forms are available
at each shelter.
Students attending school under
special registration will be eligible
for free or reduced-cost lunches and
perhaps uniforms.
The school board has been asked
to declare mandatory attendance for
all school-aged children. There are
no plans to enforce the attendance
policy as of now; however, parents
are encouraged to register children as
quickly as possible.
As of Wednesday, afternoon 144
children were registered.
The school board office phone
number is 447-8181.
THE WORD
Page 2
Bulletins
Arts & Sciences
slates activities
The College of Arts and Sciences
has organized an entertainment program for residents of campus shelters.
Wednesday through Friday, a different department will present a 45minute program. Each presentation
will be at 2 p.m. in Le Bijou Theater
in the Student Union.
At press time, the schedule for
next week’s activities was as follows:
Wednesday – Jackie Jackson of
English department will read from
the humorous story by Eudora
Welty, “Why I Live at the P.O.”
Thursday – Johnny Hoffman will
perform his Uncle Noon comedy
routine featuring Cajun humor.
Communications
center available
A communication center, in the
back of Stopher Gym is open to all
shelter residents. The center houses
six computers with Internet access
and 10 telephones with long-distance
access.
Family, friends and others can
contact residents at 985-448-5420.
Center coordinators encourage residents to schedule a specific time for
return phone calls. Residents can
then be present in the communication
center when calls are returned. There
is a posted five-minute time limit on
all calls.
Additionally, a message board is
located on the red doors just outside
the communication center. Residents
are encouraged to check the message
board regularly as it is the primary
means of communication between
shelter organizers and residents.
Activity
Schedule
Friday
2 p.m.
6 p.m.
Bowling
BBQ- put on by the
St. Josephs CoCathedral Matthews
25 Team
Saturday
2PM
Basketball
Tournament- still
taking sign-ups for
teams of 3 ages 1017
Sunday
1:30 p.m. Flag Football for
adults- meet in front
of Shaver Gym
4 to 4:30 p.m.
House of Prayer
Choir- location TBD
THE WORD
The Word is a publication of the
Nicholls State University Department
of Mass Communication. It is a free
distribution publication intended to
meet the information needs of those
housed in campus evacuation shelters.
Staff
Editors
Nicki Boudreaux
James Stewart
Staff Members
Christina Berry
Chris Singleton
Brandy Toups
Counselors’
Corner
Congress taking up $51.8 billion
relief bill for hurricane victims
Associated Press
Sleep can
help in
dealing
with stress
Survivors of the hurricane have
endured a tremendous amount of
stress. The shelters provide survivors
with many necessities such as food,
clothing and a roof.
However, living in the shelter
environment can be psychologically
stressful for people. There are things
that survivors of the hurricane can do
to help themselves, their children and
each other to cope with various concerns that arise in the shelters.
Sleeping in a shelter can be difficult because of noise and activity of
many people in a room. Both children and adults can benefit from
some simple ways to promote relaxation and sleep. Here are some ideas:
Massage: A simple foot, shoulder
or facial massage can help promote
relaxation. Parents can massage their
own and their children's feet and/or
shoulders before attempting to sleep.
Stretching: Simple stretching
exercise can promote relaxation.
Think back to sixth-grade P.E.
Snack: If sleep is a real problem,
a snack before bedtime can help.
Bedtime routines: Bedtime routines help both children and adults to
shift to sleep mode. Bedtime stories,
nightly prayers, goodnight kisses,
and hugs are rituals that can be continued while living in the shelter.
Think back to what your routine was
before the storm. It can help to
remember what you normally did to
prepare for sleep and then try to do
something similar.
If you would like to speak with a
professional about sleep concerns or
other stress related concerns, there is
a Red Cross counseling center available in the shelter.
This article was prepared by Carol
Benoit, M.A., as a service of the
Nicholls State University Counseling
Center.
Friday, Setember 9, 2005
WASHINGTON - Congress hastened to approve $51.8 billion in
emergency relief and recovery aid for
victims of Hurricane Katrina on
Thursday as President Bush readied a
plan to make sure those uprooted by
the storm receive a full range of
health care, job training and other
government benefits.
Under fire for the government's
response to the devastation so far, the
president arranged to announce initiatives aimed at helping people "get
back on their feet" in an afternoon
address from the White House,
spokesman Scott McClellan said.
McClellan disclosed Bush's latest
initiative as Democratic congressional leaders said they intended to boycott a proposed Republican-led congressional committee to investigate
the administration's storm response.
"I do not believe that the committee proposed by Speaker Hastert and
Senator Frist is in the best interest of
the American people," said Sen.
Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Both he and House Democratic
Leader Nancy Pelosi said they would
not appoint members to the panel as
currently contemplated.
The developments unfolded as the
Labor Department reported that an
estimated 10,000 workers who lost
their jobs because of the storm filed
for unemployment benefits last week,
the first wave of what likely will be
hundreds of thousands of such
claims.
At the White House, McClellan
said Bush's plan would cover not
only the immediate distribution of
debit cards of $2,000 per household
to families evacuated from homes in
Louisiana and Mississippi, but other
federal government benefits such as
child care, food stamps, housing, and
unemployment insurance.
The White House provided no
immediate specifics about how the
task of finding beneficiaries would
be approached.
Passage of Bush's call for $51.8
billion in funding was a certainty in
Congress.
However, Reid was critical of the
administration's plans for running
billions of dollars through the widely
criticized
Federal
Emergency
Management Agency.
Administration officials said the
money was needed by day's end.
One official said government
costs were running as high as $2 billion a day in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina.
The storm spread destruction
along the Gulf Coast and led to flooding that left large portions of New
Orleans under several feet of water.
NSU ready for first football game
Courtesy of NSU Sports Information
The Nicholls State University Colonel football team
will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take on Division I-A
and Big Ten member Indiana at 4 p.m. Saturday in
Memorial Stadium.
“After two days of quality practice, we are prepared
mentally, as well as physically, to compete this weekend,”
said head coach Jay Thomas.
“The team's focus after this past week's tragedy has
been exceptional considering the circumstances,” he said.
“As a coaching staff, we are very proud of the effort put
forth by each of these young men and we believe that we
are ready to strap it on.”
Approximately one-fourth of the Colonel football
team was from New Orleans and other areas most heavily affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner and his staff have
been following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while
working to keep the Hoosiers focused on the next game.
“It is hard for any of us to appreciate what they are
going through. It is unfathomable to me. We are going to
make them feel as welcome and as comfortable as possible. Yet, when the game is on, we are going to play a football game," Hoeppner said. "They want to play the game,
and they need to play the game. Obviously, we want to
play."
The game will be broadcast on radio stations 105.9
KBEZ-FM and 106.3 KXOR-FM.
Nicholls' season opener, originally scheduled for Sept.
3 at Utah State, will not be made up.
(photo by Brandy Toups)
Nicholls State University players work out Thursday
afternoon.
Women’s Soccer
Lady Colonel Soccer will host the following games at
the soccer field on Audubon Avenue: 2 p.m. Sunday
against Southern of Baton Rouge and 4 p.m. Monday
against Grambling State.
LOUISIANA SPIRIT
President welcomes residents
All of us at Nicholls State
University enthusiastically welcome to our campus and to our
shelters all who were forced to
flee Katrina's devastation and
horrors. We are especially
grateful to student, faculty, and
staff volunteers. They and others from the surrounding communities are working hard and with open hearts to
provide food, shelter, medical assistance, clothing,
comfort and, above all, hope for the future.
We also welcome and thank members of the
Company
National Guard, law enforcement officers, good
samaritans from area churches and many other
compassionate people for making Nicholls one of
the best shelters in the state and country.
Evacuees and volunteers should let me and
other University officials know of anything that
can be done to make Nicholls shelters more efficient and more helpful.
As an institution dedicated to education and to
public service, Nicholls State University is working hard to make this time of trial less distressing
and as pleasant as possible. All of us at Nicholls
are aware that Katrina ruined many lives, much
property and a great city. But we also know that
the spirit of south Louisiana cannot be destroyed
and that the warm, wonderful culture of its people
is resilient.
We consider everyone, from evacuees to volunteers, from care-givers to guardsmen, members
of what we like to call the Nicholls family. And
we hope that at some point, perhaps ten or thirty
years from now, you can joyously return to a
Nicholls that is bright and cheerful in every
regard.
--Stephen T. Hulbert
President
coninued from Page 1
Danos and Curole Marine
Contractors, Inc. has a wide variety
of openings for displaced Hurricane
Katrina victims. The company is
looking for production operators,
laborers, roustabouts, welders, fitters,
sandblasters and painters. Applicants
can pick up job applications at the
Houma Civic Center or online at
www.danos.com. Applicants can also
go to the main office at 13083 Hwy.
308 in Larose.
Bollinger Shipyards Inc. is taking
applications for experienced offshore
workers. Bollinger is looking for
welders, ship setters, pipe fitters,
blaster painters and tackers.
Applicants can apply by calling
human resources director Heather
Detillier at 985-532-2554 or by visiting the office at 8365 Hwy. 308 in
Lockport.
Superior Labor Services is looking for skilled and unskilled workers
for the oil and gas industry. Superior
Labor Services is taking applications
for all crafts and welcoming anyone
who is looking for a job.
Applicants should call the main
office at 985-702-9000 or Tony
Boudreaux at 985-879-2220 for more
information.