MISSISSIPPI'S PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES RESPOND TO CRISIS
11/9/2005 (JACKSON)
...The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), the system’s most damaged university, has created a Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund specifically to assist USM’s victims with recovery and rebuilding efforts. To date the fund has raised $20,000 in recovery assistance, as well as an additional $4,000 raised specifically by the USM Athletic Foundation benefiting affected USM athletes. USM has also established Katrina student support groups, is replacing diplomas for affected residents at no charge, has waived alumni dues and the one-year residency requirement to receive in-state tuition and continues to provide housing assistance to affected faculty, staff and their families. Additionally, the university is sponsoring a series of free web-based seminars focused on hurricane recovery efforts, with the first targeting Mississippi’s renewal and revitalization after Katrina....
Let's be fair for a moment (yeah, I know, unique concept!) - didn't we all shout kudos to the many colleges and universities all around the country that immediately opened their doors to students who were victims of Katrina? USM (oops, Southern Miss) does not have the funds to waive tuition for these displaced students as many of the private institutions did but waiving out of state tuition after this disaster seemed to be the norm for many state schools, why not this one?