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September 17, 2008
Dear
Aggie Family,
Our thoughts this week are with the millions
of Gulf Coast and Southeast Texas residents recovering from the
devastating impacts of Hurricane Ike. We know that many within our
Aggie Network - including our students, faculty, and staff of Texas
A&M University at Galveston - were directly and significantly
impacted by this storm and are dealing with difficult circumstances
as they begin the road to recovery. We hope it helps, in some small
way, to know the Aggie family cares and wants to help as we can.
Those of us spared by the storm can, indeed, do many things
- large and small - to help our fellow Aggies.
- We can each reach out to our Aggie friends in the impacted
areas and offer our assistance. To help you locate your friends,
The Association will open access to our “Find an Aggie” directory
to all constituents in our database for the next month beginning
Thursday, September 18. You can access this on-line directory by
visiting www.AggieNetwork.com.
- We can each offer our available resources to those who need
them. The Association of Former Students has established a group
on our new communication tool, MyAggieNetwork.com, that allows
Aggies to both offer and request resources. To join this group,
simply log on to www.MyAggieNetwork.com
and search for the group "111Hurricane Ike Resources".
- While Texas A&M University at Galveston, a branch of our
College Station campus, sustained only moderate damage in the
storm, other issues related to the city’s infrastructure remain
uncertain. University officials have developed a plan that would
allow our Galveston Aggies to continue their fall semester in
College Station. To ensure the success of this plan, university
officials will need to secure suitable housing for up to 1,200
students in the Bryan/College Station area. If you are able to
offer a room in your home, or the use of a vacant rental property
at no charge, please call 979-862-7777 or email galvhousing@vpfn.tamu.edu.
You can also visit http://www.aggienetwork.com/Features/Ike/
for more information.
- Hotels in Aggieland are currently filled with Hurricane Ike
evacuees - many of them Aggies or Aggie Parents- unable to return
to their homes at this time. Should you have alternate
accommodations available for the September 20th football game,
please consider releasing your hotel reservation and allow those
displaced from their homes to remain situated for a few more days.
Please remember, too, many Aggies are among the city,
state, and federal officials currently leading recovery efforts.
They, too, need our support and encouragement as they seek to
restore services and rebuild the infrastructure damaged in the
storm.
Hurricane Ike, indeed, has left a daunting challenge
for the Gulf Coast and much of East Texas. As Texans, and especially
as Aggies, however, we've never backed down from a challenge and I
am confident we will see the Aggie Spirit rise to the occasion.
In the Aggie Spirit,
Porter S. Garner III '79
Executive
Director
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