The 51视频 at Lafayette is doing its part to help students affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Student-athletes and members of UL Lafayette鈥檚 Student Government Association will collect monetary donations as fans enter Cajun Field before Saturday鈥檚 home football opener. The Ragin鈥 Cajuns will face the Southeastern Lions; kickoff is at 6 p.m.
Donations will be accepted from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the stadium鈥檚 five entrance gates. Fans can look for volunteers holding covered collection containers.
The money first will be used to help UL Lafayette students affected by the storm. Any remaining funds will be given to the 51视频 System for distribution to storm-impacted colleges and universities in Texas.
The University has about 400 students from Texas alone, said Patricia F. Cottonham, vice president for Student Affairs. Her office is working to determine how many students from the Houston area, southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana were affected.
Efforts to help them will go beyond Saturday鈥檚 game, she said. Some student organizations have set meetings next week to plan how best to support storm victims.
UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie said the University is committed to assisting students who are grappling with Harvey鈥檚 aftermath. 鈥淎s we know all too well in Louisiana, recovering from a natural disaster is a long process. The University is going to do all it can to help its students rebuild their lives. They are part of the Ragin鈥 Cajun family.
鈥淚 encourage students, alumni and fans attending Saturday鈥檚 game to donate and do what Ragin鈥 Cajuns do best 鈥 help those in need.鈥
The UL System鈥檚 Student Advisory Council, a group of student government presidents from its nine member institutions, and the Sun Belt Conference also have organized fundraisers.
鈥淎 disaster of this scale can completely change the trajectory of a college student,鈥 said Dr. Jim Henderson, system president and CEO. 鈥淚 am proud of our students for taking the initiative to give back.鈥