Free Room and Board Offered Katrina-Affected Students at CSU East Bay

Dorm rooms for 100 students are available free of charge to students from Gulf Coast universities affected by Hurricane Katrina who enroll at California State University, East Bay for the fall quarter that begins Sept. 22.

The offer announced today includes free cafeteria meals.

The rooms are in the International House residence hall on Carlos Bee Boulevard at Cal State East Bay's main campus in Hayward, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay. The facility is adjacent the campus and has free shuttle bus service to the university, AC Transit bus stops and the Hayward BART station. It includes a fitness center, coin-operated laundry, basketball court, computer room and cafeteria.

Student applicants should contact the Cal State East Bay Office of Enrollment Services at (510) 885-2784. To apply online, prospective students should go to www.csueastbay.edu/apply.

Two dozen students attending universities affected by the Katrina hurricane have been accepted or are in the process of enrolling at Cal State East Bay and the Office of Enrollment Services is handling numerous inquiries every day from those seeking to apply. One call came in Thursday from a student at a Red Cross shelter in Louisiana.

"In the midst of this tragedy we are reaching out to students who have been uprooted from their campuses by this national disaster," said Cal State East Bay President Norma Rees. "Our outstanding enrollment services staff is working with potential students so that their studies can continue uninterrupted. Our hearts go out to our friends and colleagues at the universities and colleges along the Gulf Coast and we are willing to help where ever else we can."

Following emergency measures authorized by the CSU chancellor, Cal State East Bay is provisionally accepting students without transcripts or the ability to immediately pay fees. The requirement to take English and math placement tests is being waived. Students who are residents of the Gulf Coast states affected by the hurricane are exempt from paying non-resident enrollment fees.

Also being explored is the possibility of special conditions on the federal financial aid regulations for students unable to attend college in the Gulf states. For financial aid information on the Cal State East Bay campuses, contact Anita Patino at (510) 885-4746.

Persons interested in the International House offer can get more information from Yasmin Lambie-Simpson, International House director,at (510) 582-4747. Students must first be accepted by the university before they can qualify for free room and board.

Students already admitted under these conditions or who are in the process of being enrolled at Cal State East Bay include those from Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, Dillard University, Southern University and Xavier University.

Media Contact: Kim Huggett, Dir. of Public Affairs, (510) 885-2032