A message from President Mark B. Rosenberg:

As an FIU family, we join the people of Texas in mourning the lives lost because of Hurricane Harvey. Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors as they recover and rebuild from the devastating losses this storm has brought and will bring in the coming days.

I have reached out to Chancellor Khator of the University of Houston System and President Leebron of Rice University and offered our assistance. I also will be calling on FIU’s Interdisciplinary Disaster Task Force to engage immediately and discuss next steps. We hope to have more information soon about how we, as a university, can help hurricane victims.

In the meantime, if you wish to help, you may do so through the American Red Cross by visitingredcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Please note that, as with other disasters, financial donations are recommended instead of donations of food, clothing and other items. According to the American Red Cross, financial contributions allow them to purchase exactly what is needed for a disaster relief operation. Monetary donations also allow the Red Cross to purchase supplies close to the disaster site, cutting down on delays and transportation costs, as well as stimulating the affected local economy.

I know that, as always, I can count on our FIU family to do our part and make a difference.