National Opinion

As young adults in college, we walk around with a sense of invincibility. We are certain that there will be a tomorrow, and that tomorrow will be pretty much okay. We go on day-to-day without much thought to the instability that is life.

However, natural disasters and other personal tragedies bring us to a sudden stop, a stop that makes us wonder at the fragility of our existence.

The gravitas of such a devastating event such as Hurricane Katrina is impossible for most of us to imagine. But for our guests from Tulane, it is very much a reality.

We at the Technique wish to extend the warmest sympathy to the refugees fleeing the destruction of Katrina, especially to the approximately 80 international students who will be staying with us for an extended period of time. Your resilience in the face of tragedy is inspirational to us.

To all Tulane students and faculty, we know that your future is precariously uncertain at the moment. There are many unknowns in the aftermath of the hurricane that may take a great amount of time to resolve. But we do know that your spirit is still strong, and that you will return to New Orleans and facilitate its rebuilding.

To the Tech community, we are particularly proud of the way volunteers came out in support of our peers from Tulane. The volunteer effort was successfully pulled together at the last minute, with no appointed leadership. But it was successful due to the willingness of our community to pull together in aid of those in need. Volunteers came together from all segments of Tech, from graduate students to greeks. People came out of the woodwork, neither vying for distinction nor recognition, but for true service and community.

The volunteer corps worked from 1 a.m. Wednesday morning to prepare for the buses of Tulane students and stayed throughout the day, helping them get hot showers, food and rest.

Perhaps it was the empathy we felt as fellow college students, or perhaps it was because many of us have friends and relatives from New Orleans. Regardless of its motivation the Tech community really pulled together. We showed that despite our many grumblings, we possess a strong community spirit.

Let us not forget that the Tulane community as a whole, and especially our long-term guests, will need continued aid in the weeks and months to come as they embark on the long rebuilding process. We need to keep them in our thoughts and continue with the momentum developed this week in the aid effort. If you see a Tulane student looking lost on campus, take the time to introduce yourself and help them feel welcome.