November 4, 2008

Touro Law Students Volunteer to Make a Difference in Katrina-Affected Region

Central Islip, NY – Thirty-six students from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center recently volunteered for a week in New Orleans, a city and region still trying to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina hit the area in 2005. The students volunteered with eight different organizations, using their legal education to benefit the groups they worked for and the people of the Gulf Coast.

Students worked with the New Orleans Public Defenders, Common Ground, the Common Ground Legal Clinic, and The Alliance for Affordable Energy, among others. Students worked on a variety of projects, searching a community group’s documents to determine whether the community had groundwater contamination claims, helping to revive legislation, exploring employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, working on cases of contactor fraud, and so much more.

“It was amazing to accompany these students on this trip,” said Tracy McGaugh, professor of law and Assistant Dean of Academic Advising for Touro who went with the students to New Orleans. “I felt that I was not watching law students fulfill a pro bono requirement; rather I was watching law students in action, doing great work and developing into community leaders. I was so impressed with the caliber of the work they completed and the real differences they made. It was truly an amazing week.”

Many of the students who volunteered in New Orleans intend to return during Spring break to continue helping rebuild the area.

“It’s so important for people to remember that this region still needs so much help,” said Farije Dalipi, president of the Student Hurricane Network Touro Law Chapter and organizer of the student volunteers. “We do make a difference every time we visit, but there is so much work to do, it is heartbreaking to leave.”