Welcome Back to School!

VIPs - Very Important Ponies 

Some of our VIPs this month are:

After Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, Dallas and SMU were called to service to assist many affected by the flooding and winds of that great storm.  In three days, SMU was able to enroll over 200 visiting students from colleges and universities that will not be able to operate during the fall term.  So many people across the campus dropped their daily work to make it happen.  This was SMU at its finest and Enrollment Services stepping up to do its part.  The VIPs are many but here are a few of the comments received during this effort.  The words of appreciation go to all of the faculty, staff and students who made this happen.

Thank you, John [Hall].  And, thank you to all your colleagues who are doing what they can to fit the remaining students with any remaining availability in our classes and in our student services.  These efforts by the faculty, staff, and students to be as responsive as possible to those affected by Hurricane Katrina are truly admirable and most consistent with the heritage of this institution.  R. Gerald Turner

I just had a visit with one of the students from Tulane.  He said he was "continually blown away" by the hospitality he had received here at SMU.  That sounds good to me.  Kimberly Bright

Thank you for all your efforts and those of your entire staff in these extenuating circumstances.  Speaking for the countless Mustang Club members and alums who have expressed their support and pride in the actions of their alma mater -- thanks for all of us.  Scott Secules

On behalf of all of us, let me express how proud we are of all that you have done to welcome students from the New Orleans area and how impressed we are with the efficiency of the transitioning process.  Please accept the thanks and congratulations of the History Department for a job well done.  Jim Hopkins

I just spoke with the Vice Dean of the Business School at Tulane.  He said he was amazed at how SMU was handling the visiting students (his son is one of them).  He said that he has told Tulane colleagues that he doesn't think Tulane could do as fine a job as SMU has at handling the situation.  Gold stars for SMU.

I can't express the depth of my appreciation for the extraordinary efforts you, your colleagues, and our faculty and staff have made to help the displaced students.  In the worst of times we realize that we have the best of people.  Tom Tunks.

FROM: R. Gerald Turner, President
Robert Blocker, Provost

RE: Response to Students from New Orleans Area

DATE: September 7, 2005

Yesterday, Tuesday, September 6, we concluded the admission of students from New Orleans area institutions as visiting students for the fall semester. We were able to meet the needs of most, but at the end, we simply exhausted available spaces in our classes. Nevertheless, over 200 students were accommodated by our efforts.

This humanitarian response to the needs of these displaced students has been tremendous. The long hours of the enrollment management staff, the flexibility of faculty to add positions to their classes, and the work of staff in auxiliary areas such as housing, athletics, and food services has been heroic.

We thank you for this effort to accommodate these needs as quickly as possible. Obviously, the hard, more protracted work now begins in helping these students to catch up since we are in our third week of class and to adjust to being a part of the SMU community.

As you know, we had almost 1,400 first-year students and 300 transfers to educate and assimilate before this latest influx of visiting students. As a result, the resources of the campus will be strained as we continue to work with our own students and, in addition, meet the needs of those from our sister institutions in New Orleans.

Thank you again for your outpouring of support for these students and for your generous contributions to the various relief efforts to support victims of Hurricane Katrina both on campus, such as the fundraising program being coordinated by the student body, and off campus by many organizations which are receiving your assistance. This is a challenging time for our neighbors in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and we are very proud of the humanitarian efforts flowing from our campus to assist those impacted by this tragic event. 

DON'T FORGET
October 5 Division Meeting
8:30am Blanton Meeting Rooms

Important Dates

Oct 10-11 - Fall Break

Oct 31 - Enrollment Begins for Jan Term/Spring

Nov 4-6 - Homecoming

BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

This is the last in a series of articles by etiquette and protocol consultant Linda Tyler Rollins.  Ms. Rollins is a graduate of The Protocol School of Washington and founder of Rollins Rules Etiquette and Protocol Consulting.  Ms. Rollins was associated with the University of North Texas Athletic Department for twenty years before moving into consulting full time. 

Ms. Rollins is available to present workshops and can be contacted through her website at www.rollinsrules.com. 

A huge thank you to Linda for her insights and advise. 

Pony Protocol
by Linda Tyler Rollins