Arizona State University donated $500,000 to the Hurricane Katrina/Rita Student Relief Fund from ticket sales at the LSU game hosted in Sundevil Stadium.
Student Relief Fund applications will be available Wednesday for affected students to receive a portion of the $560,000 donated.
Scott Madere, LSU Foundation public relations director, said ASU made $1 million in ticket sales for the Sept. 10 game.
ASU divided the profits between two funds – the Hurricane Katrina/Rita Student Relief Fund and the Bush and Clinton Katrina Fund – giving $500,000 to each.
Madere said he has been raising money since the creation of the fund, and the $560,000 fund total includes some of the money SG raised.
“We were never satisfied to have anything in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Madere said. “We saw this as an opportunity to raise millions of dollars for the students.”
Patrick Downs, SG vice president, said ASU has been overly helpful toward LSU since Hurricane Katrina.
“They have opened their arms to us and this is just another display of their generosity and benevolence to LSU,” Downs said.
Downs said there is still a lot of work to be done and also that raising $500,000 will provide $100 per student in need.
But SG President Michelle Gieg said SG will not stop raising money. She said she knows affected students will need as much financial help as possible.
Mary Parker, Office of Student Aid and Scholarships director, said when applications are available Wednesday, students will be able to log onto their PAWS accounts and fill out an application.
Parker said students will need to click on the “Financial Aid” tab and then the link “Student Relief Fund Application.”
Parker said any student – previously enrolled or visiting – who has been financially affected by either hurricane may apply for aid.
The application will ask for information about students and their families’ present living and financial status.
Parker said the deadline for applying is Nov. 1 and the Office of Student Aid and Scholarships will distribute funds after Nov. 1.
Parker said each student’s needs will be assessed on an individual basis and funds will be distributed based on the amount of money the fund acquires by that time.
Parker also said any students in need of immediate aid and not having their needs met should go to the Office of Student Aid and Scholarships to seek help.
Contact Ginger Gibson at [email protected]