News of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has spread through campus, and many students want to know how they can help.Petty Officer Brandon Blackwell with the U.S. Coast Guard said BP, the company responsible for the oil spill, has set up several organizations to coordinate volunteer efforts.People looking to volunteer can call the BP hotline and give the operator their information, Blackwell said. The information will then be given to a specific department depending on the volunteer’s personal skills. The department will contact volunteers and determine what they will be doing.Volunteers are needed to pre-clean the beaches in case the oil reaches the coast. Blackwell said clean beaches are easier to clean oil from.Blackwell said many people are interested in working to preserve wildlife, but working on the coast itself is just as important. Ralph Portier, environmental sciences professor, said he’s had several students ask about volunteering, but many are unable to help because they lack hazardous materials training. Portier said an ideal situation would be training available to students after finals to create a bigger group of volunteers to clean up the spill.Several areas of volunteering require training, but some don’t.”There will be a lot of people needed for organization, administrative work, loading cleaning products onto trucks and other things,” Blackwell said.There are currently response centers in Pensacola, Fla.; Venice, La.; Mobile, Ala.; and Pascagoula and Biloxi, Miss.A Facebook group called LSU SCHOLR (Student Coalition to Help the Oil Leak Relief) was created by members of several student organizations to provide students with up-to-date information and a forum to discuss events and volunteer opportunities.Students looking to report directly to BP to volunteer should call 1-866-448-5816.—————Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]