This morning, nearly 200 students from Tulane arrived at SMU. They will be staying here until further notice.

The majority of these students are athletes, who will be using our facilities for training. The rest are international students, who will be returning home from DFW airport.

SMU is also organizing a relief fund, the proceeds of which will be presented to the Red Cross during halftime of the family weekend game against Tulane.

Ed Board would like to congratulate SMU for this extraordinary humanitarian effort. Some of these students have been sleeping on a gym floor for the last two nights, going without showers or air conditioning.

There are those that might complain about a competing university using our athletic facilities or watching this weekend’s game.

We have one thing to say about that: Don’t be ridiculous.

These people have much more important things to worry about than stealing our precious game plans — things like their families, possessions (most of which have been destroyed) and residences.

Ed Board suggests all students embrace Tulane students and treat them like fellow Mustangs for the duration of their stay on campus. We also believe it is a moral obligation for students to become involved in the relief effort.

If students would like to contribute to the relief fund, please visit the students’ association comptrollers office in the Student Activities Center, 300 Hughes-Trigg. For more information, contact Student Body President Liz Healy at [email protected].

Donations can even be debited from Express Cash accounts, commonly referred to as Pony.

Don’t have money? Then solicit donations from friends, family and classmates. These people are desperately in need of assistance.

Federal relief funds will never be able to replace all the belongings destroyed by Katarina, but with our aid, many people will be able to get a hot meal or a warm — and dry — place to stay.

It is our duty to make Tulane students remember their time at SMU, not as flight from a hurricane, but as a hospitable respite during troubling times.

And to any Green Wavers reading this, we express our greatest sympathy and hospitality.