Fraternities and sororities at Gustavus Adolphus College will be raising money for Union University during their annual Greek Week April 28-May 3.

Union, a four-year, liberal arts institution in Jackson, Tenn., with about 3,300 undergraduate students, was struck by a tornado Feb. 5. The storm damaged 31 buildings on campus and caused an estimated $40 million in damages. Gustavus recently commemorated the tenth anniversary of the March 29, 1998 tornado that hit the college and the city of St. Peter, causing just over $50 million in damages on campus alone.

During Greek Week, members of the college’s 13 fraternities and sororities will raise money by selling t-shirts and tabling in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center throughout the week as well as hosting a car wash on Friday, May 2. All proceeds will be donated to the Union University Disaster Relief Fund.

“In light of the Gustavus community commemorating our tenth anniversary of the 1998 tornado, the Greek organizations wanted to give back to a meaningful cause and that brought Union University’s needs to our attention,” said sophomore Susie Kramer, a member of the Delta Phi Omega sorority and the public relations co-chair for Inter Greek Senate. “We hope that Union’s rebuilding process goes as well as ours did.”

###

Media Contact: Media Relations Manager Matt Thomas
mthomas@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510

Union University, a four-year, liberal arts institution in Jackson, Tenn., was heavily damaged by a powerful tornado on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 6. According to media reports, several buildings on the campus were completely destroyed while many others received damage. A university spokesman said that nine students were hospitalized overnight with serious injuries, but that there were believed to be no life-threatening injuries.

This sad news comes almost 10 years after a tornado ripped through St. Peter and the Gustavus Adolphus College campus on March 29, 1998. That storm knocked out a majority of the windows on campus, uprooted hundreds of trees, caused significant damage to every building on campus, and forced the college to cancel classes for three weeks. Gustavus administrators are attempting to contact colleagues at Union University today to offer support and assistance.

“Our thoughts and prayers today are with the students, staff, alumni, and families with ties to Union University,” Gustavus President James Peterson said. “While this will be a trying time for their community, we know first-hand that you can rebuild from a tragedy like this.”

Ray Thrower, Gustavus director of safety and security and president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) said that efforts are being made to communicate with Union University officials.

“We will be reaching out and letting them know that our association members are available to assist them in anyway that we can,” Thrower said. “The thoughts and prayers of everybody associated with IACLEA are with the Union University community.”

Union University is a private university affiliated with the Baptist church. Located approximately 90 miles east of Memphis, Union has about 3,100 undergraduate students.

###

Media Contact: Media Relations Manager Matt Thomas
mthomas@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510