College freshman Elizabeth Wayne, a Crystal Springs, Miss., native, said the South has always had problems with poverty, but Hurricane Katrina has brought those problems into the limelight.
She was just one of many students who spoke at a dialogue Tuesday about race, class and Katrina.
"It's good that the South is finally getting this much attention," Wayne said.
She came to the meeting because she believes it is important to realize the problems that continue to grow in the South.
Wayne, along with more than 80 students and faculty members, attended the town hall meeting, Facing Ourselves -- a discussion of racial and class issues exacerbated by the hurricane's destruction.
"The initial response to Katrina was charity, but tonight we're here to air our frustrations," said Bernice Walker, a College junior who guided the discussion.
While Penn has taken in college students displaced by Katrina and given faculty who wish to help three weeks of paid leave, many students at the discussion were upset that Penn has not spoken out against the government's response to the disaster, as well as against the media coverage.
Many attendees also felt that the government did not adequately prepare for or respond to Hurricane Katrina.
Because many people at the meeting felt that the government was not taking necessary steps to restore the South, students expressed their desire to show their frustrations on campus in a more visible way.
Charity is a "Band Aid solution," Walker said. "If the government sees our discontent, they'll be forced to act."
Some attendees voiced their concern that because the South, and especially New Orleans, is populated by many poor black families, the government ignored warning signs of the impending disaster.
College junior Shakirah Simley said that "we have a responsibility as human beings to amend the suffering of our fellow human beings."
Walker said she was surprised by the number of students who attended.
In response to students' desire to continue these discussions, the Greenfield Intercultural Center's Race Dialogue Project -- which hosted the event in coordination with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. -- plans to have more meetings throughout the year.
Fatimah Muhammad, a College senior and leader of the Race Dialogue Project, believes these meetings are a great way to "reinspire" busy college students.
"We are the elite, we are the future leaders, and this event makes people more aware of the need to do more," Muhammad said.
