UC Davis on Friday hosted two gatherings to recognize those who have lost their lives or suffered from the deadly Hurricane Katrina, as the university continued a wide range of efforts to assist students and others displaced by the Gulf Coast devastation.

Both of Friday's events included brief remarks and a collective moment of silence. On a blustery day underneath the Memorial Union flagpole -- with flags flying at half-staff -- Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw addressed an audience of about 50, sayng, "We’re trying to hold in our hearts those who have lost their lives or whose lives have been forever changed because of Hurricane Katrina." A similar observance was held earlier in the day in the courtyard of the UC Davis Medical Center's Patient Support Services Building in Sacramento. Both events marked UC Davis' response to President Bush's declaration of Sept. 16 as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina. A more formal interfaith gathering is planned for Sept. 30, shortly after the fall quarter begins and the campus community is present in greater numbers.

The number of UC Davis students and alumni from Katrina-affected areas include eight students from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and 454 alumni in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, including 63 alumni in New Orleans and two alumni in Gulfport, Miss.

Meanwhile, the campus has plans to accommodate 20 students displaced by Katrina, including seven medical students, six undergraduates, three law students, three Graduate School of Management students and one other grad student. Cassandra Lopez of Riverbend, a first-year law student, is among those who have found a new academic home at UC Davis.

"After school started, I let out a sigh of relief," she said. Lopez, 28, was planning to attend law school at Tulane University. She had driven down to New Orleans and moved in with a friend, Sarah Dearie. Then the hurricane struck. She had already done a week of orientation and week of classes at Tulane.

"I'm trying to get caught up. It's a little daunting," she said. Law school classes started Aug. 22.

On another front, veterinary students who staff the UC Davis Pet Loss Support Hotline at (530) 756-5464 are beginning to hear from Hurricane Katrina survivors. The first of its kind, UC Davis' Pet Loss Support Hotline was established in 1989 to allow people to express their feelings related to the death or impending loss of an animal companion.

Meanwhile, many UC Davis academic and staff employees have expressed interest in participating in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, locally and along the Gulf Coast.

Those who are members of UC-sponsored response teams, those who wish to volunteer service through official relief agencies such as the Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency, and those who were traveling in the area at the time of the disaster and became stranded may be granted paid administrative leave as described in the applicable personnel policy or union contract.

The amount of paid administrative leave granted is determined by the employee's department head or manager, and depends upon the particular circumstances, taking into account the type of relief work being performed and the operational considerations of the employee's department.

Closer to home, Davis service clubs are throwing a Southern-style party to raise money for hurricane relief efforts noon-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, in Central Park, Davis. The campus is invited to participate in the fundraiser.

For more information about the campus's Katrina efforts, see www.news.ucdavis.edu/hurricane.