September, 2006
Tyler Ellis, an Environmental & Soil Science student at UT, just returned from a trip to Mississippi. He and seven others (see photo above) spent September 15 - 17 helping Hurricane Katrina victims in the city of Biloxi. The picture shows (from left to right) Rachel Burnett, DJ Mitchell, Jessica Hartley, Veronica Bourne, David Tapocsi, Neal Eash, and Tyler Ellis. (Betty Tipton is behind the camera.) The group was organized by Dr. Eash, who is working with the Heritage Methodist Church of Biloxi. The church is coordinating volunteer efforts in the community.
When Tyler speaks about his experience, he says that initially he went on the trip because Dr. Eash would allow the experience to count as a substitute for 2 assignments in the Environmental & Soil Science 120 class, Soils and Civilizations. Also, his career goals have been focused in environmental fields because he would like to help others lead better lives, and this trip seemed to be a good way to validate his interests.
He got much more out of this trip than he expected. He was aware that the people affected by the hurricane have not had as much assistance as they have needed, but seeing with his own eyes that numerous casinos have been rebuilt while house debris is still everywhere has affected him deeply. He is aware of things that he had taken for granted, and he has been shown the importance of volunteering in communities. He has never had to do this sort of work before, but by helping replace the roofs of two houses, he has a new perspective of how large an impact a little hard work can have on other people’s lives.
This was his first trip as a volunteer, and he is already making plans to go back in October during Fall Break. Dr. Eash has other trips planned, and Tyler is hoping to assist with them as well. As the news media focuses more on things that have happened since the hurricane disaster, the volunteer effort is slowly dropping off, even though the need in Mississippi is still as great as ever. Tyler is very angry and embarrassed that the government is not doing what is needed, and not providing the assistance people were expecting. He recognizes that the volunteer effort is still critical to the recovery effort. He is very happy to have had the chance to have hands-on experience, and hopes that many other students will take advantage of this opportunity.
When asked if he feels “better or worse” after this experience, he thought for a minute, and said, “Both.” He feels worse by learning first-hand about the problems in the government. However, he feels better as well, as the experience of being able to help was positive. Also, he now has reassurance that his plans for the future, his life’s goals, are on target.
Margaret Taylor
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