The CEA Forum

Winter/Spring 2007: 36.1

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SPECIAL SECTION: EMPATHY AND ETHICS

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INTRODUCTION

Nancy Dixon

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On the official New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau website, an alarming statistic states that “450 meetings and conventions were cancelled between Sept. 2005 and May 2006.” The reasons for such cancellations vary: immediately following the flood the city was incapable of hosting such meetings, and even more than a year later, many organizations are wary of the fragile state of the city. However, the College English Association (CEA) put such concerns aside in selecting and sticking with New Orleans for their 2007 conference site. Those of us who live in New Orleans and participated in the conference value CEA's efforts in helping with the city's recovery, and not just from an economic standpoint. The theme of last year's conference, "Empathy and Ethics," is especially relevant to our city's plight right now, as is having a conference concerned with education in a city whose public education system is broken. The 2007 CEA conference also allowed educators in colleges and universities in New Orleans and throughout the state and region, who are often operating in substandard facilities after losing as much as one half of their student body, faculty, and budget, to get their stories out to other educators across the nation. And finally, to paraphrase recovery czar Ed Blakely in his recent “Rebuilding America's Cities” discussion at Johns Hopkins University, this nation must do whatever it takes to bring back New Orleans and to care for its citizens; that is the ethical thing to do. So a heartfelt thanks, CEA, for your empathy and ethics from those of us who live in a city that is struggling to recover from an unparalleled American disaster.

University of New Orleans

May 26, 2007

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