Zehren, Butch Molm, Terry Grimm and Martin Sanderson discovered a need for workers after visiting the Fargo Flood Control Center. The NDSU Flood Control Center located in the Student Government Office was set up 3:30 p.m. Sunday to provide manpower to help maintain dikes against the unruly Red.
President Loftsgard, in cooperation with Fargo Mayor Lashkowitz and Chief of Police Edwin Anderson, helped form the center. In addition, Loftsgard dismissed classes Monday.
"Student volunteer lists were used before the lists of local resident volunteers," said Zehren. An average of 30 calls and 120 volunteers per hour poured into the Control Center. Working under the Fargo Flood Control Center, the NDSU branch provided volunteers for Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead.
By 8 p.m. Monday well over 2000 volunteers had registered at the center.
The Interfraternity Council and Inter-residence Hall Council were both cooperating by providing students to answer emergency calls any time of the day or night.
Director of the Union George Smith reported that the food service at the Union was prepared to handle up to 1000 flood personnel for the noon meal Monday. Sack lunches were given out to students who would be working through regular meal hours. Large appetites were relieved at the dikes by the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
On campus, the Ag Engineering and Mechanical Ag Clubs were turning out redwood sewer drain plugs at the rate of one a minute. "We've made 2,000 plugs already and are ready to make more on order, said Denis Duppong, former ASAE president. Concordia College could have used a few hundred Monday night as the sewers backed up and forced classes to be called off for a week.
Although students proved their willingness to serve the community, many townspeople plagued harried police and floodworkers by sightseeing and unnecessary driving. "It's almost sickening that people are so hypocritical. While a neighbor's house is under water, the next door resident is out raking leaves on his lawn." said Zehren.
"The principle of advertising free beer for sandbaggers is disgusting. As soon as it's all over, the same people will be criticizing those drunken college kids" add Zehren, who manned a frantic phone in the Control Center Monday.
Haga added students were not planning to mobilize following a declaration be Grand Forks Mayor Hugo Magnusson that the flood threat to that city was not critical and no students were needed.
Earlier this week, fliers had been circulated around the University campus telling student that Grand Forks citizens had shown no consideration for UND students all year, so they were justified in not cutting classes to sandbag against the flood.
UND student President Bob Crawford had volunteered the assistance of University students if classes were cancelled while they worked on flood control. UND students had mid-semester exams scheduled this week.