Members of the Social Justice Allies at The New School held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and its effect on the university community.

Roughly 15 people gathered in the Lang Café to discuss concerns they had in relation to Sandy, including the possibility of relief work and other ways to help those who are still trying to recover from the storm. Both students and faculty had their own ideas about how to help those affected in the New York metropolitan area.

Erika Nonken, a nonprofit management graduate student at Milano, said she was inspired by the university community’s efforts in response to Sandy.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories of students and faculty helping out after the storm,” Nonken said, adding that she was curious about other ways that students could help.

The meeting progressed into a discussion about The New School’s efforts in providing aid to its students and its surrounding community. Nick Krebs, a Milano student and member of the Office of Student Development and Activities, mentioned various places around campus that were holding resource drives. The main collection site is at Parsons’ Sheila C. Johnson Design Center and gathers resources such as food and blankets for those who lost their homes in the hurricane.

Krebs also mentioned the continuing resources offered to students at Arnhold Hall.

“People were sleeping at the Theresa Lang Center [on the second floor of Arnhold Hall] and are still sleeping there,” Krebs told the group. “In some ways, this created a greater sense of community for the students than [what] the dorms provide.”

Faculty member Robert Buchanan also attended the meeting and provide information on other plans to help rebuild after the storm. Buchanan spoke of his efforts to take his New School Mariners class to the Rockaways to do relief work for the people who live there. However, Buchanan said getting there appears to be the biggest obstacle for his class.

“We have the vans to get there,” Buchanan said, “but the real question of getting there is the gas. None of the vans have gas in them.”

The meeting eventually shifted to a brainstorming session for ideas on how to prepare for a storm like this in the future. Ideas as simple as getting to know your neighbors better were at the top of the list, as well as things the city could do to prevent further destruction — such as the reformation of construction codes to prevent incidents like the damaged, 90-story crane at 157 W. 57th St., which was left dangling in the wind during the worst of the storm.

Other ideas included the possibility of training New School students in first aid. The group talked about hiring Red Cross emergency workers to come to The New School and provide instruction to any interested students. It was agreed, however, that any such program would need to be discussed with the administration first.

The group plans on holding another meeting on November 16 for their Social Justice Mixer event. Although not strictly Hurricane Sandy related, the Social Justice Allies offers pizza and drinks to anyone who is “committed to social justice work at The New School.”