ORONO – The University of Maine has formed an Old Town task force to create a list of resources for people affected by the layoffs at Georgia-Pacific Corp.’s mill just north of the school.

“That task force met Monday to develop a resource guide for people who may be affected,” said UMaine spokesman Joe Carr. “There are opportunities we already have that can help people.”

Georgia-Pacific announced last week it was eliminating its tissue-making operation.

About 18 members of the UMaine community gathered to discuss what can be done to help out the 300 displaced workers. The vice president of administration, Janet Waldron, is chairing the group.

“The purpose of the meeting was to begin to talk about how we can assist and what resources we have that we can use to help,” she said. “People here care a great deal, everyone wants to help in every way we can. Whatever effort we do here at the university, we want it to complement other efforts to assist. There are a lot of connections we need to make.”

UMaine President Peter S. Hoff expressed his concern in a campus-wide letter.

“I was saddened … to hear the news that Georgia-Pacific will drastically curtail its operations in Old Town,” he said. “This is a major setback for our community and it strikes very close to home. I am certain that a great many UMaine students and employees will be directly affected by this news.”

Spouses of laid-off mill workers and students whose parents worked at the mill are the target group for the handbook.

“We want to let those employees know that there are resources here,” said Waldron. “We have the Employee Assistance Program, which is available to [UMaine] employees and their families. We’re also talking about, as an employer, coordinating a job fair.”

Another target group that might be touched by the shutdowns is college-bound high school seniors. Waldron said a major goal of the task force is to get these students into college.

“We don’t want people making a decision not to come because of a parent who lost employment,” she said. “We want the student to come talk to us to see if we can come up with another solution. On the financial aid side, we clearly want to help students and their families.”

Through the Division of Continuing Education, the former mill workers can also return to school to learn a new trade or master a current skill to help with finding future employment. Financial aid services and resources to help people apply for college will be available, Waldron said.

“The Academic Career Exploration is a program where people can enroll and take general courses before actually choosing a major,” said Carr.

Starting a business is another avenue that displaced workers may want to try, and the university has a program that could help out.

“We have a co-op extension program that can provide guidance for people interested in starting small, home-based businesses,” said Carr.

The resources at UMaine also include help with finding jobs. The Onward Program assists with placement and can provide testing services. The school also has a career center and a career library. The University of Maine Credit Union is also considering assisting with financial counseling.

“There is a whole array of possibilities here,” said Waldron. “It’s pulling that together and figuring out how we can best work with the community and the affected employees both from G-P and our employees and students here on campus and any prospective students. It’s a very serious situation and to the extent that we can be helpful, we’d like to be.”

The university will do all it can to help out, said Hoff.

“Staff members at UMaine’s Employee Assistance Program and Counseling Center are available to help members of the community,” he said. “The EAP will provide consultation and referrals for employees and their immediate family members, including spouses and children.”

Anyone who needs to reach UMaine’s EAP can call 581-4014 or (877) EAP-3315. Students who wish to talk with a counselor should contact the Counseling Center at 581-1392.

Aid for displaced G-P workers

Food: Call Crossroads Ministries at 827-1298 or Holy Family Church at 827-4000.

Child Care: Call YMCA Services at 827-6111.

Stress relief through physical fitness: Call YMCA Services at 827-6111.

Educational opportunities: Call the University of Maine’s Employee Assistance Program at 581-4014 or (877) EAP-3315.

Educational counseling: Call the Umaine Counseling Center at 581-1392.

Donations: Cal Penquis CAP’s Good Neighbor Fund, which uses donations of money to help pay the bills of affected G-P workers. Make checks or money orders payable to Good Neighbor Fund and mail them to Penquis CAP, P.O. Box 1162, Bangor 04402-1162. Contributions should state that funds are for families affected by G-P layoffs.