Student employees from the Arizona Daily Wildcat have collected more than $1,500 for the American Red Cross to donate to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The news and advertising departments of the newspaper collaborated this week using a table on the UA Mall, said Mike Barber, the fundraiser's organizer and an account executive in the Wildcat advertising department.

The students hope to raise $2,000 by the end of today, Barber said. They will be on the Mall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Barber said he wanted to organize a fundraiser because he hadn't seen any mention of help from the Associated Students of the University of Arizona or other organizations before this week.

To encourage students and faculty to donate, the Wildcat has run advertisements saying how much money they have raised to date, said Jorge Pongo, advertisements sales manager.

While the Wildcat's efforts end today, other campus groups will continue to raise money to aid victims of the disaster, Barber said.

"I'm proud of the students and faculty who gave money," said Aaron Mackey, Wildcat editor in chief. "I'm very thankful for their contributions."