New Orleans Universities Reopen And Encourage Students To Help Out
Hurricane Katrina may have wiped out much of the Gulf Coast, but it didn't take away the spirit of New Orleans. While the devastated city still struggles to get back on its feet, New Orleans now has the talents, energy and enthusiasm of its collegiate crowd to draw from. Students recently headed back to the Big Easy as universities finally reopened their doors for the first time since August.
Tuesday marked the opening day for Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana, while classes at Loyola University and Dillard University started January 9. For Tulane senior Kate Schafer, the low-key return was not what she expected.
"I figured there would be TV cameras everywhere and there'd be all these reporters running around campus, but it's actually been pretty minimal, which is nice," said the 22-year-old, who also serves as editor-in-chief for the school's Hullabaloo newspaper. "A lot of students were concerned about that because Tulane isn't a school that is generally very flashy. We're not used to all this attention."
Universities ushered their students back on campus -- and in some cases the cruise ships and hotels serving as makeshift dormitories and classrooms for the time being (see [article id="1513355"]"Displaced Students Returning To New Orleans Colleges In January"[/article]). Displaced residents and spiked rents have made housing a sparse commodity in the inhabited sections of the city, leaving many college students scrambling for somewhere to live. Administrators for Dillard University and Tulane, which are still working on reconstructing their dorms, had to think of more creative ways to solve the problem.
Tulane leased an 800-foot cruise ship called Dream for the semester, where it's housing 150 students. The rooms are pretty cramped (even smaller than dorm rooms) and it usually takes students at least 20 minutes to commute to campus. Others are staying in trailers close to the school.
"There are people who are definitely frustrated with the living situation right now. You know, it's not ideal, but at least they have a place to stay," Schafer reasoned.
Schafer, who spent the fall at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (see [article id="1508818"]"Several Colleges Offering To Take In Students Displaced By Katrina"[/article]), said the time away from Tulane only made her appreciate her home school all the more.
"I never realized how unique the student body was here. Maybe it's the city and its attitude toward people that has rubbed off on us, but people here are so much warmer. They open doors for each other and smile at others across campus," she explained. "At Penn, most kids were on their iPod or cell phone and wouldn't even look you in the eye."
Like many college students returning to the Crescent City, Schafer plans to take that compassionate New Orleans spirit and focus it on getting the still-devastated metropolis back on its feet.
"Those who chose not to come back are missing out on an amazing opportunity," she said. "Now we have the chance to say we survived this catastrophe and we're helping rebuild the city to the state it once was. It something you wouldn't be able to get anywhere else."
This weekend, the university is kicking off Outreach New Orleans, a drive to get students involved in building a relationship with the city and its residents. "In the past, there's sort of been this strange dynamic between the city of New Orleans and Tulane," Schafer explained. "I guess they had this idea that there are all these students coming from out of state and they're not real New Orleanians, but this program is to show them we really do want to be a part of their community."
Several more service projects are in the works at Tulane, including programs to restore public parks, help devastated elementary and high schools rebuild and lend a hand to Habitat for Humanity, building houses for those who lost their homes in the storm and ensuing floods. Those who take part in the different projects may also receive college credit for their work, not only at Tulane, but at neighboring universities including Loyola, Dillard and Xavier, which are all encouraging students to do their part.
Most of the colleges have made significant headway in their rebuilding efforts, but the undertaking has been tougher for Dillard University, which sustained $500 million in damages. The school's campus remains closed and classes are being held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, where approximately 750 students and faculty are also being housed. The school remains determined to have the July convocation ceremony on the campus' Avenue of the Oaks, a long-held university tradition.
A new custom was birthed at Dillard this spring. Students will now be required to take part in the Katrina Project, which calls on all majors to tailor an assignment relating to the rebuilding of New Orleans and/or the effects Katrina left on the city. Business majors can study the economic impact of the storm, while science majors may embark on a more lengthy research project. The opportunities are endless, Dillard's Director of Communication Maureen Larkin said.
"Seventy percent of the city is still not habitable, and that's what's not coming across on the news," Larkin explained. "You often see people in downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter, but most of the city still doesn't have electricity, gas or water. There's still debris littering the streets."
Loyola University, which boasts a 91 percent undergrad return rate, offered students bus tours deep into the most affected areas of the city to witness the devastation firsthand. Since 75 percent of students come from out of state, it was the first time that many had really taken stock of the disaster's toll (see [article id="1508756"]"Gulf Coast Colleges, Students Grapple With Disaster"[/article]). The two-and-a-half-hour tour weaved its way through the Ninth Ward, east New Orleans and the 17th Street Canal where the levees broke.
"People couldn't even express it in words because it was so overwhelming," Loyola spokesperson Kristine Lelong said. "I even heard one student say, 'I just can't describe this to anyone. You have to see it to believe it.' "
Last weekend, the school held its own "Loyola Cares Day," when more than a hundred students volunteered to build houses, tutor children or work at the local branch of the American Red Cross. Lelong said that so many students offered to help that they couldn't accommodate everyone. An encore event is scheduled for Saturday.
Booths were also set up across campus for "Party With a Purpose," a special event intended to offer charities and various social organizations the chance to recruit student volunteers. This year, several hundred Loyola students signed up to be a part of the renewal of New Orleans.
Even students who haven't volunteered are helping just by being back. "Their mere presence and spending are a big boost to the area's economy," Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker said. Colleges represent nearly one-fourth of the city's total population, and the recent influx of students has injected a newfound vitality and energy to New Orleans.
Students' impact on the city will likely grow, as many older displaced residents have yet to return. Houses remain abandoned, traffic is still sparse on city streets and businesses continue to struggle in the wake of the consumer drought.
"It's clearly going to be the young talent that will help this city rise from the ashes," Xavier spokesperson Warren A. Bell said. "They are going to be our salvation and we need their youth and enthusiasm."
