NEW ORLEANS – Almost five months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Tulane University has once again opened its doors. Students began moving back into their dorms on Jan. 12 – a day appropriately called “Orientation Déjà vu.”
According to the Associated Press, more than 90 percent of Tulane’s 6,700 undergraduates and greater than 85 percent of its freshmen are returning. Initially after Katrina, college officials wondered if that number would reach 60.
Still, significant difficulties exist. Tulane sustained $200 million in property damage and student housing is scarce. Late last year, the school was required to make some severe cutbacks. Nearly half of the doctoral programs were cut, 230 faculty were laid off and eight athletic teams were eliminated.
Fortunately for Tulane, however, applications for next year have increased 15 percent.
