In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, administrators at the University of New Orleans and Loyola University said they were optimistic they would be able to attract a freshman class for next fall of the same caliber as years past.

According to University of New Orleans Chancellor Timothy Ryan, high school students will be interested in attending UNO because of the unique opportunities hurricane recovery presents to students.

"The students will be able to observe and study something you can't find in a book," Ryan said. "[They will have] the opportunity to rebuild a major American city."

Ryan added his university has pledged its commitment to rebuilding New Orleans to the Louisiana governor, and said the students will be closely involved in the process.

Several New Orleans-based universities have been partially or completely shut down for the fall semester after massive flooding from Katrina. These universities are aggressively trying to recover and prepare for incoming freshmen next year.

While it has been a struggle for university administrators to maintain regular operations during this disaster, recruitment employees have been resorting to unconventional methods to accomplish their goals.

Loyola University Dean of Admissions Deborah Stieffel said her department had to resort to alternative methods of communication following the hurricane, when phone lines and cell phone connections were inoperable.

"The only [communication] working was the text messaging," Stieffel said. "[It was] kind of like cave men scratching on the walls."

But even with limited communication abilities Loyola University has been able to "maintain 97 percent of [its recruitment] schedule," Stieffel said.

Both Stieffel and Ryan said the university would be able to attract the same quality of students.

"We have worked very, very hard since the storm to keep our faculty and university intact," Ryan said. "We have areas of academic excellence that are among the best in the country."

When asked if UNO would consider lowering the expectations for their freshman class, Ryan asserted the university does not anticipate a decline in the quality of their freshman applicants.

"There has been no discussion of altering admission standards," Ryan said, and added there are no plans to do so.

Stieffel said Loyola recruitment staff was sending prospective students a strong message: "We are standing, we are a part of the community, and we want to be a part of our community and we want to be a part of the recovery of Loyola and the state of Louisiana."

While the institutions are confident they will be able to return to their original status next fall, some guidance counselors and students are more skeptical.

"There is very little interest [among students]," Madison East High School guidance counselor Kay Enright said. "I would encourage [students interested in attending Louisiana colleges] to e-mail and confirm some kind of commitment by the universities to make sure they will be functional by next fall semester."

Enright was more supportive of the universities' professionalism, and noted Loyola has been especially good at getting information out to various websites and recruitment fairs.

Although both Loyola and UNO have expressed confidence in their ability to recover fully from this disaster, Ryan admitted there was no precedent for the situation.

"We are making this stuff up as we go along," Ryan said.