With memories of hurried evacuation from one of last year's largest natural disasters, students returned to classes Tuesday at Tulane University in New Orleans for the spring 2006 semester.
Last fall, just hours after students began moving into Tulane University to start the 2005 school year, the Hurricane Katrina evacuation forced the cancellation of all classes and the closing of the university. Students then dispersed throughout the country in search of new, albeit temporary, homes and universities.
"It was Saturday morning. We were doing orientation stuff," Katie Raths, Tulane freshman who attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall, said of the evacuation. "We found out everyone had to be off campus by 6 p.m."
Luckily, Raths was able to stay with family in Houston before coming to UW for the fall semester.
Raths reported feeling lucky to have had such a pleasant experience at UW, adding many of her Tulane friends were not as fortunate. Jeff Hammond, a Tulane senior who also spent the fall semester at UW, has similar sentiments.
"Everyone is happy to be back," Hammond said of fellow Tulane students. "Most people complained about the universities they were at — except me."
UW was very accommodating to stranded students from New Orleans, Raths and Hammond agreed. While they enjoyed their time here, both eagerly returned to Tulane earlier this month.
In fact, 88 percent of Tulane's student body has returned for the commencement of spring semester, Tulane Director of Public Relations Mike Strecker said; the number is "considerably more than expected," Strecker added.
Coming from across the country after having taken refuge at surrogate universities, Tulane students came back anxiously to examine the state of their university.
According to Raths, the campus and surrounding area has not been severely damaged.
"I really like it here, and the campus looks fine," Raths said. "If I hadn't left, I would never have known the campus changed."
Raths went on to say there are small problems around the campus, but added that was to be expected.
"My dorm has new carpeting and mattresses," she noted. "But they took stuff out of our rooms, and not everything is back."
Raths reported missing clothes, shoes, jewelry and other items. She said her things could have been lost in the evacuation or returned to the wrong person. While she hopes to eventually get her things back, Raths said she knows that probably won't happen.
Yet much of the campus is in good shape.
According to Strecker, the cost of repairs has tallied up to $250 million, not including operating losses. A leased cruise ship, serving as temporary housing for graduate students and those whose off-campus housing was destroyed, numbers as one of those many expenses. On campus, dormitories are functional and trailers are set up to compensate for buildings currently out of service due to water damage, Hammond said.
In addition to happy students, the re-opening of Tulane is extremely beneficial to the community, Hammond said, as the university accounts for 20 percent of the New Orleans workforce.
While he is excited to be back home, Hammond said he would miss UW.
"I love the university. I had a great time," he said. "Y'all are great people."
