After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Tulane University freshman Nina Pavlich began looking for a new college to attend. She inquired about attending the University and said she has “been really amazed” by the school’s willingness to assist her.
As of Sept. 27, 32 displaced students from the New Orleans area are registered for University classes, and eight additional students have expressed interest in attending, but have not yet registered.
The additional costs to the University of assisting these students will be paid partly by donors, some of whom have already offered donations. The rest will be covered by University funds.
By allowing schools in the New Orleans area to retain tuition already paid, money will be available to help them pay faculty salaries and reconstruction costs, said Liane Richardson, assistant dean for student affairs at the School of Law.
“All schools that are making these offers are absorbing it,” Richardson said. “The reasoning behind it is to leave some money for the schools that have been hard-hit to rebuild.”
Most of the 32 displaced students came from Tulane University, with others from the University of New Orleans and Loyola University New Orleans.
The Association of American Universities, an organization of which the University is a member, reached an agreement after Hurricane Katrina to offer admission on a provisional basis to students whose universities had been shut down.
“We looked for some kind of indication of enrollment,” University Director of Admissions Martha Pitts said.
Once evidence of enrollment was obtained, the University sought evidence that students had paid tuition at their home institutions. If students had already paid, their tuition and fees were waived. The University will not ask for reimbursement.
“We’re saying: ‘It’s nobody’s fault,’” University Vice President for Finance and Administration Frances Dyke said. “They paid for an education, and we’re happy to help both that student and that institution.”
The School of Law began classes on Aug. 17, 12 days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, forcing it to act especially fast to assist students from the New Orleans area.
“We offered room for up to 10 law students to come here.” Richardson said. “A problem with students coming in here is that we start early. We knew that not a lot of people would probably come, but we didn’t know.”
Richardson said that because the School of Law has only enrolled two displaced students, it has been easier to offer comprehensive assistance.
In addition to waiving tuition, the School of Law waived the resource fees, provided laptops on loan and provided free housing. West Publishing Co. offered free law textbooks and fellow law students purchased school supplies for the displaced students.
“We’re able to do a lot of this because we’re so small,” Richardson said.
Richardson credits the strength of the School of Law’s tutorial program with helping law students catch up. Professors have also offered their time to give displaced students extra help, she said.
The University will also participate in a program with the Sloan Consortium, a national group involved in online education, to offer free online courses to displaced students.
The program, called the Sloan Semester, will allow students at the community college, undergraduate and graduate levels to take a variety of courses. The University will offer courses in geology and multicultural arts.
The University’s efforts to assist students have caused Pavlich to consider staying in Eugene even after Tulane’s doors reopen.
“I’m thinking of staying here permanently,” Pavlich said. “After the hurricane, New Orleans has kind of, you know, lost its charm.”

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