This fall dozens of Tulane University students will be attending Tufts, as part of the University's response to the devastation caused by last week's Hurricane Katrina.
Tulane was forced to close at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, as the hurricane was nearing the city. It will remain closed for at least this semester.
The decision to accept Tulane students followed advice from American Council on Education President David Ward to offer assistance to "peer schools" with similar academic profiles. The University will not be accepting students from Loyola University New Orleans or any other school that were forced to close.
A University press release last Friday said at least 25 Tulane students would be admitted, but according to Dean of Students Bruce Reitman, over 100 Tulane students had contacted the Office of Admissions as of Sunday evening. Tulane students must contact the University by Sept. 9.
According to the press release, decisions on acceptance will be made on an individual basis. Reitman said the criteria for acceptance will likely be more conducive to underclassmen.
Upperclassmen from Tulane may not be able to fit into the small, upper-level courses they need to take to graduate. "Smaller seminars can't be expanded so Tufts may not be able to meet the needs of [Tulane] upperclassmen," Reitman said.
Freshmen and sophomores from Tulane would be easier to accommodate because they would likely enroll in introductory courses, many of which were already expanded to accommodate a large freshman class.
According to Reitman, the University will try not to exclude Tufts students from courses in order to accommodate Tulane students. The University does not intend to add any new classes that fit in with the Tulane curriculum but not with the Tufts one. "They have to fit into our schedules," he said.
According to Associate Director of Public Relations Kim Thurler, any Tulane students that enroll will be given "guest student" status. Guest students will not be matriculated, in the hope that they can eventually return to Tulane, but they will be given all the other benefits of Tufts students.
Tufts will only collect fees for Tulane students if their tuition balances are due.
According to Dean for Undergraduate Education James Glaser, no decision has yet been made to hire additional faculty to meet the demands of the added Tulane students.
The added expenses of taking on more students than expected this semester may affect other areas of the budget, however. "It is possible that [existing programs at Tufts] may have to be cut into," Reitman said.
In the Friday press release, University President Lawrence Bacow called for Tufts students to volunteer to "double or triple up" in their on-campus housing to accommodate Tulane students. Guest students living on campus will be charged for room and board, which is approximately $1,000 more expensive at Tufts than at Tulane.
According to Director of Residential Life and Learning Yolanda King, 14 Tufts students had offered to host a student from Tulane as of Monday morning.
Reitman also said many members of the community around Tufts have called to volunteer to host Tulane students. "And they may not charge for board," he said.
King said University administrators will meet today to discuss and formalize the Tulane transfer student plan and other aspects of Tufts' response to the hurricane.
Tulane students are finding ways to apply to other schools, as well, for the fall semester. "The students are pretty resilient," American Council of Education Director of Public Affairs Tim McDonough said. "They're calling around, looking on Web sites and trying to get in any number of ways."
McDonough said 100 Tulane students arrived at the University of Miami admissions office, asking to be given admission for the fall.
Tulane sophomore A.J. Katz, who will be taking courses at Columbia University, had to find a school for the fall without the help of a home administration or admissions office. "Tulane admissions is non-existent now, so lots of schools seem to be offering space independently," he said.
Katz said he had been originally informed of the possibility of attending a different school this fall by letters posted by Tulane President Scott Cowen on the school's Web site.
According to McDonough, most other schools that are accepting students from Tulane and other schools in the hurricane-stricken areas are offering students the chance to enroll on a visiting or provisional basis without requesting tuition payments.
Two schools in the Boston area are Harvard University and Boston University.
A letter on Harvard's Web site from President Larry Summers announced that Harvard will accept 25 undergraduates from schools affected by Hurricane Katrina for the fall semester, as well as 25 law students from Tulane and Loyola University New Orleans. These students will not be charged additional tuition.
Harvard will offer financial assistance toward the hurricane relief effort, Summers said. His letter said Harvard will match donations of up to $100 by students, faculty and staff to specified organizations.
The admissions department at Boston University has accepted 51 undergraduates as visiting students, without charge, as well as some graduate students. According to Associate Director of the University Service Center Shelley Tregor, Boston University cannot offer housing to any visiting students, but it does not expect to deny enrollment to anyone.
See Thursday's Daily for extended coverage of the University's response to Hurricane Katrina.
