It's been six weeks now since students from Tulane University arrived on campus in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Since then they've gotten to know their new home, describing social life here as "homey, less wild, more structured and predictable." The Princeton workload seems more intense, they say, and the students more involved in extracurricular activities on campus.
Back in New Orleans, the water has been drinkable for only about a week now, the electricity is slowly coming back and debris is being cleared from the streets. It will be many weeks, however, before Tulane is able to welcome its students back to their home away from home.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast this fall, Princeton and other universities around the nation opened their campuses to Tulane students who would otherwise have lost a semester of study. The 24 Tulane students who transferred to Princeton for the semester, a mix of under and upper classmen, have all been placed in Henry Hall, assigned to a residential college and put in contact with their very own "Princeton Buddy."
"We were quickly oriented and given plenty of resources to help us adjust," said Tulane freshman Kyle Galloway. OIT help-desk employees paid a visit to Henry Hall as soon as the Tulane students arrived, eager to tap the new Princetonians into the Internet lifeblood of the University.
"Dean Dunne has been great," said Tulane sophomore Rosa Mathai. Thankfully so, since there is only so much that Tulane itself can do to aid transferring students. "Tulane has done a great job managing the disaster, but there's not a lot they can do to help us now, because of what they have to do to preserve the school," Galloway said.
Regarding the transfer application process, Tulane freshman Christina Montrois explained, "I faxed the school my resume, transcript and test scores, and President Tilghman called a few hours later to welcome me to Princeton." Another freshman had been waitlisted at Princeton, and simply asked admissions to pull up his records. Princeton was a logical choice for many Tulane students because it was accepting students from all states and regions, and because classes here had not yet begun.
Many of the other schools initially contacted by Tulane students were difficult to work with, but Princeton acted swiftly. "Admissions officers, President Tilghman and many others here gave up their Labor Day weekends to help us apply and get into Princeton, which was so unselfish of them," Mathai said.
Getting out of New Orleans was not so simple. "At first the school told us we'd be moving back in after only three to four days, so a lot of people who lived far away didn't want to get on a plane and go home," said Galloway, who was lucky to get a ride out of the city with his roommate.
Galloway drove away from Tulane with only a pair of shorts, four t-shirts and his laptop, wrestling all the way with the decision of where to go next. "I really struggled with the decision to come to Princeton versus joining the Red Cross," Galloway said.
Montrois said of her Princeton experience, "It's good to have people to relate to." Montrois has also made a point of getting involved in different activities on campus, pledging Theta sorority and joining the Princeton cheerleading squad.
Montrois said, "Everyone has been very gracious and eager to let me be involved. It's easier to adjust as a freshman. I was already expecting to have to put myself out there and meet people." She and other Tulane freshmen have effectively begun their college careers with a semester-long, in-country "study abroad."
Almost none of the transferring students came with friends, and many have become close not only to Princeton students but also to Tulane students whom they would otherwise never have met. "The easiest way to meet people is to get involved with different activities," said Mathai, who is looking into writing opportunities on campus as well as working with a non-profit organization raising funds for Katrina victims.
"I'm impressed by how involved people are in campus groups and activities here," Mathai said. "A lot of students at Tulane don't want to pass up the opportunities in New Orleans, which translates to taking a job or internship, instead of singing for an a cappella group."
Comparing social life at Princeton to that at Tulane, Mathai said, "Tulane is more culturally diverse in its nightlife, being in a city, but the frat scene there is very similar to the eating clubs here. I find the social scene here to be more homey, less wild, more structured and predictable." Fittingly, Tulane's equivalent to Princeton's Prospect Ave. bears a more metropolitan name: Broadway St.
Academically, the transition to Princeton has demanded a fair amount of flexibility on the part of Tulane students. Accustomed to a five-course, fifteen-week semester, Tulane students find the reading and work load for Princeton's more condensed twelve-week, four-course semester to be somewhat heavier.
Structural differences within the academic departments pose problems as well. "Princeton doesn't have a Latin American Studies major, but I'm also pre-med," Mathai said. She now faces the challenge of fitting both Chemistry and Physics — two pre-med requirements — into the same semester in order to clear room for more departmental credits when she returns to Tulane. She does, however, note that "help is easy to find."
Montrois, who had planned to double-major in communications and business at Tulane, has had to switch her focus this semester to politics and economics. She welcomes the change of tack though, and expects that it will not obscure her long-term goal of entering law school.
A senior previously ensconced in her French and Italian double major at Tulane, Jane Hardy has had to forfeit the neatly arranged course of study she had laid out for her final year as an undergraduate. She has, however, taken a proactive approach to pursuing her interests here at Princeton. Attending a freshman welcome session, Hardy sought out Professor Simone Marchesi, a medievalist of the French and Italian department. Marchesi will now advise the highly specialized thesis which Hardy has always wanted to write but would have been unable to pursue at Tulane.
For Galloway, who had already expected to major in engineering, Katrina has not only further informed his course of study, but also begun to direct his career plans. He had planned to study abroad in India this coming summer; now he plans to take an engineering internship in New Orleans. "After the hurricane, I've taken interest in water control and levees. I hope to have a career that involves improving the New Orleans levee system," Galloway said.
Conveniently, Princeton offers an academic outlet for Galloway's recently honed interest in the field of engineering. "I'm enrolled in 'Rivers and the Regional Environment,' " Galloway said, "which is exactly what I want to learn after the hurricane. One lecture was even about Katrina. I'm finding it really interesting to learn the engineering of water control, but at the same time learning how to get it through bureaucracy."
Galloway's desire to benefit New Orleans is sure to manifest itself in the short-term as well as the long-term. "I feel so blessed to be here," Galloway said. "But I can't wait to go back. I'm sure I'll spend my Saturdays next semester rebuilding things and cleaning up." A New Orleans resident knows just what this clean-up job will entail. Hardy remained in the city with her family for a week and a half after the storm hit, experiencing all the trauma of the storm's aftermath. "My father's southern — there's the idea that you don't abandon your property," she said. "We've never evacuated for a storm." She and her family watched a movie the night of the hurricane.
They woke the next morning to find the power out, but only a foot of water in the basement, and calmly began to repair the roof. Not until a relative watching the news in Italy got in touch by cell phone did they realize the levee had just broken and that they were in true danger. Moments later, water began to enter their home rapidly.
Hardy's family escaped by car with hardly a moment to spare, took refuge in a Tulane building at the higher end of town and were then offered living space in an abandoned mansion on St. Charles St. Obtaining a canoe, Hardy and her family paddled over sunken cars to visit their flooded neighborhood once daily, feeding abandoned pets in the area and checking on their home.
Hardy recalls walking past the music library at Tulane during this time and seeing chairs floating around its belowground level. "They turned part of the university into a military base," she remembers. At one point, the water level had risen almost right up to Tulane's "Welcome Freshmen" banner.
"In three days, the city turned into a nightmare," Hardy said. She and her family locked doors at night and pretended no one was home. "Everyone was walking around armed. It got to the point where you wanted to have a weapon just in case."
It was only through speaking with reporters on the empty streets of New Orleans that Hardy discovered she could apply to transfer elsewhere for the semester. "We were really cut off from the world," Hardy said. "We had no idea what was happening. One day they'd say 'you have to evacuate,' the next day they'd say 'you're allowed to stay.' "
The trauma of remaining in the area through the storm and its aftermath was worth it, Hardy said. "My family was able to get in the moment the water went away, clean everything, throw everything away, get all the mildew before it went up to the living quarters. We were able to save all the pets in the neighborhood, and also our house. We were very lucky."
Though Hardy has immersed herself in rigorous study at Princeton, the experience of Katrina and her aftermath remains with her. She recalls going up onto the roof and looking out to see buildings burning all over the city, sharing food and news with strangers. Said Hardy with a note of optimism, "At times like these, everyone comes together and helps each other."
Read More
Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment approves renovations to Tower and Charter Clubs
Sena Chang and Isaac BernsteinOn March 27, the Municipality of Princeton’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved construction developments for Tower Club and Charter Club. Renovations for both clubs are aimed towards improving accessibility.
On March 27, the Municipality of Princeton’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved construction developments for Tower Club and Charter Club. Renovations for both clubs are aimed towards improving accessibility.
Students support local businesses with new platform Zage
Jack AllenAfter hearing about the struggles faced by a number of these restaurants after students left campus in mid-March, Dilbagi created Zage, an online platform that allows community members to send money to local businesses now to redeem as credits on their purchases in the future.
This fall, go beyond the 'Bubble'
Dora ZhaoEven though classes are picking up, weekends are the perfect time for students to escape the Orange Bubble. While going out to eat on Nassau is enjoyable, there is so much to see beyond Princeton. For those looking for a day trip or a chance to explore the area outside of Princeton, here is a list of ideas to do this fall.