Hooray for many of the universities in Texas. Some open their doors wide; some open them a little.
TCU who has opened its doors to any who were in Katrina’s demolished universities.
Devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama has left thousands homeless, businesses destroyed and livelihoods uncertain. Universities in the area, including Tulane, Xavier, Loyola, and Dillard, all located in New Orleans, have sustained major damage and there is great uncertainty as to when they might re-open. To that end, TCU is offering admission until Tuesday, September 6 to Metroplex undergraduate students previously admitted to a university severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. I am asking that each member of the TCU community be flexible in accommodating these late arriving students and help them feel welcome. Although we are at our maximum for this year’s freshman class, we feel a great sense of duty to offer this gesture of goodwill to these college students.
In addition to these efforts, TCU’s Student Affairs division (Community Outreach/Service Learning and University Ministries) is coordinating an additional response to the disaster.
And, as The Times-Picayune on line said, Texas Southern University is accepting students.
And Baylor is also accepting students from the hurricane devastated areas.
UT will help those students who are Texans or who previously attended Texas colleges.
The president of the University of Texas at Austin, Larry Faulkner, issued this press release late last night:
The University of Texas at Austin stands with the nation in expressing our sorrow in this time of terrible tragedy in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. We are committed to providing temporary help this fall to colleges and universities in the New Orleans area which are unable to operate while they are attempting to recover and rebuild. To assist university students and faculty who have been affected by the disaster of catastrophic proportions in our neighboring states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, The University of Texas at Austin is taking the following emergency steps, effective immediately.
The following policies apply to students who were enrolling or enrolled in colleges or universities in the area of greatest disaster impact and are likely to remain closed for an extended period.
• Undergraduate students who are Texas residents or graduates from Texas high schools will be eligible to take available undergraduate courses at the University for the fall 2005 semester.
• Graduate and professional students who are Texas residents or graduates of Texas colleges and universities will be eligible take available graduate courses at the University for the fall 2005 semester.
…These temporary measures are intended to help students and faculty colleagues in a time of unprecedented disaster. The University of Texas at Austin is firmly committed to aiding the affected higher education institutions in any way possible as they seek to recover from the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina.
And Rice is also offering openings to anyone who is from Houston who was going to Tulane the ability to come to Rice this fall.
RICE OFFERS HOUSTON-AREA TULANE STUDENTS FALL CLASSES
In support of a sister school stricken by Hurricane Katrina, Rice University will offer Houston-area undergraduates enrolled at Tulane University the opportunity to take fall semester classes at Rice on a space-available basis at no additional cost.
http://www.explore.rice.edu/explore/Tulane.asp
I have to admit that I am not as impressed with UT, Texas students, and Rice, Houston students at Tulane, than with the other schools. But that may be some foolish prejudice on my part.
Texas A&M has offered to take 1000 students. They are not limiting their enrollees to Texans, as far as I can tell.
We are announcing today (see statement below) that Texas A&M, including the Galveston campus, will accept up to 1,000 students for as long as one year from universities and colleges unable to offer classes this fall due to Hurricane Katrina. This is a significantly higher number of students than any other university has offered to take in (as far as we are aware), but entirely in keeping with our culture, our traditions and our Spirit. We also have offered to provide – to the extent we can — a temporary home for faculty to continue their research while their own campuses are unavailable. We are, again as far as we know, the only university to extend the offer of assistance to all colleges and universities affected by the tragedy. … Significant help to friends and neighbors in trouble is what Aggies do best.