As their semester at Brown draws to a close, the 59 undergraduates and 27 graduate students the University accepted as part of its hurricane response effort were told Tuesday that they will have to return to their home institutions next semester.
In an e-mail to the students, Geri Augusto, coordinator of the University's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, informed them that only those who demonstrate "educational hardship or compelling academic needs" will be able to remain without having to reapply through the regular transfer admission process.
The e-mail said the University will give special consideration to seniors and graduate students in their final semesters, though they will still receive their degrees from their home institutions.
In addition, the students learned that funds from the $5 million given for the University's hurricane relief effort by liquor magnate Sidney Frank '42 would be available for those whose families and homes were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
In an interview with The Herald, Augusto stressed that displaced students were only accepted for a temporary period.
"The students were admitted under extraordinary circumstances, and the understanding is that they would return to their home institutions when they are able to take them back," she said.
In the e-mail, the students were reminded that they were admitted "under an exceptional process which dispensed with a normal feature of application for admission to Brown: assessment of qualifications in a competitive process."
Augusto told The Herald that Brown had a responsibility to return professors, graduate students and undergraduates to their home schools.
"When the students came right after the hurricane, the understanding was that Brown and all the schools facing the same set of circumstances would not try to poach away students or professors from the affected schools," she said.
But Jonathan Santoro, a Rhode Island native and sophomore from Tulane, said that displaced students should not have to wait until next semester to apply to transfer to Brown for the 2006-2007 school year.
"If they are going to allow kids to stay at Brown they should let them apply in for January, or they should let them stay for special student status for one semester and then let them apply the following semester," he said.
Michael Thompson '07, president of the Brown Organization of Transfer Students, agreed that the policy was unfair to the displaced students. If the students are doing well academically and like Brown, they should be allowed to stay, he said.
"I understand why (administrators) want the students to go back, but it's tough" to make so many moves, Thompson said.
Stephen Trinh, a Tulane junior whose sister is a member of the Class of 2009, said he had been interested in remaining at Brown before learning that he would have to apply as a transfer student.
"I was considering trying to stay at Brown because it's a lot more diverse than Tulane, but in order for us to stay we would have to transfer here and Brown doesn't have a transfer process in the fall," he said.
Nevertheless, Trinh is looking forward to returning to Tulane next semester.
"I've been keeping track of it. The city is basically back on its feet, everything is running, everything is working," he said.
A new academic and social experience
Most students who spent the semester at Brown spoke positively about their experiences.
Meredith Evans, a Tulane freshman from Ohio, moved into her new room in New Orleans just before the hurricane hit. As the storm bore down on the region, Evans learned from the Tulane emergency Web site that everyone on campus would have to evacuate. Initially, Tulane cancelled freshman orientation but said that classes would begin the following week, so Evans thought she would soon return. "We got back into the car. I left all my stuff there," she said.
Upon returning to Ohio and learning that Tulane would be closed for the semester, Evans had a difficult time deciding where to enroll. Though she had no previous connection to the University, Evans decided to apply to Brown after learning of Frank's donation.
Evans said that overall she has had a great experience at Brown, though she said that socially, it was "a little weird, initially."
"Classes went very well and there is lots of good academic help," she said.
Evans said she is excited to return to New Orleans and begin her years at Tulane. "I think out of a bad situation, I learned a lot of things. I don't regret it at all," she said.
Wesley Hedd, a senior from Tulane, chose to attend Brown after the University agreed to host his girlfriend, a graduate student in the philosophy department. "She contacted them and by the end of the night they had arranged stuff for her," he said.
At first, Hedd had considered suspending his studies to remain in New Orleans to join in the relief effort. "There have been a lot of opportunities to get involved with helping out after Katrina. I was unsure of going to another school but decided to continue my studies," he said.
"It's been terrific. I've been able to take a lot of classes at Brown that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to," he said. "They were very good at getting us through the red tape," he said.
Hedd said Providence and New Orleans were very different cities. "I like Providence a lot - it's a lot quieter, cleaner and safer," he said.
Despite a positive experience at Brown, Hedd is looking forward to returning to Tulane next semester. "I want to go back to New Orleans because I feel a strong desire to make a difference in the rebuilding," he said.
Rhode Island native Cori Oliver, who was preparing to begin her junior year at Tulane, also spoke highly of her experience at Brown, which she chose because she decided it "it was the best school in Rhode Island." "I love Providence," she said.
Oliver has spent the semester commuting from her home but has stayed in friends' dorms for some weekends. She said she has had an easy time integrating into life at Brown because she knows some students from her high school and spends time with them and their friends.
"The professors and students have been amazing," she said, naming Professor of American Civilization Mari Jo Buhle as her favorite.
Oliver is currently seeking permission to stay at Brown for an additional semester because she has a blood immunity issue that will prevent her from returning to New Orleans until the city is entirely sanitized. Oliver has had discussions with Associate Dean for Summer and Continuing Studies Robin Rose but does not yet know whether she will be allowed to stay.
But despite speaking highly of her time at Brown, Oliver said she looks forward to returning to New Orleans. "I really want to go back - I miss New Orleans," she said. "Everyone that I've talked to and spoken to has enjoyed being at Brown but really wants to go back, especially now that it's getting colder. We're all very thankful."
Frustrations with Brown students
Despite the generally abundant praise from its visitors, not all students who spent the semester at Brown were equally enthusiastic.
Santoro, the sophomore from Tulane, wanted to attend Rhode Island College or the University of Rhode Island but had difficulties enrolling as a displaced student. He ultimately chose to enroll at Brown along with his girlfriend, another Tulane student.
"Brown was kind of my last choice," he said.
Though he was satisfied with the quality of his classes and praised Brown's professors, Santoro spoke negatively about his social experience at Brown. "A lot of the Tulane kids had a lot of negative reactions. The Brown kids didn't want us to be here," he said. "A person told my girlfriend that she had gotten in the easy way."
"I have a lot of sections and I am trying to be social, but I don't know if they have time to be friends. All the New Orleans kids are only friends with other New Orleans kids," he said.
"Everyone here is kind of into themselves and into their work and where they're going and what they're going to do. A lot of people need to assert where they are on the power chain, saying things like, 'My daddy does this,' or 'My mommy is a doctor,' " he said.
Santoro said that he has no desire to stay at Brown beyond this semester. "Brown's great and all, but it's not my cup of tea. It's not the kind of people I like to be around," he said. "Here a lot of kids choose to do things because it's a family tradition or because their mom and dad do it, as opposed to Tulane students who do it because they love it," he said.
