| Just over a year ago, Hurricane Katrina swept through southern states, leaving a wake of destruction in its path. Although over 12 months have passed, the memory of Katrina is still fresh in many people's minds. The media bombarded us with the stark images of lives lost, houses immersed in water, and a city under siege. New Orleans became the poster child for Katrina's destruction and what can go wrong when a major storm hits a major city. There is no argument that those living in the wake of Katrina suffered the most and the longest, since many are still suffering today. But when disasters strike, their effects ripple outward. Katrina changed the course of many people's lives and futures. Here in Madison, several UW-Madison students explained how Katrina affected them. Students Harry Asnien and Katie Nix were heading to Tulane University in New Orleans for their freshman year when Hurricane Katrina would forever change their lives. With dreams of warm weather, jazz, and culture, these students were looking forward to studying and living it up in the Big Easy. They were in for a surprise. Asnien, a graduate of Madison's West High School, chose Tulane because of the "weather, music, and culture." After months of preparation and dreaming of his first year away from home at a college touted for its high standard of academics, Asnien drove down to New Orleans with his mother. When he was nearing his dorm, he was struck with the news that his first week of college may not be what he imagined. Tulane students were told to leave everything in their dormitory and evacuate immediately. Thinking the evacuation would last only several days, Asnien decided to stay near New Orleans with his new college roommate. They drove to his roommate's parents home near New Orleans and hunkered down, waiting for the storm. Soon thereafter, the family (who Asnien says very rarely evacuates during hurricanes) decided they needed to leave town. Asnien drove with them to northern Mississippi to his roommate's grandmother's home. "I had never seen anything like a hurricane," Asnien said. "The family was trying to stay calm for me. It was a little daunting.” After a week and-a-half of watching and waiting in a new environment with literally "strangers," Asnien's mother managed to patch him together a flight out of Mississippi. By that time, it had become evident that Asnien wouldn't be returning toTulane anytime soon. He spent a day traveling -- from Mississippi to Atlanta to Chicago -- before he finally made it home to Madison. With his plans to attend college now thwarted, Asnien's future hung in the balance. But thanks to humanitarian relief efforts created at many major universities across the nation, Asnien was able to attend college. Students displaced from Gulf Coast colleges were offered admissions at the University of Wisconsin System's 26 campuses for the Fall 2005 semester with tuition costs waived. The students were identified as "Hurricane Katrina Victims." "Hurricane Katrina profoundly disrupted the lives of thousands of Gulf Coast residents, and UW campuses want to help as best they can," UW System president Kevin Reilly said in a 2005 response to Katrina. "We can truly help displaced students seeking admission this fall, many of whom are Wisconsin residents choosing to return home to continue their college education." After a semester at UW-Madison, Asnien decided to return to Tulane. Even though he experienced the hurricane's onset and viewed the extensive media coverage that followed, the effect of the storm didn't truly hit him until he returned. He spent his first night back in New Orleans at a volunteer camp. Hunkered down in a tent with his brother, he spent the night in the middle of a broken city. "We were in the middle of the city, but everything was abandoned and there was no electricity," he said. "It was so strange to be in the middle of this once booming city and see nothing but stars and darkness for miles. It was completely demolished." The spirit of the people, he said, lived on despite the tragedy. "It was really great to see the [number] of people who were there to help," Asnien said. "It really was awe-inspiring." Asnien spent his spring semester at Tulane, but decided to return to UW-Madison his following year. His story is not unique among students who were displaced by Katrina, and it is taking its toll on Tulane University. Katrina caused roughly $200 million in damage at the 172-year-old university and as a result, the university has eliminated 230 faculty positions and 250 staff positions. They also dropped a number of athletic and academic programs in what Tulane University President Scott Cowen called, "the most significant reinvention of a university in the United States in over a century." Additional cost-cutting eliminated nearly all undergraduate engineering majors and the medical school reduced its clinical programs. "It really is going to be a rough couple of years for Tulane," Asnien said. "A lot of students are transferring. There is a lot of controversy attached to Scott Cowen and his decisions [for the future of Tulane]." Katie Nix, from Racine, was in her dorm at Tulane University for one day before students were told to evacuate because of Hurricane Katrina. She chose the university because she "liked the culture and wanted something different." Nix's parents were still in New Orleans when the evacuation order at Tulane was implemented. Almost as soon as they arrived in New Orleans, they turned right back towards Wisconsin. "I was really frustrated at that time," Nix said. "We all felt really helpless." Unfortunately, Nix and her parents weren't the only people leaving New Orleans that day. "We were in traffic outside of New Orleans for about five hours," Nix said. Like Asnien, Nix was able to attend UW-Madison for her fall semester and also decided to return to Tulane in the spring. She never did visit the 9th ward or other greatly affected areas, but pointed out that the news media has been quick to leave out the parts of New Orleans that did survive. "I think it is very important for people to see not only the places that have been destroyed, but the part of the city that survived," Nix said. "It is still a very flavorful place and people are still upbeat and hopeful." Nix also decided to return to UW-Madison the following year, citing a more affordable tuition and favorable school atmosphere. All in all, nine students who transferred to UW-Madison last fall because of displacement due to Katrina, have decided to continue their studies at UW-Madison. |
| Local students enrolled at Tulane University tell their Katrina story From Madison to New Orleans and back to Madison by Laura Salinger |
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