<p>.... or will be in about an hour</p>
<p>Tulane decided to evacuate the school and closed it as of noon today. All of us who said our good byes last weekend are now welcoming our kids back home for the next 5 days. </p>
<p>My son called this morning and told me he'd called his old boss and asked if he could work this week. I guess 5 days on his own has taught him the value of money.</p>
<p>I am glad he will be at home and safe. He's a quicker study then most students if it just took him 5 days away to learn the value of money!</p>
<p>Good judgement on Tulane's part to ensure the safety of their kids.</p>
<p>Its all pretty surreal. Just picked up DS and one of his hallmates at the airport. Took them to a late lunch (all but one of the snack places at Armstrong Airport in NOLA were closed, and the line at the one open one was unreal), dropped off the hallmate at Emory where he'd made arrangements to stay and brought DS home. Got a call on my cell from a relative who gave me the update on the storm. I don't like this. Not one bit. Glad DS and all of Tulane are safe, and that NOLA is preparing for the storm. I am not up on all the weather forecasting mumbo jumbo, but apparently the kinds of things that might reduce the strength of the storm (highs? lows? I dont recall) anyway-- all I heard is that they weren't there in the atmosphere right now, and this storm will build momentum. Hang on. It is going to be a bumpy ride.</p>
<p>glad to hear the kids are getting out early... Hope the other residents of the area are also on their way to safety...</p>
<p>wow, seems like just yesterday that the kids were evacuated from Tulane for Hurricane Katrina. As I recall, the kids didn't get back to school until second semester.</p>
<p>S2 got an offer from Tulane this week--expedited application, no essay and decision in 4 weeks....it's not looking really attractive, I have to say....</p>
<p>
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My son called this morning and told me he'd called his old boss and asked if he could work this week. I guess 5 days on his own has taught him the value of money.
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</p>
<p>There's the silver lining to this cloud... another week to earn some money!</p>
<p>For those of you "on the ground", are people really flooding into Houston like the TV seems to show? Does nobody in Louisana understand that you go <em>away</em> from the water to escape a hurricane?</p>
<p>You better believe they are fleeing New Orleans and heading to Houston and other spots outside the cone of probability. I am glad that Tulane has taken this seriously, as I believe all other schools and the city itself are this time around. The levee repairs are only at 20%- they are not scheduled for completion till 2011. If there is a direct hit on NO, this will be very bad. Anywhere in the vicinity where Katrina previously devastated and it will be very bad. </p>
<p>Houston will be OK- remember it is 60 miles inland and most of the city does not flood. There are places that do flood, but nothing to the degree that NO did. </p>
<p>Remember also that Tulane is on relatively high ground in NO- it was not completely devastated by Katrina, not was the French Quarter. The poorer(and therefore physically lower) areas of the city were decimated. In addition, NO, this time around, is not offering any shelters of last resort( such as the Superdome or Convention Center), thereby encouraging all to evacuate- which will hopefully get the looters out. </p>
<p>Let's pray that the levees hold.</p>
<p>SJTH</p>
<p>Don't let this disuade your son from applying. In the short time my son has been at Tulane he absolutely loves it. If for some reason he has to go to another school for a semester as they did after Katrina it will provide him with insight into a different school, location etc. </p>
<p>According to my son, every student at Tulane gets the opportunity to evacuate at least once during the time they are there. Of course, this will be twice for the current senior class. Tulane was quick to act (made the decision on Thursday), and had options for students that were unable to get home (buses to Jacksonville State in Mississippi - although my son failed to mention this option until he arrived home - but I'm glad he's here instead of stuck in a college gymnasium)</p>
<p>This weekend was supposed to be Tulane's "outreach" weekend. Most of the students had signed up for community service activities throughout NO. My son had signed up for clean up of the ninth ward. I imagine there will be plenty of clean up when they get back. </p>
<p>My heart goes out to the residents of NO. Everyone I've met during my three visits were so amazingly friendly. I hope everyone evacuates and is safe.</p>
<p>I'm sure it feels wonderful to have him back home, however difficult these circumstances are. Here's hoping all the people of New Orleans find safe havens to weather this storm.</p>
<p>You should be aware that if something pretty bad does happen at Tulane, your son should look at schools nearby home he might want to spend the semester. I remember a few Pittsburgh natives wound up staying at CMU for a semester or a year before going back to Tulane since they were supposedly having some issues down there.</p>
<p>Time may prove me wrong, but I don't believe anything could top the chaos that accompanied Katrina. I still recall city officials announcing a levy breech eight o'clock one night, and saying that they'd collect some people and go look at the breech the next morning to see if anything could be done. Unbelievable. I immediately called DW/DD in Tuscaloosa and told them to come home, that Tulane wouldn't be re-opening for awhile.</p>
<p>No offense is meant to you parents of Tulane and other New Orleans college kids,but didn't you think that another hurricane could occur again and do the same thing to New Orleans as Katrina? What exactly were you thinking?</p>
<p>Personally, I would NEVER, EVER send my kids to a New Orleans school unless I were sure that the levies were completely built up,which they weren't. </p>
<p>While the kids being home might be nice, they aren't getting the education that you are paying for! I am astonished that so many parents just glossed over this potential problem without thoroughly weighing the future remifacations of placing their kids in "harm's way." This is especially true due to the large number of alternatives.</p>
<p>Well TaxGuy, here's what I was thinking. DD aspires to do wild animal veterinary work in Central America, and wants to keep her options open for Med School as well. So she wanted a school with strong Science and Latin American study programs, and a Med School. When Tulane came up on the list many of our friends were appalled. My response was "If she can't hack New Orleans she certainly can't hack Honduras." Besides, New Orleans is part of the United States, the greatest nation on earth, isn't it? If it's good enough for U.S. citizens, it ought to be good enough for college students.</p>
<p>Sorry, taxguy, but offense IS taken. I ditto what NewHope said. My s had a particular set of things he wanted in a school, and Tulane had these qualities. He is very active in community service (won awards here in our local city and was featured on TV for his committment to volunteerism and community service) and saw an opportunity to continue this in NOLA. I didn't choose where my s would go to school--HE chose. And certainly the large merit scholarships he was awarded didn't hurt either. So, with all due respect, right now your timing is not appreciated. If you would like to express your support and best wishes- thanks. If you would like to pour salt in a wound, thanks but no thanks. Are you going to say unkind things to the parents of students in the California schools that were evacuated due to the raging forest fires last year? What about if they have another earthquake? What about U of Miami or other schools on or near the FL coast? You gonna throw stones at them too?</p>
<p>When we took our s to Tulane a week ago, we had dinner with the retired dean of the Honors program, who has been at Tulane for over 40 years. The school has been there for a long, long time. What reason would we have to assume that such a potential tragedy would hit again in 3 years? </p>
<p>Please.. some of you.. think before you hit the "send" key.</p>
<p>Taxguy</p>
<p>Of course there were many other options. But ultimately it's all about selecting the right fit. My son wanted to go to New Orleans to help rebuild a city. Tulane students are known for their dedication to community service. Although he was an active participant, my son was never satisfied with many of the community service activities selected by his Key club in high school. Instead he would seek out unique and what he believed were meaningful ways to help his community. Tulane offers him that. At Tulane he is surrounded by like-minded students who truly believe they can make a difference. </p>
<p>Tulane administration acted quickly and had a plan in place before the chaos hit. Will I be upset if he has to spend a semester at another school?? yes and no. No-The experience will teach him flexibility and the ability to adjust to challenges. Yes- I am concerned with the logistics and financial impact. We would have to go to NO and collect/ship his stuff, and deal with the expense and inconvenience of a new move-in. He's already purchased all his texbooks and architectural supplies (to the tune of $1000) Money for flights and shipping (XYZ dollars), money for new textbooks (XYZ dollars), learning to adapt and face changes - priceless.</p>
<p>JJCDDG, He would still consider Tulane, actually. I respect their acting cautiously as well. Interestingly, S2 absolutely refuses to look at schools in Washington DC because of possible terrorist activity--guess he prefers the unpredictability of mother nature. S1 is in college in upstate NY and hard to fly to--so I worry about his getting to and from there for the next 3 years. I guess the bottom line is--there's no shortage of "worry" no matter what, right? I long for the days when S3 determined he'd remodel our attic into an apartment, go to the school a mile away, and live here forever....</p>
<p>Students at Pepperdine have been evacuated more than once due to wildfires...do we parents only "let" our kids go to schools which we feel will always be safe? If that's the case, we shouldn't "let" them out of our sight.
Please people. Obviously everyone makes their own choices and each family has it's own methodology.
At this time, let's not start knocking Tulane or NOLA or getting political. I am not affiliated with Tulane, know no one in NOLA but I still feel a desire to these kids and the people of NOLA safe without all the bs.</p>
<p>Tulane has been a great school for a very long time-since way prior to Katrina. When my D considered schools last year, we were both impressed by the service requirement that Tulane has instituted. They are part of an historic and impressive rebuilding of a major American city. That provides a distinctive educational experience in addition to the outstanding academics and social opportunities that Tulane offers. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, many people have reacted to post Katrina fears by completely dismissing Tulane out of hand. This explains why Tulane has gone out of it's way with the free application and early admissions decisions and sharing the good news about the substantial merit money available. They want people to consider the unique opportunities Tulane offers as a right fit for the right student. </p>
<p>As a Houstonian, my heart and arms open wide to folks from NO and the Mississippi gulf coast- there are still many here who came from Katrina. I have profound admiration for the Tulane administration who have ensured student safety and will no doubt creatively respond to Gustav to ensure continued magnificent educational opportunities. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, this has to be a tough time for those affected by the impending storm. My heart and prayers are with all. </p>
<p>(PS- my D chose another school for reasons which had nothing to do with hurricanes, etc.)</p>