<p>Probably the same way you can feel negatively to a particular president or party or congress but still love your country or your state and say we Americans or we whatever staters. Is that such a hard concept to grasp? If I couldn't see what Tulane could be and how badly it is being mismanaged then it would be easy to be cheerleader.</p>
<p>I have a lot invested in this school - blood, sweat, tears, treasure, hopes, and all of my remaining viable genetic material. I am also continuing to invest in it, but I have a great fear that I have entrusted it all to an instittion run by the Ken Lay of higher education. I greatly fear that another decade of misrule and we will be the Antioch of Louisiana with people wondering how we cold have fallen so far.</p>
<p>Many of us have quite a bit invested, HL, including , as you say, "all of my remaining viable genetic material"--as true for me as it is for you. My point is that there are less damaging ways to "help."</p>
<p>Fine to be a Tulane fan, and do not think it will go way of Antioch, but predicting it will ever be a "top 25" university is pollyannish in extreme. School needs to survive in a city that will never be the same. Pre-hurricane, about half of applicants in; ACT mid-range was 28-32. Rank was 44th. You can be certain the percentage of admits has skyrocketed and the scores have declined. Peer respect, not very high to start with, will tilt down as well.</p>
<p>New Orleans may or may not ever but the same but it will never be the pits that New Haven, Durham, and Providence are and that doesn't seem to hurt Yale, Brown, or Duke. </p>
<p>Geographic isolation from the North East and West Coast the centers of the affluent market for private education hurts Tulane, but make no mistake it has some very good students and very good departments. The test scores have slipped a little post-katrina but the admit rate has actually gone down. Of course admit rate is the a very poor indicator of student quality and of no importance at all as long as you are getting good students. </p>
<p>South Louisiana is the most unique region in America and New Orleans itself is culturally the most unique city in America. As long as the Mississippi River drains half a continent and is navigable for a thousand miles and flows through New Orleans the city is not going to go away.</p>
<p>You are wrong when you say the percentages of admits has skyrocketed and that the standardized test scores have declined. The reason this is all faulty is because of this: After katrina, the school wanted to become better (hence the shirts "tulane-better than ever"). Now, aside from this, President Cowen has determined the incoming class numbers to be at a fixed rate of 1200 I believe (at most 1300) keeping the school as a small institution. He specifically said their standards of admission have been increasing, since 1997, the admit rate dropped significantly from 79% (yes, then it WAS high) to 38% now, predicting it to be at or near 32% next year. So, higher admit rates? no. worse test scores? obviously not. higher percentage of applicants because of great advertising? yep. not to say there aren't underqualified applicants lol.</p>
<p>ctymom -- you're letting your attachment for tulane color what are some clear facts about some troubles tulane is having. That's not to say that tulane isn't a great school, that's not to say that tualne isn't doing a good job considering the obstacles they are facing. But there are some negatives and we need to recognize that. </p>
<p>Furthermore, just because you disagree with what HigherLead is saying, and seemingly resent the fact that he isn't only singing praises of tulane, doesn't mean he's being ugly by any means.</p>
<p>ClaySoul, I wasn't referring only to what HL said on this thread, rather to some quite stronger statements elsewhere on this forum, which he has recently tempered. Thanks for your psychological assessment, but I'm fine :-)</p>
<p>Wow, this reflect really highly on Tulane. Higherlead gives his opinion on what's going on with Tulane (which might be right, more or less), and everyone thinks he has some sort of major issue with the school. If this is the attitude from Tulane students, then no wonder it might drop out of the top 50.</p>
<p>Higherlead hasn't tempered any of his statements. He calls them as he sees them and no amount of reporting him to the moderators will change that.</p>
<p>Tulane is a very good school with tremendous potential and poor leadership. The xenophobia, cult of personality, and the my way or the highway attitude so emblematic of some of the school's alleged friends would be more at home at a Red Guard or John Birch Society meeting. In a difficult time this university needs uniters and not dividers. Anyone who says any member of the university community ought to just move on and get out if they disagree with policies or decisions should to stop for a minute and examin their own motives and goals.</p>
<p>BTW there are a lot more views of Tulane and its current situation and direction than are evident on this board and some others. The opinions I express are of course my own.</p>
<p>Hmm, considering that this board is a representation of people who went to or go to Tulane, ClaySoul, I would say that yes, the opinions on this board are a representation of the student body of Tulane.</p>
<p>I think you're just in denial over what HL said.</p>
<p>Look, this board is a collection of lovers and haters of Tulane. You will find very few average middle of the road Tulanians bothering to post here! </p>
<p>I'm actually in agreement with much of what HigherLead has said (where are you getting that I'm not?), I just don't think such serious conclusions can be drawn.</p>
<p>if you come to tulane you we hear people say frequently "you either love tulane or hate it." this is true of tulane and of new orleans is general, and in this manner this board is representative of tulane. except i would say there are many more lovers of tulane on this board than on campus (since many of the people posting have yet to actually attend tulane, and in reality know little about). in reality there are more haters (and yes most of the haters end up staying all four years and not transferring out- i have no idea why- great scholarships i suppose). i starting posting again, because i feel like this board is creating a rosier picture of tulane than is reality, and this is a major disservice to both prospective students and students who have decided to attend, since the board is creating an expectation that gives illusions about tulane.</p>