Tulane Students Must Leave Yale

Yale has joined Harvard in expecting its visiting students from Tulane University, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, to return to New Orleans for the spring semester, Yale College Dean’s office announced last Thursday.

According to Yale College Assistant Dean William T. Whobrey, the decision was made in accordance with an agreement created this fall between Yale and the 10 visiting students.

“There was always an implicit understanding that when Tulane was ready to take its students back, the offer of admission at Yale and other universities was temporary,” Whobrey said. “Our policy was based on respect for the wishes of the university—the home institutions for the visiting students.”

The Harvard admissions office has also told the eight Tulane freshmen that they must re-enroll at Tulane for the spring semester, but may apply for transfer to Harvard for next fall.

Harvard Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman explained that the deadlines for transfer applications has already passed.

“Harvard admits intercollegiate transfers in the spring for the next year’s fall or spring semesters. The group that has been selected for spring term ’05-’06 is fully constituted,” he said. “But admissions policy is not my responsibility.”

Two weeks ago, the Undergraduate Council (UC) adopted a position paper advocating that the eight visiting freshman Tulane students be allowed to apply to transfer to Harvard in the spring. The paper was created in response to an appeal from five of the freshmen for student government support.

But UC President Matthew J. Glazer ’06 said that he has heard no new information regarding reapplication for transfer.

“It is my understanding that the admissions directors are going to uphold the policy of not allowing the visiting freshmen to reapply for admission,” Glazer said. “But we are going to do our best in the very near future to change theirs minds about this.”

Future UC plans for advocating for the Tulane freshmen include a written petition and a rally on Wednesday afternoon in front of the Science Center.

Tulane students and parents also continue to plea their case.

The father of one visiting Tulane freshmen, Paul Nikolich, wrote an e-mail to the president of Tulane University, Scott Cowen, last Wednesday requesting that his son be released from the “obligation to return to Tulane for the spring term so that he may apply to stay at Harvard.”

But Cowen clarified that Tulane did not require his reenrollment.

“Your son needs no waiver or release from Tulane,” Cowen wrote in reply. “He is free to withdraw from Tulane at any time and pursue his education wherever he desires. It will be Harvard’s choice to decide whether to accept him or not.”

Nikolich’s son, Adam P. Nikolich, said he does not intend to return to Tulane regardless of Harvard’s decision.

“I don’t think [Tulane] is a good place to be right now. It is still pretty unsafe and damaged,” Nikolich said.

Dingman said that he appreciated the contributions made by the Tulane freshmen during the past semester.

“I am delighted that the experience has been such a positive one. I’m grateful for their contributions and expect that they will pick up things again at their host schools,” he said.

While some Tulane students persist in seeking reapplication, others are preparing to attend Tulane in the spring.

“I’m going to miss pretty girls with 1600s on their SATs, guys with their own line of fashion ties, and football players with degrees in nuclear physics,” said Thomas E. Slattery, a visiting freshmen from Tulane. “I’ve loved this place and the experience I’ve had, and I’m truly going to miss it. I hope that someday perhaps my kids can have this experience.”