Last semester, college students returned to New Orleans with their suitcases, minifridges and shower shoes to begin another year of study in the Big Easy.
Just as they were settling in, however, Hurricane Katrina forced them out of the area.
And since classes resumed last month, students have slowly filtered back into the storm-ravaged city. Upperclassmen found their college town battered and bruised. Freshmen were finally given the chance to explore their new home.
This semester, students from Xavier University of Louisiana, Dillard University, Loyola University-New Orleans and Tulane University have arrived, and along with their possessions, they have brought hope to a community still reeling.
The influx of students has contributed to a sizable population increase in New Orleans, and since the students are actively participating in volunteer and relief efforts, they are receiving a warm welcome from local residents.
Tulane senior Leona Rockowitz, for one, participated in the Jan. 21 multi-university effort that brought up to 3,000 students, faculty, administrators along with local residents to volunteer in Outreach New Orleans.
Volunteers took buses to various parts of the region and began to help the city that remains inextricably linked with their schools.
Rockowitz has trouble explaining her experience coming back to New Orleans. "Watching the news and reading about Hurricane Katrina in the paper does not do it justice," she says. "When you go out there with the gloves and you meet the people that you're helping and you pick up the artifacts-they're not really items-it really hits home."
Rockowitz also notes the positive response that the student efforts have received from local residents. "People are driving by and honking their horns and saying 'thanks y'all,'" she says. "Getting out there and getting your hands dirty is what's gonna help."
Although students have taken up much of the responsibility in initiating the humanitarian response, administrators have been fully aware of the volunteer power of the newly returned student body.
"To the students returning, President [Scott] Cowen told them when they returned to be ready to rebuild the city," says Mike Strecker, a spokesperson for Tulane.
Strecker noted that administrators can ask students to help all they want, but it was the student initiative that really made the desire to help New Orleans a reality.
"The students were really eager to pitch in and help," Strecker says.
Strecker and Rockowitz both understand the long-term commitment these volunteer efforts require. "Cleaning up debris-that's not a one-weekend job," Strecker says.
The returned students, faculty and administrators now have a greater understanding of their role in the recovery effort, but it has also shown everyone in New Orleans how much the universities and the community rely on each other.
"The whole hurricane experience has shown people how interconnected and interdependent we all are," Strecker says. "If you are going to rebuild a city, everybody needs to pull together. Katrina has just underscored that."
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