New Orleans Universities Reopen

Yesterday my daughter received a letter from the University of New Orleans describing full scholarships available for out-of-state students; it appears that she would easily qualify due to her academic record.

Although we've had no interest in New Orleans universities for several reasons, the program was attractive enough to cause a parent worried about upcoming college tuition expenses to read the letter twice, especially as the application process has been streamlined (no essays!) and the fee waived.

Then one opens the paper to read: "The Lakefront campus of the University of New Orleans (UNO) is across the street from some of the worst devastation in the city... The neighborhood is pitch black at night."

Suddenly the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the challenge of rebuilding" (per the UNO letter) didn't sound nearly as attractive!

The N.O. universities are working hard to rebuild. Dillard University is currently located in a Hilton hotel. Other universities are trying to provide additional services on campus as their students will be quite isolated, with limited services and activities available in the city itself.

UNO, which normally has 17,000 students, is struggling to enroll at least 12,000 students, which is doubtless a reason for the scholarship letters that were sent out at New Year's.